Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1899-08-04
INCIDENT OF THE REVOLUTION
Refractory Prisoners and How They
Were Subdued by an Irish
mans s.Gun.',

Tory proclivities who made themselves
obnoxious to the robust Americanism
which had begun to assert itself. Scant
consideration-and a rope-was gener-
ALLY given to those wretches who, I'M
der the cloak of tory sympathy and low
atty to the king, plundered and robbed
their patriotic neighbors. Shortly
after the revolution, a writer thus de-
scribed an incident which will be found
of interest:
In the spring of 177S we went down
to Bethlehem and brought home our
| cattle that had wintered there. As we
entered Albany on our return, we met
in State street procession of novel
character moving slowly up the hill.
We perceived seven persons dressed in
white, and soon learned that they were
of that unfortunate class of disaffected
men, who, to bad political principles,
had added crimes against society which
even state ofwar would not justify. At
Schodack they had distinguished them
selves by a series of desperate acts not
to be patiently endured by the COM
| munlty, and when they were taken pris-
oners their fate seemed inevitable.
These men had been confined for some
time in the city prison, and had once
made their escape, but only to enjoy
their liberty for few hours. Indeed,
the whole city was under arms when we
saw them moving to the fatal spot
where they were to suffer. The public
lndi gnatiOn was also much excited by
| their conduct in prison, and the cir
cumstances attending their being
brought to suffer the sentence of the
law. They were confined in the right
hand room of the lower story of the
prison. The door of their apartment
swung in a place cut out lower than the
level of the floor. When the sheriff came
to take them out he found the door bar
rlcaded. He procured a heavy piece of
| timber, with which he vainly endeav-
| bred to batter down the door, although
he was assisted by some very athletic
and willing individuals. During the at
| tempt the voice of one of the prisoners
was heard threatening death to those
| who persevered in the attempt, with
| the assertion that they had laid train
| of powder to blow up themselves and
| their assailants. Indeed, it was well
! ascertained that a quantity of powder
| had passed into their possession, but
how could not be known. 1t was after
ward found placed under the floor and
arranged to produce the threatened re-
| suit.
1.-THE sheriff could not effect his en-
| trance, while crowd of gazers looked
on to see the end of the singular con-
test. Some one suggested the idea of
getting to them through the ceiling
| and immediately went to work to eff
| feet a passage by cutting a hole
through. While this was going on the
prisoners renewed their threats. with
vows of vengeance, speedy, awful and
certain. The assailants, however, per-
severed, and, as / was informed and
never heard contradicted, procured
fire engine, and placed it so as to intro
duce the hose suddenly to the hole in
the ceiling, and at a signal inundated
the room beneath. This was deXterous-
ly performed. The powder and its train
were in an instant rendered useless.
Still, however, to descend was the diff
| ficulty, but one person could do so
at time. The disproportion of Physic-
| ii strength that apparently awaited the
first intruder, prevented for some time
any further attempt. AT last an Irish
man by the name of McDole. who was a
Irishmans gun, and I will go first
He was provided instantly with a for
midable cudgel, and with this in his
hand he descended, and at the same
moment in which he struck the floor,
he leveled the prisoner nearest him, and
continued to lay about him valiantly
| until the room was filled with a strong
party of citizens who came to his as
sistance through the hole in the cell
ing. After a hard struggle they were
secured, and the door, which had been
barricaded with brick taken from the
fireplace, was opened.
''They were almost Immediately taken
out for execution, and the mob was suf
ficiently eNasperated to have instantly
taken their punishment into their own
hands. The prisoners seemed to me,
when moving up the hill, to wear an
aspect of great gloom and i'll nature.
No one appeared to pity them, and
their own hopes of being released by
| some fortunate circumstance. as by the
intervention of the enemy. had now
vanished forever. They arrived in a
few minutes at the summit of the hill,
and there, upon one gallows of rude
construction. they ended their miser-
able lives"
now occupied by some of the handsome
residences on the north side of Acad-
envy Park.-Albany Argus.
Wonderful Horses.
I,