The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1890-02-08
a PRISONER roRroN.


eFty Win friond'S Heip.
Those OF you who have had grand
fathers or great-grandfAthers who we're
taken prisoners-of- war when they were
cruising Ia American privateers have
heard. do not doubt. OF tho prison OF
Forton, in England. says Edward
Everett Hale In Sunny Hour. II was
in this prison that the American
prisoners taken at ssa were kept.
And a very hard time they had OF IL un-
til Franklin was at last able TO arrange
that they should be exchanged for
prisoners taken by Jones md others
from English ships.
One OF the prisoners In Forton. who
remained there eighteen months or
more. was Captain Leo OF Marblchead
The privateers OF Salem. Marblehead
and Beverly were the terror OF all
Engllshmen who sailed upon the seas;
but in some adventure, which | need
not tell here. Captain Lee OF Marble
head was ovcrmatched. and 80 had
been carried into England with his
crew and was imprisoned at Forton.
Exchanges were not then easy. for the
English government had not mt first de-
cided on its course about exchanges
One day, after poor Captain Lee had
fingered there more than year and
half, he was called To the door and
told that gentleman wished TO see
him. This gentleman proved 10 be q
man OF military air, who took Cap
tain Lee into n corner nn1 pressed Into
his his hand, privately, purse, which
proved TO contain seventy-fve guineas.
With equal privacy he said TO him that
with part OF the money he must buy,
before night. from some OF some OF the
attendants. the dress OF one OF the
prison workmen, and that, when the
relief. came around. he must be in an
out-of-the- way place where he could
fall inewith the relief in the twilight
and pass outside the prison proper un-
observed. But TO go out OF the whole
inclosure.n said his friend, 'you will
need to know the countersign. And
SO he whispered To him the counter
sign OF the day. Captain Lee asked
who il was TO whom he was indebted.
but the stranger would not tell him.
All fell out just as this good fairy
had said. Some loafer among the
workmen was not proof to the tcmpta-
ton of few bright guineas. and Us
night came on Captain Leo clothed
himself In the suit OF clothes which he
had bought. He fell In with the relief
and no one observed him. He came 20
one and another sentinel who chal-
lenged him. and he approached and
gave the countersign. He passed out
into the dark town. and there he was
puzzled about the street when he met
again his friend OF the morning. This
gentleman congratulated him on his
liberty. put him into a. carriage which
stood in waiting and sew him u n sea-
port, where he could take passage for
France.
The whole experience was as great
wonder 20 Captain Les rs IN the
stranger had been IN angel sent from
heaven, RS In certain sense he was.
Heaven Is very apt TO send rs It's mes
sengers the persons who have been
moved by kindness done 20 them.
Ii proved afterward that the mystic
rious stranger was no less "a person
than General Burgoyne. He also had
been prisoner OF war. While he was
at Cambridge. in Massachusetts, no
had been under the Immediate charge
OF Colonel Lee. who was Captain Loe's
brother When Burgoyne was cx-
changed he had promised Colonel
Lee. for whose kindness 10 him be was
grateful. that he would render any
service in his power TO the prisoner at
Forton. Colonel Lee had intrusted to
him the seventy-five guineas which he
had delivered to Captain Ice. aud Is
was he who had whispered the valu.
able countersign 10 him.