The National tribune., 1897-09-16


Atlanta Jail and the prison guards, and
could hear them shout, Halt halt "
as plain as when | ran from them on the
day of my escape, and sometimes IN my
sleeping efforts at running | would wake
to find myself in a lively state of per-
spiration.
This mental strain had been on me so
long, and l was, physically, so reduced,
that | found it next to impossible to
shake off the spell. Ny brain was
feverish, and rs the strain began to relax,
began to feel drowsy, my appetite
ceased, and before the third day of the
voyage, my vitality, energy and strength
seemed almost entirely gone. | felt the
insidious but sure clutches of fever seiz-
ing upon me. Ny almost iron constltu-
ton had been overtaxed, and was grad
ually being overcome by disease, and on
the fourth day, when we arrived Mt Key
West, | knew or cared but little what
became of me.
DOWN WITH YELLOW FEVER.
The Surgeons pronounced my all
ment yellow fever. | was taken to n
physicians house, where did not wantf for
care and medical attendance. The place
was garrisoned by a New York regl-
ment, the 69th perhaps, the officers and
men of which treated US with great kind
ness and consideration.
After the fever had run its course,
and under the good treatment was re-
ceiving, my condition improved very
rapidly. As soon as the disease had
entirely left me. my ravenous appetite
began to return. and | hungered con-
stantly, although my stomach was SO
weak that | dare eat only the least NOR
sci at time, and that of the very light
est kind of food. | did not know but
that | was to starve in the midst Of
friends and abundance. | attributed
this weak, irritated condition Of my
stomach to the eating of raw, hard corn.
although the doctor said it came about
from combination Of causes.
During my sickness, Mark had pre-
vailed upon the Commandant at Key
West to urgently renew our request to
the Secretary of War, at Washington,
to take immediate steps to save the lives,
if they yet lived, of those of our COM
rades who had not been so fortunate as
to make their escape.
As soon as ] got strong enough, |
spent some time, while we were waiting
for vessel to sail, in looking about this
wonderful sea-girt reef Key West is
one of the extreme westerly islands of
the group known as the Pine Islands.
1t is about sixty miles from the southern
point of Florida, and is less than one
hundred miles from the coast of Cuba.
The island is about five miles long, and,
| Judge, couple of miles wide, and the
land or sand and rocks do not appear to
be more than 10 feet above the ocean
level. The rock is coral, and the island,
go far as soil is concerned, presents a
miserable, poor, starved appearance.
There is a salt lake or pond of three or
four hundred acres on the island, and
lighthouses.
Key West City-that is, the town of
Key West, which takes its name from
the island on which it is built-was a
place at the time of my visit of two or
three thousand inhabitants, the greater
portion of whom were mongrel set of
human beings from the Bahama Islands,
called "Conchs."
They were not a desirable people to
live among, according to my notions of
society, although | would prefer them
to Southern Confederacy rebels, two to
one. These Conchs are hardy, dare
devil sort Of people, who seem lis much
at home in the water as. a muskrat or
alligator. Their business in life is fish
ing and wrecking, and it was told me by
white men that these islanders can dive
to the bottom of the ocean, if it is not
over 90 feet deep.
These Florida Key waters are very
dangerous, and many an unfortunate
vessel goes to the bottom, or to pieces, in
this part Of the Gulf every year, and
these people sometimes do both profit
able and humane business in saving the
crews of vessels and the cargoes. The
air here, even in Winter, is soft and
balmy, aad is said to be healthy, al
though it was too warm to suit me. The
United States had a strongl mortified
post, called Fort Taylor, on the island,
so situated that it was capable of making
a strong defense if assailed by ships-of
war. About sixty miles away was
another similar island, named Tortugas,
where there was also United States fort,
and where a number of rebel prisoners
we're serving out sentences for various
crimes.
These reefs and islands, and the ocean
scenery and views, were all new and
strange to me, and | was strongly i'm
pressed, not only with the wonders of
Nature here, but the vastness of our
country and its varied resources, products
and climate. Here were a people who
lived almost without need of clothing
or houses, and on the products of the
ocean, while |, who came from part
of the same great land and Government,
under the same flag, lived where warm