The Saint Paul globe., 1899-02-12

within plain sight Of st. Joseph or
Royal Island. so there is scarcely a
chance Of his not being seen, caught
and put back into the prison pen.
In the other penal institutions of
Guiana, whence infrequent departures
have been effected, the conditions and
the surroundings are very different
One might even say that they are ia
vorable to flight. The great ocean cur
rents which pass near by NAV fire.
quentiy render considerable aid to a
man who is good enough swimmer or
polo enough sailor to risk his life in a
CONN or upon a tree trunk, tossed
ABOUT for days and nights upon the
ocean waves. There have have some
rare case of successful evasion of this
KIND by men of extraordinary strength
and courage. who. after untold tortures
from heat thirst and fear, have finally
succeeded in reaching the coast OF
Dutch or British Guiana. These cases
are. however, very rare
From the Safety Islands nothing Of
the kind is possible. From there one
can escape in one of two ways only,
by pardon or by death. If pardoned.
you sail away on some passing ship;
If not. You are finally sewed up in a
shroud. laid on a bier and cast into
y
ed by some hungry shark with culver
ing fin and gaping Jaw
From the Islands of Safety there IS
no safety in flight. no salvation in es-
cape. For the man condemned and sent
there by his fellow-men there remains
Cnly supreme hope in Gods mercy, or
an awful fear of His Judgment.
However much the emotions are
stirred over the Dreyfus affair, no anx-
lety need be wasted over the prisoner
himself; he still lives, his personality
IS not lost. and, whatever may hap
pen, his existence will not from all ap-
pearances, be blotted out forever In
consequence of certain fears expressed
over the possibility of his escape, not
only has the ex-captain's little cabin
been surrounded by a high board fence.
inside of which the prisoner takes his
daily walk, but at night are taken the
most rigid precautions known to mill
tary science. His hut has been divided
into two rooms. separated by an iron
grating reaching from floor to ceiling.
In the inner room, provided with
neither door nor window, sleeps the
unfortunate officer; in the other room
lies guard, armed with a brace of
revolvers. At nightfall. the door of
the cabin is bolted upon them both
from the outside. and a second guard
lies across the doorway. to keep watch
ONCi tHC iIilcI u. Up TO the pres
ent time it has been considered un-
necessary to place a watch upon these
two by third sentinel.
All possible precautions have been
taken to assure the safe-keeping Of the
prisoner. The government of France
will not be caught mapping by briba-
BILE agents or careless servants 1t has
gone even further; Dreyfus being only
mortal, might some Gay or other fall
III the sore battle of life and be mus
tered out by the Lord Of hosts. Then.
what If the government be accused of
having simulated his death and of hav-
ing buried some other body which in
life had never borne the name of
Dreyfus? To forestall any such en-
| barrassing consequences the minister
of the colonies. little over year
ago, shipped to Devils Island all the
! drugs and apparatus necessary for the
| embalming of the body of the ex-cap-
| tain of artillery. the whole lugubrious
| outfit enclosed in-the coffin destined
| to bring back to France. for the edifi-
| cation of political adversaries, the re-
mains of the lonely prisoner and much
| wronged man.
! No government could be more pru-
| dent: kindly foresight could hardly &c
l further. "a. D. Fairfield.