The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-05-06

IN
military guard which watches Dreyfus or
Devils island, Tom O'Brien's faithful
friends On q steam yacht dropped anchor
for a 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 sen away on
q life sentence to the same penal colony
where Captain Dreyfus now is.
1t is probable that if O'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 commune
cation with O'Brien.
The three penal islands-Devil's island,
Royal island and St. Joseph-are only Is
miles northwest of Cayenne. On DEVILS
island Dreyfus is the only prisoner, with
q special military guard. Royal island is
a convict colony, vita a military governor
and a detachment of soldiers from the
French army. lie st. Joseph contains the
storehouses 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, q thing not very difficult to
accomplish, because convicts were employ
ed at various tasks on 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 a boat to the beach, take up a
passenger, get up anchor again and disap-
pear in the darkness before the alarm
| could reach the officers of the Dubourdieu
and the ship be got under way.
While escape from this penal colony has
been believed to be impossible, vet a close
study of the plans as matured by OiBrien's
friends made them seem quite 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's ~resourceful in
genuity could arrange things so he might
remain over night on ST. Joseph's island
no serious obstacle stood in the way of
his rescue. This island is a rocky hill
jutting out of the water. But tropical
vines and palms soften its rugged out
lines. 1t slopes Town toward the north,
where Il boat may make : q landing on a
tiny beach. Its heights are encircled by
decaying parapets on which sentries are
always pacing.
These islands lie under a scorching,
fever breeding, tropical sun, only a little
over five degrees above the equator. None
| but life prisoners is sent there. The
place is q 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 a
given signal, all would have been easy
enough.
The one dangerous thing to be guarded
against was % possible encounter with the
French warship Dubourdieu, which would
mean seizure and contiscation.
The captain of the yacht demanded
$40, 900 to undertake this risk.
This didn't bother O'Brien's friends at
all. 1t is Said they took $50, 900 with
them in gold to buy, bride and bluff their
way against all odds.
The warship Dubourdieu patrols con-
stantly to intercept any boat going to the
mainland or putting out to sea. The
Duhourdien also conveys new prisoners
from Cayenne to the island. 1t was this
ship that took Tom O'Brien to that island
inferno in April, 1895.
Its menacing guns are always in readi-
ness for action to suppress any insurrec-
ton on the islands as well as to prevent
escape.
Islooks formidable enough to the poor,
fever stricken convicts.
pTt it is al old wooden ship. The best