The Portland daily press., 1899-03-02
A SECRET ROOM.
Not In Some Ruin Of the Old World
But Beneath q Dwelling I'm Ohio.


A Fathers Devotion TO His Outlaw
(Chicago Rscord.)
Any one who, n short time ago, would
have asserted that there existed under
one Of the most commodious residences
of tho city a secret chamber, sheathed
with iron and opening into a similarly
! secret passage, which ran under one of
the main streets Of the town IN the house
acruss the way, would have been regarded
rs an idiot and yet such n chamber and
passage have been discovered by the
merest accident and explain mystery
which puzzled the police authorities OF
the whole state for u long time.
1t was while gang of workmen were
engaged in laying some pipes at the cor
ner of I'd and High streets that the dis
covery was made. In digging the trench
the workmen broke through Into pas
sage running transyersely across the
street. 1t was apparently about three
feet high and was in such good state OF
preservation that two young men who
had the nerve to enter IL we're able to ex-
plofe 1t to the end At one side of the
street 1t was found to terminate In
email square chamber in the cellar or the
old Cadwalader Wallace residence. On
the other IL ended In a pile of earth, but
there were evidences to show that SINH
lar secret chamber had existed in the old
house across the street, which had since
heen torn down, but which belonged at
one time to Nsecma Wallace.
And this is the mystery which the dis
covery Of the passage and chamber ex-
planned. Forty years ago Cadwaladsr
Wallace shot and instantly killed his best
friend, John Godfrey, for fancied griev-
ance. The crime was committed on the
principal street of the town and Wallace
was at once arrested. His family was
an old and wealthy one, and everything
sns done to secure his acqnittal The
Hon. Allen G. Thurman was engaged to
defend him, but Wallace was sent to Jail
without bond He remained there over
1 year and then one night he escaped
with outside assistance. He had only a
few minutes start of the officers, and he
had been seen to go toward his fathers
house. The house was Immediately
searched. but no trace of him was dis
covered His uncle's house across tho
.treet was also searched. but without
result Both houses were closely watched.
but absolutely no trace of Wallace was
found. Then after the vigilance had re-
Taxed little, strange tales were told by
people of seeing him on the streets after
night. He would talk to those whom he
knew to be his friends. The houses were
searched time and again, but always
without result. A year or more later 1t
was rumored that Wallace Ind been
spirited south and nothing more was seen
of him here for many years
What became of Wallace after his escape
and where he went after making his
appearance on the streets were riddles
that the authorities were never able to
solve. livery nook and Granny of his
fathers house had been searched and 1t
did not seem possible that he could find
hiding place there. The discovery of
the cell and passage explains the mys-
terry. During the year his son was in
prison Cadwalader Wallace, ST., had the
chamber and tunnel running across the
street to his brothers house constructed
by faithful servants. 1t cost a great
amount of money, but the cost did not
enter into the consideration. After the
escape Wallace dropped through a secret
| trap.door in the sitting room into the
secret chamber. which was stocked with
delicacies to make life comfortable there
for weeks. Whenever there were no Off
GERS in the house young Wallace could
come up into the sitting room, dropping
| through his tTap-door into his den at any
alarm. Sometimes he went through the
tunnel to his uncles house. Either lend
was provided with stout iron door,
which would have rendered pursuit along
the tunnel impossible had the chamber
been discovered by any accident The
whole arrangement WAS exceedingly in
senious and certainly fulfilled its pur-
pose.
Many years later Wallace came back to
this city for brief visit, but was not re-
arrested, as all the witnesses of the crime
were either dead or removed from town.
So well was the secret kept that even the
people who bought the house and lived In
il for many years did not suspect the ex-
istence OF the chamber until chance dis
closed 1t.