The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-12-09

some evening wEen there iS 10 De
whipping In the patio. and the gang Is
marched to the prison earlier than
usal, again with your permission, we
will drop out and in between the big
stone heaps.
| Here we will change our clothes for
those which will be left there for - by
our fisherman, and as soon as possible
We will strike across the open for the
shore. which, you know, is about half
a mile away"
Marat fell In with the idea promptly.
being blinded by the glamour of gold.
when shall we begin?" he asked.
AT once" replied the four prisoners
in concert. When will the next whip
ping take place?"F
There Is almost sure to be one on
next Tuesday. II is the governors in
spection day, and he always trices
somebody up just for entertainment.
Then we have two days stone
breaking before US. anyway" said Car
rera. ..-
A few moments afterward the pro-
prietor of the cafe was startled at the
sounds Of violent alteration in the
dining room. He rushed in. Marat
was holding Carerra by the coat collar
with one hand and Mendoza with the
other. Call the guard" he said to the
| proprietor. "These TRUSTEES have as
saulted me-" The four servants of the
convictS were wrapped in a drunken
slunber at a table in the corner.
The Spanish guard arrived on the run
| and four prisoners were dragged to Ell
Eacho and thrust into the large gloomy
enclosure where the. stone gang was
confined. 'I.eir arrival created no par
ticular comment. yThe dull. hopeless
| faces of the cSnvicts were again turned
| to the wall mQnent afterward. aud
| the new arrivals sat down on the floor
in gloomy silence,
The next morning, when the prison
| bell rang, Carrera and his companions
Were very slow In taking their pans
| of gruel from the iron barred wicket
whereupon they were cursed bitterly
| by the guard and placed in the rear
| Of the procession that slowly wendell
| its way outside the town walls to the
stone heaps.
| THE PRISONERS ESCAPE.
| All that day they sat and broke
stones with wild enthusiasm they
could not repress, in spite of the chOk-
ing dust and awful heat. In the even
| ing they We're marched back to Ei
| HachO and locked up. In that march,
however, they mentally selected the
stone heaps behind which they would
drop when the time came and under
which We're the fishermen's clothes.
| Past experience has caused the Span
iards to feel secure in the belief that
TO prisoner could escape from the iron
bound island. That night the four pris
Oners could scarcely sleep for think
| ing of their plot. They tossed and
tumbled and mutered until their COM
panions began to curse them bitterly
and threatened them with personal
| violence.
Next morning they We're marched
out as usual, Marat walking behind
them in the capacity of guard. This;
day was mere repetition of the pre-
ced.Lg one. They hammered at the
stones until late In the afternoon, when
their hearts wer thrilled at the sound
Of the prison bell.
"The call to the whipping post"
they thought. Then events came rapid
ly Marat the guard, was as white as
a sheet as the four men fell into file at
the rear of the procession and started
on their march for the prison yard.
There was guard on either side and
one in the rear.
Suddenly Carrera and his compan-
ions stopped and stepped quickly be-
tween the tall heaps of broken stone.
On went the procession and on went
Marat after them. There was no tally
taken of the prisoners until they should
reach the prison door. They were
simply led into the outer patio in a
body to witness the whipplngs.
Carrera and his three comrades knew
this. and they depended upon 1t to give
them time to reach their boat, half a
mile away. The stone yard was utter
ly deserted after the procession had
passed out. The four prisoners dug in
to the stones in feverish haste. They
soon found the clothes which the fish
erman had left and put them on. Then,
lodging from stone pile to stone pile,
they made for the shore, half a mile
away.
THE boat will be close by the old
ruined mosque the fisherman had
said. The whipping would occupy half
an hour, or perhaps more. OF this they
had already taken up about ten min
utes. When they deemed themselves
secure from observation they ran like
drove Of deer for the ruined mosque.
Here they began to run about and look
among the big powders, black and
Shiny with sea moss. A cry from JO-
van announced that the boat was
found. A large hill sheltered hem
from the prison and the town walls.
Just as they pulled away from the
shore the sun sank and the sea grew
purple with shadows. The boat was a
small one. with a short, stumpy mast,
stepped high in the prov. They turn
ed her head for the coast of Morocco
and sailed away as fast as beam wind
would take them.
They were now powerless to do any
thing further. They could only sail and
pray for the coming Of night. Sudden
ly the sound of a cannon echoed from
the far away parapets of Ceuta. II
was followed by second and third
and the far away prisoners could sec
the white smoke drifting from the bas-
tions of El Hacho.
| SUNK by A CANNON SHOT.
Possibly twenty minutes later they
saw small. white sailed craft put
out from the shore and head in their d.
rection. Then they knew that their
mode of flight had been discovered AMI
that they We're being pursued. But WHY
by sailing vessel?
For this reason. On that morning a
lot of Spanish dignitaries had set out
in the only steam vessel Oh the island
for a visit TO Tunis. Things could not
have fallen out better for the fleeing
prisoners.
Could the pursuing boat catch them
1t was doubtful. The night had crept
on rapidly and darkness was towering
about them. IT was almOs. impossible
to see TIE white sail Of tne Spanish
boat across the intervening waters. The
moon was almost full. but occasional
clouds drifted across her face. During
her clear moments, however, the pu! =
suing boat could be seen ila,,ging on
like grim death two miles IN the rear.
So the chase continued until about
three o'clock in the morning At that
time the Spanish boat had ..rept up tO
within a mile. Tie low coast of Moroc-
&C was visible In the south. however
the prisoners grew hopeful at the sight
Of 1t.
Suddenly the wind died away. Both
vessels were tecalmed. The Cubans
were half a mile from the shore. The
Spaniards q mile and half. The four
men got out their oars and began to
| row, So did their pursuers Twenty