Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1899-05-13

RESCUE OF TOM o'BEIEN FROM DEVILS is
LAND.
military guard which watches Dreyfus on
Devils island, Tom OBrien's faithful
friends on a steam yacht dropped anchor
for few moments, picked up the exile
and steamed away down the South Ameri-
can coast While O'Brien's professional
life has not been marked by crimes of vio-
lence, he did incidentally shoot and kill a
fellow confidence man in Paris, and it was
for this murder that he was sent away on
life sentence to the same penal colony
where Captain Dreyfus now is
1t is probable that if Brien has escaped
his friends have succeeded in carrying out
successfully at last the plans which were
carefully made more than a year ago. 1t
was intended that the yacht should clear
for La Guayra, Georgetown. Cayenne and
other points on the northern coast of South
America. While at Cayenne, which is on
the mainland the capital of French Gui-
ana, it was intended to open up communi
cation with O'Brien
The three penal islands-Deyil' 5 island
Royal island and St. .Joscph-are only 10
miles northwest of Cayenne. On Devil S
island Dreyfus is the only prisoner, with
a special military guard. Royal island is
a convict colony, with military governor
and detachment of soldiers from the
French army. He st. Joseph contains the
storehouscS and barracks of the colony. 1t
was from lie St. Joseph that the yacht in
tended to take aboard O Brien, who was
TO arrange in some way TO remain there
overnight, thing not very difficult to
accomplish because convicts were employ
pd al, Vari0rS tasks this island
The guardship makes her anchorage in
the roadstead between Royal island and
st. Joseph and just off the, shore of the
first island. The southeast shore of St.
Joseph is sheltered from observation from
the anchorage of the guardship, and a
strange vessel might, with proper precau-
ton, run close in to the shore of st. JO-
seph, send boat to the beach, take up
passenger, get up anchor again and disap-
pear in the darkness before the alarm
could reach the officers of the Dubourdieu
and the ship he got under way
While escape from this penal colony has
been believed 10 be impossible, yet Il close
study of the plans as matured by o 'Brien S
friends made them seem quito practicable.
Several fortunate conditions existing at
the convict settlement would operate to
help a rescuing party which approached
by water
To take O'Brien away from Royal is
land was at once seen to be out of the
question. But if O'Brien' 5 rcsourceful in
genuity could arrange things so he might
remain over night on st. Joscph's island
no serious obstacle stood in the way of
his rescue. This island is ii rocky hill
jutting out of the wafer. But tropical
vines and palms soften its rugged out
lines. 1t slopes down toward the north,
where d boat may make landing on IA
tiny beach, Its heights are encircled by
ilecaying parapets on which sentries are
always pacing.
These islands lie under "a scorching,
fever breeding, tropical sum- only little
over five degrees above the equator None
but life prisoners is sent there. The
place is "a living hell for these outcasts.
But it was from this place that o 'Brien S
followers purposed to take him. If it had
been nothing more than hauling the ship
to and picking up a boat that would slyly
bring the prisoner from the island at IA
given signal, all would have been easy
enough.
The one dangerous thing TO be guarded
against was "a possible encounter with the
French warship Dubourdieu, which would
meaG seizure and confiscation
The captain of the yacht demanded
0,000 to undertake this risk
This didn't bother o Brien's friends at
all 1t is said they took $4,000 with
them in gold to buy, bribe and bluff their
waY against all od6s.
The warship Dubourdieu patrols CON
stantly to intercept any boat going to the
mainland Or putting out to sea. The
Dubourdieu also conveys new prisoners
from Cayenne To. the island. II was this
ship that took Tom O Brien to that island
inferno in April, 1895.
Its menacing guns are always i'll readi-
ness for action To suppress any insurrec-
tion on tine islands as well as to prevent
escape.
1t looks formidable enough to the poor,
fever stricken conyicts.
But it is an old wooden ship The best
it can do in speed is IL knots. On that
one defect the hope of rescue of Tom
O'Brien was staked in case an alarm was
sounded and a pursuit begun.
The doubtful speeding qualities of the