Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1892-09-23

D
| plantation at Iberville."
| I'VE shall be punctual," answered
| Gilbert.
| CHAPTER XVI.
| CAPTAIN PRENDERGILLS, OF THE
AMAZON.
While the Selma steamed proudly
| past the banks Of the Mississippi, the
| inhabitants of New Orleans were occu-
| pied in discussion of an event which
| had taken place on the previous night
| but which had only been discovered
! early that morning.
Paul Lisimon had escaped from
| prison.
When Silas Craig and Augustus Hor-
ton took their places on board the Sell
! ma, they little dreamed that their vic
| tim had escaped them.
Nevertheless it was so. The turnkey
who visited the cell occupied by the
| young Mexican at eight o'clock on the
| morning after his arrest, found, to his
| bewilderment, that the dreary apart
ment was empty. The bars Of the mar
row window had been cut away. and
| file, left upon the floor of the cell, told
| of patient labor which had occupied the
prisoner in the silence of the night.
| \ rope, one end of which was attach
ed to the stump of one of the bars, also
= UOl0 Oh The ElOue OF escape.
| One thing was sufficiently clear. Paul
| LiSimon had received assistance from
without. He had been searched upon
of suspicious character had been
| found about him; the file and rope had,
| therefore, been conveyed to him by
| some mysterious hand.
| The aStonished officials of the jail
| looked from one to the other. not know
| ing what to suspect.
| The escape seemed almost incredible;
for, III order to regain his liberty, the
prisoner had not only to descend from
the window Of his cell, which was thir-
| ty feet above the priSOn-yard, but ne
had also to scale the outer wall, which
was upward of twenty feet high, and
Surmounted by formidable cherduC de
fiSe.
How, then, had Paul Lismon accom-
plished feat hitherto uninterrupted by
| the most daring of criminals?
| None suspected the truth Of the mat
ter. None could guess at the real
clew to the mystery!
| Paul Lisimon had neither descended
from the window of his cell, nor sealed
| the outer wall Of the prison. He had
walked out of the jail in the silence and
| darkness of the night, and i'll five min
uteS from leaving his cell found himself
in the streets of New Orleans
The person who hid effected this
miraculous eScaDe was no other than
! the Jaller, VINO na0 charge CT I4iolnOII,
and this jailer was one of the most
trusted functiOnarleS OF the prison.
Sir Robert WalpOle said that every
man has his price; this man had been
richly bribed by a mysterious visitor,
who had gained admission to the jail
Oh the evening of Paul S arrest.
The rope and file had been used in
order to blind the governor of the pris-
OH to the real deliquent.
/ At daybreak C1l t<e morning after
his Imprisonment. Paul Lisimon founu
himself free III the streets OF New Or
| leans, but utterly ignorant as to the
mysterious being to whom he owed his
release.
The jailer had refused to give him
any information about this person.
Il know nothing of the business"
the man SAID, except that L am well
paid for my share in it; and that shall
be ii ruined man if am found out"
Paul Lisimon was fee!
He was free; but he stood alone in
the world. without Il friend-branded Il
thief-caSt off by the protector OF his
youth-an escaped felon.
He hurried toward the lonely and de-
serted quay. Despair was i'll his heart,
and he yearned to rest beneath the still
waters OF the Mississippi.
Lore, ut least" he murmNed, 81
| shall be at peace. Camilla now believes
me innocent. and she will weep for my
memory. Were to wait the issue OF il
| trial, which must result i'll shame and
condemnation, she might indeed, as
the Frenchwoman insinuated, learn to
deSpse me-"
Needless of all around him, absorbed
in gloomy meditation. Paul Lisimon
was some time unaware of the sound
of football close behind him: but as
he drew nearer to the water side this
| fOOtStep approached him still closer.
and presently, III the faint gray light of
| that mysterious hour. betwiXt night
and morning, he beheld the long sha,l-
oW Of 4 man figure up":i the ground
| beside him.
lie starred and turned round. As he
did So. a heavy hand was laid upon his
shoulder, and a deep bass voice eX-
| claimed:
What do you want with yonder dark
water, my lad, that YOU re III such a
hurry to get to the river side?'
| Paul shook the mans hand away
from lis shoulder with a gesture of an
ger. BY what right do you question
me?" he said; stand aside and let me
pass"
Not till we have had a few words.
my Jail bird" answered the stranger.
Jail Bird"
Yes, mate, jail bird. you've no need
to carry it off SO tiercely with me. A
file and a rope, Ell? to blind the COVER
nor OF the prison, and a good-natlred
turnkey to open the doors for you.
That's about the sort of thing, ism t
it?"
Paul Lisimon turned round, and
looked the stranger full in the face.
He was a big, broad-Shouldered fellow,
upward of six feet high, dressed in a
thick pilot coat, and immense leather
boots, which came above his knees.
The pilot coat was open at the waist.
and in the uncertain gimmer of the
morning light Paul I.isimon caught
sight of the butt end of pistol thrust
i'll leather belt. The strangers face
had once been handsome one. but it
bore upon it the traces of many de-
bauch, as we'll as the broad scar of q
cutlass wound, which had left deep
welt from cheek to chin.
L know not who you are" said Paul,
after looking long and earnestly at this
man. nor by what right YOU have in
terested yourself i'll my fate: but it is
evident to me that You have had some
hand III my miraculous escape of to-
night"
Never mind that. comrade." an
swered the stranger, linking his arm in
that of Paul Lisimon, and walking
slowly toward the quay. You're free
and welcome, as far as that goes; but