The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-06-02
A Clever Escape.

A Clever Escape.
In Tennessee the mosr of the convicts
are worked in the mines, and are not
guarded by walls and bolts, but by men
who stand over them with shotguns and
Winchesters. As matter of course
these taskmakers are not of very high
social order, and de not excel in either
humanity or education. If convict
leaves the line as he and his fellows are
marching from mine to stockade in the
first shadows of evening, or if he drops
his rake at the coke ovens and starts to
run, he will certainly be pursued by one
or moro bullets, aimed with considerable
precision. 1t is therefore not rare
thing for convict co be killed or manned
for life. The guard is only doing bis
legal duty, and seems to enjoy shooting
at such big game by way of'a break in
the monotony of long days of watching
and loafng.
But frequently convicts do escape to
the mountain wilda, where they are never
pursued. In fact, if convict manages
to get half mile from the mines without
being caught or killed, he may count
himself safe so long as he keeps away
from the villages and towns. The trou
BILE. is In getting his convict garb ex'
changed for less conspicuous clothing.
And all the escapes that are planned BY
convicts who have no friends on the
outside are planned with this in view.
Every convict guard has some story of an
ingenious escape, and il willing to tell it
if he was not too badly involved in it.
Not long ago there vas white convict
named Reed working at the Briceville
stockade.. He had sbeen put in for ten
yearsfor series of forgeries, and as he
was not very strong, they let him do the
lighter work around the stockade, and
only worked him in the mines when
there was particularly heavy run. He
had been in stripes about a year, and had
behaved himself so we'll that the guards
thought he WAS resigned to his lot.
Furthermore, Briceville is far away from
civilization, and he had no friends to
give him clothes, even if he succeeded in
getting away. One morning he started
for the we'll to draw some water, a guard
with a Winchester over his shoulder
accompanying him. They walked along
side by,side, the convict carrying two big
tin pals. The we'll is about four hun
dred yards from the estockade, around the
side of the mountain, and shut in from
any sort of view by tress and bushes.
The guard sat down on stone near by
and the convict stood at the we'll box
looking down into the we'll. Pretty soon
the convict leaned away over and put
his head far down into the well box.
"What's the matter?" said the guard.
"a big water SNAKE" said the convict,
standing up and looking around at him.
s'The biggest ever saw"
The guard left his Winchester leaning
against the rock he had been sitting
upon, and came over. He looked down
the we'll.
"I don't see no SNAKE" said be.
"Draw your water and come along"
"You don't lean over far enough" !" said
the convict. "He's lying on a ledge
about half way up the side of the we'll"
The guard was interested, and, holding
to the we'll box with both hands, leaned
away in.
ga little further" said the convict,
"and you'll see him."
The guard leaned still further in. The
convict grabbed him by the leg, lifted
his body to a perpendicular, and with
one tremendous jam loosened his hold
on the box and stuffed him into the we'll.
The guard fell with yell and a huge
splash. But the yell WAS mufled by the
close walls of the we'll and by the small
box. Fortunately for him the water WAS
80 deep and he struck it in such way
that he came to the surface right side up.
There he was sputteriug, splashing
and cursing resonantly. He looked up
at the smsll square of daylight high
above him, and saw the convict's face
and heard him laugh. "Do you see the
snake ?" said the convict.
"Just wait till get out of this" said
the guard. "I'll make you sweat for it."
"But I won't wsit," said the convict.
His face disappeared from the hole and
the guard began to yell. The convict
reappeared with the Winchester. "You
needn't trouble yourself to YELL" said he.
1.-TWO feet away from this box it sounds
no louder than frogs croak. Now
undress yourself quickly and I'll let down
the bucket for your clothes. 1fyou don't
undress I'll shoot"
sIf you shoot they'll hear you and
then it'll be all up with you," shouted
the guard triumphantly.
The convict was silent minute, then
called back: "That's fact. Pm much
obliged. I'll drop big stones in at you
if you don't hurry up those clothes"
And he dropped in small stone just to
show how it would work. The guard
lodged, but the stone caught him on the
shoulder and made quite an impression,
coming from such distance.
"Hurry up" said the convict. "Pll
undress, too, and pass you down my
clothes. See that ledge over there
You can get on it and keep dry until
some one comes. l am really doing you
a favor in letting you have my dry
clothes for your wet ones"
The convict was undressed first and