Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1897-08-26

1.-TWO Of the men coming toward him.
They had known of path, and by
taking it had been able to gain the
heights above.
To attempt further fight was use
less now, and without word he fol-
lowed his captors to the road be-
meath.
ssTake him up to the hut, boys"
said Smith and the messenger soon
found himself in rude log house
about 200 yards from the road and
concealed among the defiles of the
hills.
CHOW search him." said the leader,
and the men Immediately began to do
his bidding. His three-corned hat
was cut into pieces, but nothing was
found in it. Next his coat was taken
off, and in q moment one of them ex-
claimed: "Here's something; it's in
side the lining" and he cut open the
sleeve and took out the dispatches,
which he tossed to Smith. The leader
quickly opened them, and as he read
the others watched him keenly.
cts good find, boys, and all
right. That's what comes of making
a general out of farmer. Who was
the fool that tried to hide this in the
lining of sleeve?" he inquired, turn
ing to Montagnie. ''Why, it's the
very first place we'd look into. And
you must have been drunk to think
you could get through Ramapo Pass
with them. You don't look like
lack-wit, but you must have been not
to have taken the upper road. But
Clinton will be glad to get this! Now,
boys, what shall we do with this
fellow, hang him or send him away?.
"Shoot him." said the one whom
the messenger had struck. cts none
too good for him.
'We'll see about that little later"
replied Smith. "We've got to get this
letter to Clinton the first thing we
| do"
Two were left with the prisoner as
a guard and the others soon rode
way. For three days and nights
Montagnie lay in the hut, bound hand
and foot. Not for moment were the
cords loosened, and each day his
guard told him they were about to
take him out and hang him and leave
his body on a tree by the roadside as
warning to all Wings. The preacher
had fully resigned himself and ex-
pected daily the threat would be put
into execution.
On the fourth day Smith returned,
and, after hurried consultation with
the guards, rode away. The prison
er's hands were loosed, and his ach-
ing limbs were rubbed by the guard,
but he had 10 other thought than that
he was being prepared for his execu-
ton. Accordingly when in few
hours he was hidden to follow them
out of the hut he glanced on eveyy
side for the rope he thought to see
dangling from some tree. AS he
walked his thoughts were somewhat
bitter against Washington. Why had
he insisted upon his comm through
Ramapo Pass? If he had been left to
his own device he would have taken
the upper road and never would have
fallen into the power of those desper-
ADDE'S.
"Can you ride," said one of the
men abruptly.
Eyes, " replied the preacher. We're
they about to mount him on a horse
and then start the horse off after the
moose had been adjusted ? He had
heard of that plan having been used.
But he had no time for meditation,
for they came to place where three
horses wero waiting. Almost before
he knew what had occurred, the pris-
oner found himself mounted and rid
ing rapidly along the road, with one
guard on either side.
What could it mean? He saw no
rope and not word was spoken. On
and on they went, and gradually it
dawned upon the young mans mind
what the destination was to be. Nor
was he mistaken, for he soon was
carried across the river and placed in
the old Sugar House prison in New
York, one of the famous provost pris-
ons of that day.
you're great one," said the guard
o Montagnie the next day. "Those
letters you had were all about Wash
ihtoh pam w ANCW IOIhs Dub
Clinton can take hint, and every
body in the city is getting ready to
receive the rebels" Then he took
from his pocket a copy of Rivington's
Gazette, which contained long ac-
count of his capture, the nature of the
dispatches he had carried and the use
Sir Henry was making of the informa-
ton he had gained
Suddenly, as the guard finished his
reading, Montagnie laughed aloud.
"What are you laughing at?" asked
the angry guard as he left. II don't
see anything funny in that?"
But the prisoner did, and all his
bitterness toward Washington had
vanished in moment. Now he un-
derstood it all. Washington had in
tended all the time to have him taken
prisoner with those dispatches on his
person and thus to hold the British in
New York while he started for Vir-
ginia.
How well he held them we know
from the fact that when Sir Henry
next heard of him he was already be-
yond the Delaware, too far away to be
pursued, and it was too late to send
word or aid to CORVALLIS.
As for Parson Montagnie, he was
not long kept prisoner, for the war
was soon ended. Int for vaars II was