The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1894-01-06
HER MAJESTY'S ESCAPE.

The following story, told to me in my
official capacity as chaplain in one OF
her majesty's largest convict prisons,
touched me much.
At the time of telling me his story he
had the greater part of a ten years penal
sentence to run, his crime being q bare
laced, well-planned burglary of a large
jewelers. shop in the West End.
His constitution was not one to stand
the severe discipline, OF the prison, and
he lay in the hospital on what turned
out to be his death-bed as he made his
astonishing neutrality-suspicious. any
reservation as to secrecy. He said:
Iexpect I don't seem to you, sir,
quite the usual cut of the long term
burglar, and you would be quite right
in so thinking. never did fancy the
profession, and that jewelers. shop bust
ness was all a sham and an excuse to
get here out of the world and safe from
a worse late at the hands OF deadly enc
mics. No, sir; my offense was a much
more serious one than ever TRANSFERRED
at my trial.
started in life as a respectable mid
III SlGloo 81 1 AN
married the truest and best of m
Shortly after the birth of q son. my6wife
was stricken down with illness, to which
she succumbed.
1 sent the boy to some friends. l
gave up my business and became a wan.
derer on the face of the earth.
1 drifted to Paris, and there, destitute
and starving, I made the acquaintance
of a man who was a prominent member
.-nf ~ of tho moot nNtrpma sS0cl1lJ9t1H
societies in the capital. He took care
OF, me, and partly out of gratitude and
partly out of sheer restlessness and q
growing distaste for life l agreed to join
his society.
I found that the principles of this
secret organization were yer more
dreadful than 1 had supposed. 1t
essayed to strike a blow. at all mon
arches or constituted governments,a and
the throned heads of Europe were es-
pecially marked out.for its prey.
Soon after I joined it happened that
Great Britain fell under the ban of the
society. It was resolved that Queen
Victoria and as many as possible of the
high persons surrounding her throne
must die.
So it was decided.
1t remained but to draw lots for the
men to do the deed. BY q strange fatal
l. KS ~ LAtSI "a A-H
and myself were deputed to carry out
the vengeance Of the society.
What cared I now what befel me?
Just at this time, too, Learned OF the
whereabouts of my son. He had en-
tered the service of q we'll known
Scotch nobleman in the capacity of
page and personal attendant. and was
doing we'll.
The train with lei majesty on board
had to be destroyed Tin any way we
choose). Success would mean a.hGnd-
some reward and a high position iii the
society. Faiiure-and there were no!
,extenuating ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS sud-
den and certain death at the hands of
the society.
Crossing to England W made a care
full SURVEY OF the railway route, n do
cidei upon a likely spot on the system
OF one OF the best known English rail-
ways, bywhich royalty usually travels.
The place in question was an unusually
long bridge, spanning, at the height Of
about eighty feet, a broad but shallow
stream.
Just before tho approachtothe bridge
the line took asharp curve, which lent
Itself to our fell purpose Our plan was
to p two short, handy pieces of
rail, faced at n dixie points and at
the other end curvinS gradually OUT
ward.
The thin ends OF the rail would be
pierced for bolts OF the same size rs
those used tc fasten the ordinary rails
together. We should then, or the
night preceding the passage OF the
train, loosen the bolts OF the particular
rails We pitched upon, trusting they
would be overlooked by the %patrolling
ssurfaceman.
On the following mighty We should con-
ceal ourselves IN the recess OF the bridge
and as soon as the pilot engine, which
ALWAYS precedes the royal train by
fifteen minutes, had passed We should
take out the bolts, release the fish plates
on the outer.sid of one rail and on the
inner side of the other. replacing them
byioIlr specially prepared rails.
There would be no escape for a single
soul in that train.
The night arrived. The previous
evening we had managed, unobserved,
to loosen the bolts necessary for our
purpose near the middle of the bridge.
SandEwe could onlyEtrust tneyswould not
be tempered with before our arrival
next evening.
S$Ensconced within the shadow of a
nnr,,nat wa woited pilot enrines