The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1897-10-20

sue egeSt1on. The IDEA OF eatln tnrGu2 2
ism iron bar with an acid was dismiss,
sd, and the question then naturally
presented itself IS 10 how the bars Of
! the window could De cut SO as to per
nit her to crawl through The height
of the building also precluded the ide2
af letting her attempt tc come down
by herself. Her plan was to use the
rope on the fag- staff.
"Ccnss qusrtlv it became absolutely
necessary for usto gain access 10 the
aZ0tea if we were 10 succeed. To do
this. it bscame Immediately spparent,
would necessities ice use of q house
in the cSookd little alley running
around the jill. By the rarest gocd
fortune found on NY next visit to t5e
vicinity 3 vacant house Immediately
!sdj2iniDg the jail on the ncrth side Of
;OFarrill street.
'.B7 this time No. l O'Farrill stree:
is better known and mere famous 10
Havana than the palace Itself. Bvthe
end of ,he next Day the house was n
our possession. As La Lupcna naiva!y
remarks today: The lessees could find
lno one to become responsible for them,
so paid twomontbS in advance.
''Our gold pieces made this O'Fsr.
lrill palace ours for the space Of TWO
months, should we care to occupy 1t
that long. Next day the deal was
closed. = colored Hsberoero was sent
TO the house to whitewash, and, DO,
sides the lime and brush, he carried
s ligat ladder about twelve iee! long.
The possession OF this ladder was ali
that brought him on the scare When
! he went away ia the evening lie forgot
it ard it remained IN tee house.
Last Tuesday Digbt we went into
| the soualid little den at No. 1, fully
prepared, as we believed, for all posi-
| bic contingencies.
Having the key. I went first and
reached and entered the house with
out being noticed Hernapdon and
! Mallory followed shout an hour later,
but were so unfortunate SIS to find the
door of No. 5, the a6joining house,
sstandins open, with two of the cccu.
pants gaping idly at the moon, wait,
ing for the arrival OF the last of their
household. As our two men pass9G
them and disappeared into the house
| ithey became very much alarmed,
| issening to imagine the visit Of the
strange men to the house next door
foreboded some pending calamity to
themselves.
Although it was now 1880, the oc.
cupauts of No. 5 remained awake,
busying themselves at fist with barri-
cading themselves in. Finally, how
ever, the tardy member Of that house.
hold arrived and with much noise and
clamor thsy barred themselves IA snd
went to beo.
st was fully 80 O'Clock before the
noises of the neighborhood Quilted
down and the evil place fell into
semblance Of repose. At the time the
moon was high in the heavens and as
bright as the mid day sun. Down to,
ward the corner Of the front of the
Recojidas large gaslighted bracket
against the side Of one OF the houses
made visible the smallest object n the
dirty thoroughfare.
Notwithstanding these disadvant
ages, however, We mounted the ROOT
and proceeded to business. The front
of Racojidas lay at right angles to our
house, but the prison building ran
back OF our building so that the Walls
were together. At this point, how
ever, the ground wall OF the Rscoj;dss
rose about twenty feet above our
heads and was protected on the top
by thick sprinkling OF broken glass
bottles.
This guard wall extended out from
the front of our wall to point Zen
or twelve feet distant. where it ointed
the ezotea. To reach this latter point,
therefore, it was necessary to throw
the ladder disgonally across the right
angle separating our roof from the
szotea. This was the most ticklish
part OF the business, as the ladder vas
frail and thrillingly short.
Finally the ladder was in position
and the trip across began. No man
engaged in that enterprise that night
will ever forget that twelve foot walk
across that sagging, decrepit ladder.
At one time it swayed from the wall.
Hernandon was only saved from
terrible fall By the promptness with
which the two men ct the ends OF the
ladder acted.
Asst was. large piece OF the weak
cornics on which the ladder was rest
irg went clattering down into the
street, waking the alcalde, who came
hastily to the door. By this time the
ladder had been withdrawn. Two
men were left on the sZosea Of the jail,
while the third was lett on the roof OF
the house to handle our drawbridge
and guard our retreat.
"a great gap opened in the face Of
tie massive building as old Don Jose
looked out in to the quiet street. He
stood there fer few minutes with an
absolutely unnecessary candle in his
hand, staring out at the moon and ap.
parently greatly pleased with the
beautiful aspect of the soft Cuban
night. Then, apparently convinced
that ali was safe, he turned and passed
back into Rscojidas, and thus passed
Iunharmed through the most danger
Gus moment Of his life, for every sec,
ond that ne remained in the stree. was
a second fraug ht with ceath.
"Thrse A calibre revolvers covered
him and his discovery of our position
on the roof would have called for his
immediate execution. Time was then
allowed for the natural o1iet to drift
back upon the scene, and when finally
everything had become normal the
work OF getting the Journals protege
out of her loathsome dungeon was be-
Igun.
We crept softly across the roof to
the window she had indicated. As we
reached it We saw her standing before
lit. She was dressed II dark colored
dress and not easily seen in the gloom
inside. She gave one glad little cry
/ and cl9Snad her hands through the