The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-11-05
Inrcv them suddenly Into aurprIsc by

l
ond wall With equal good fortune; nc
one dared leap after me. and, IN or.
der TO pursue, th,y must 10 round
through the town and the gate OF The
cItndci, 80 that had the start full hali
I'm hour.
"a sentinel. however. In n narrow
passage, endcarored to oppose my
hight, but parted his fixed bayoncl
and wounded him In the face. A second
sentinel, meantime. came from the out.
works to seize me from behind, and l.
TO avoid him, made spring at tho pal.
isaiocs: there / was. unluckily caught
by thc foot and received bayonel
wound IN my upper hip: thus entang.
led, they beat ne with the butt.enl
OF their muskets and dragged me back
10 prison, while | struggled and de-
Tended myself like man grown des-
peratc.
Tho seycrltles OF Trcncks ,mprlson-
ment were now still further Increased
but while his wounds were htalIng he
was mcditatlng new projects OF escape,
Among the garrison were numerous
dlgcontented soldiers; these Trcnck be-
came acquainted With. and by means
OF brlbes he won thirty-two of them
over 10 his cause. AT q signal given by
| Trcnck all tho prisoners were TO be lib
Grated. md Trenck and his followers
were TO flee Into Bohemia. The Mot
was betrayed, however, and tho con-
splrators fed prcmaturely, but not be-
fore their commander, Ncholai, had
done his utmost to batter down tho
door OF TrcnCk's cell. SO that he might
accompany them.
| Not long after this fourth failure,
Trenck go; into a quarrel with one OF his
guards, Lieutenant Bach, big hot
tempered Dane and u noted ducllst, No
other weapons being at hand, the pair
broke up the table. and each seized a
long splinter. With these improyIsed
swords they fought desperately Trcnck
clearly getting the best OF the encounter.
guard, In admiration for the skill OF his
young opponent, embraced him ruptur-
ously and cried, Friend. thou art my
master, and thou must, thou shalt by
by aid obtain thy liberty, 10 sure as my
name Ia Bach"
Shortly after this Incident Trcnck and
Schell. Il disconnected guard, each with
sword IN hand. made dash down the
stairs, but what was their dIgmay TO
come face 10 face with the town mayor
and the adJutant For an Instant only
were they batIled. however for scheil
stepped out upon the rampant and made
desperate leap over the parapet, close
~ followed by Trenck.
The cannon thunderei from the fort
rcsS the announcement nf their escape,
and the whole countryside was reused
TO n lookout for the fuSitlves, but prov
idcnlally dense fog favored them. and
famed and bleeding as they were. from
their fearful leaped. they managed, mr.
ter several hairbteadth escapes TO cross
safely into Bohemia.
After Ave weeks tramp in hunger
and misery the pair arrived a. Hammer.
where lived Trenck'S married sister
Instead, however. OF being received with
open arms, rs he had anticipated. he
was rcpulsed and driven like a dog from
the door. But he found one friend
there. Tor the servant who had been
brought up In his fathers house came
after him, and with tears OF compass
sion in her eyes, pressed into his hand
three ducats, all the money she POSSESS
ed.
Another month OF wretched wandering
ard Trenck fell among friends. To do
Justice to the adventures that befelI him
during the next few years would extend
this article beyond all reasonable
bounds; suffice IL to say that he found
his way Into the Russian service, and
under the Empress Elizabeth he rose
rapidly 10 wealth and position. But
even here his Prusslan enemies pursued
him, and once through their machIra-
tlons he came almost alarmlngIy near
being sent to Siberia.
When TreacS had reached the age OF
twenty-tour his cousin died, leaving him
heir to him Immense estates In Hun
Na@N. to- a.
friends, he decided 10 return and claim
the legacy. II was not without some
mlSgivlngS that he did so, however, for
he saw that his residence In Austria
might lend color TO the charge that he
was In league with the enemies OF his
native country.
Four years after he had come to Aus
trIa his mother died at Dantzlc, and
Trenck, feeling assured that by this
tiGle all anlmOs!ty toward him had been
forgotten, visited Prussia to settle. up
some OF his family affairs. Alns!, he
had sadly mlsca,culated. for his enemies
had been on the watch. and shortly after
his arrival at Dlntzlc he was torn from
his bed n the dead OF night and hur-
ried away TO the fortress at Magdeburg.
He thus describes his dungeon: ~:
was casemate, the fore part OF which
SiA iSVS HlNt sANi IcIl LcrI IDHR, WAS Ill
vh1ed BY 4 pc-iy wall. The small win
dow. set In wall seven feet thick. was
so situated that l could see neither
heaven nor earth. but only the roof OF
the magazine. This window was Sc
cured with iron bars. had bedstcad
small stove and a stool. oil OF which
were iT~ovablY ironed to the floor. Ny
daily fare wa q pound and half Of
ammunition bread and a Jug OF water"
After two months OF sefni-staryatlon In
this wretched hole, Trenck began to pX-
ccute 4 plan Of escape. His first move
was TO loosen the iron which fastened
his Stool TO the floor. After much exer-
ton he succeeded In breaking this of.
securing thus 4 stout iron bolt about
eighteen Inches long. With this he at
tucked the wall that opened into the
adjoining Easement, having learned
from friendly guard that the door OF
this second easement was left unfaJten-
cd. and that II he broke through he
might escape by means OF boat on the
loc. Thus encouraged, he lahored In
cessantly. Every brick md stone being
carefully marked. 50 that he might re-
| place them fOr Wednesdays visit The
| mortar he 30. rid OF by powTlcrInE II
AMI pushing Il out on the window SILL
| where the breeze scattered Il. He was
exceedingly careful about this. AZ any
| accumulation under hi9 window would
| Inevitably b" rotlced by the Gentry: sn
| to facilitate the scattering. he made n
brush out 6f his hair and splinter of his
bedppst. and With this he pushed the
| powdered mortar within range 10 the
| BRACE. When the wind failed he made
the mortar uD into little pellets with
water. and h!-w them through q paper
tube out thrnu III the window.
| After SIX Months OF hard labor, moth
Ing but the brick fac!ng on the opposite
| Side Ut the w5!l stood between him and
liberty. He ;1cn replaced everything
| replaSlcr-l the hole. and dried the fresh
| plaster with the heat OF hiI naked hn,ly.