The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1896-07-16

selected the crew nlnlSelI.
The plan of operations is very simple.
1t has been ascertained that O'Brien has
been put to work in one of the convict to-
bacco plantations not far from Noumea,
the capital of the island. The yacht will
come to anchor couple of miles off the
coast. and the king" will be apprised of
this fact at once by agents who have been
heavily bribed for the service. Signals
will be made which will be satisfactorily
accounted for by these agents to the au-
thorities in the event of embarrassing
questions being asked.
The rescue is fixed to take place any
night thereafter when the conditions are
suitable O'Bren is confined in one
story dormtory with the other members
of the gang in which he labors under the
broiling summer sun. Sentries patrol the
Enclosure in which these dormitories are
situated the whole night long. The in
closure consists of a high fence, practcal-
ly unsca bale by man unassisted from
without. Even if he succeeded in getting
into the yard in which the sentries are
posted the would-be fugitive must surely
be discovered and shot before he could
reach the fence.
Infinite resource has been employed
in overcoming these difficulties, but it is
believed they have already been over
come by the patience of O'Brien himself,
assisted as he has been by accomplices
said to be in the pay of the French gov
eminent.
During the night after the convicts have.
been locked up, they are not troubled win
any further inspection. Exhausted by
the labors of the day.. which have been
prosecuted in the burning heat, they are
only too eager for rest. Many of them
fall like logs upon their hard beds and
never stir until well proded into activity
and reused for another days toll by the
butt of a sentry's musket.
The agonies endured by some of these
unfortunate creatures, unused as they
are to the rigorous climate, can scarcely
be pictured.
And vet it is said that the king of
the bunco steerers has preserved enough
of his well known grit to utilize certain
peculiarities of his in digging his way
to freedom. The story goes that he
has, assisted, of course, .by those who
knew the secret, scooped out a passage,
way through an unused and delapidated
cellar under his prison house, to point
| outside the fence which incloses the bar
racks.
| AS soon as the Hateful moment arrives
| O'Bren will be appraised by agents inside
| the prison, who will, by n preconcerted
signal. advise him when he comes i'll
| from work with the gang that that par
! ticular night has been chosen for the
| trial AS soon as he energies from his
| hole, if he ever does emerge, he Will be
met by guide, who will conduct him to
| the shore, where the yachts boat will
be in waiting
The conspirtors are said to be so sure
of success that they do not anticipate
firing a shot Their confidence is built
on the fact that as the guard is totally
unacquainted with what goes on in the
dormitory during the night they will not
| be on the lookout for fugitive squirming
through the ground under their feet. Be
| sides, precautions against discovery have
been so thoroughly taken that unless
somebody blabs the escape seems bound
to go like creased lightning.
| If O'Brien ever reaches the boat, man
ned by its powerful oarsmen, his safety
will be assured. Even should the alarm
| be given it would take some time for
any concerted action to follow on the
part of the pursuers. Once in the yacht,
| it's powerful engines ready to throb
ahead at full speed, the king" of the
bunco steerers will be in a position to
giggle derisiyey, at the power of France:
Now, if all these things come about
as smoothly as the friends of the
liking" hope, to what point will the
course be laid? No one can tell. 1t
may be safely said, however, that the
matter of destination will largely depend
upon O'Brien himself.
O'Brien himself will be expected to
"come down" handsomely. If he does
not, "the boys" may cast him adrift. 1t
is said that he has. a ''roll' of Doodle
| somewhere. and his friends will doubt
less demand a share of it. The king"
finding himself once more "A man
assert his old influence over his pals.
among men, may attempt to re-
| His nerve is a by-word among his fellow
craftsmen.
The publication of this story is likely
| to work a revolution in the best laid
plans of swindlers by sea and land. The
| French government is likely to fill up
O'Brien's little hole in the ground be-
| fore he has a chance of testing its ca
pacity for swallowing him up.
From Australia and New Caledonia
there have been numerous rescues, main
ly of political prisoners. Many an Irish
patriot has been picked up off the Aus
tralian coast by a friendly schooner, of
the exact whereabouts of which he has
been informed in advance. Several men
now prominent in French politics have
had similar experiences off the land line
of New Caledonia. But this is probably
the first occasion on record where n
ever been held in contemplation for Il
voyage of this purport.
The popularity of ''Tom' O'Brien with
his associates is not easily comprehended
by ordinary observers. In his quiet mo-
ments he was a glowering, surly person.
with no endearing characteristics at all
apparent.
Drunk, he shot several of his friends
and pounded many others with such solid
arguments as half empty champagne
bottles, not to speak of ice picks Gus
pidores and the friendly beer mug.
What this costly attempt to set him at
liberty implied, only the initiated are in
position to understand. And yet the
man must have formed many warm
friendships in his long and unenviable
career When he was active in the in
verted society of crooks his word and
personality were invariably of the great
est potency. Do the bunco men long for
the brutal reign of'their "king" again?
Has none arisen since his Juggling" fit
to WELD the scepter?
In person O'Brien was short and thick
set. with long and powerful arms. Il man
of few words and an eye always fraught
with challenge. He wore short.
black beard parted in the middle and
brushed into bristling prominence on
either side. He could be suave as
guava jelly with a victim and sharp as