Omaha daily bee., 1899-09-24


they started, and, onoe there, It took time
TO find things. Go back to the sergeant
major and tell him l sent you" said Gray,
after another search. "He needs you on
those papers"
And when the oflcer OF the guard returned
TO the guard house and went in to the pris-
oner, the sergeant aw-and others saw-that
rolled in the soldiers overcoat he carried
ON his arm. was a bundle done UP in news
paper. Moreover, a scrap OF conversation
was overheard.
There's no one at the generals" said
the officer. ~ see no way of-fxing 1t be-
fore morning"
my God, lieutenant! There-must be
some way out Of i'll The morning will be too
late
Then I'll do what / can for you tonight"
said MIR. Gray as he turned and hurriedly left
the guard room-a dozen men standing stifiy
about the walls and doorway and staring
with impassive faces straight to the front.
Again, the young officer had left the post Of
the guard and gone up into camp, while far
and near through the dim, fog-swept aisles
OF a score of camps the bugles and trumpets
were waiting the signal for lights out, I"
and shadowy forms with coat collars turned
UP about the ears or capes mufled around
the neck, scurried about the company streets
ordering laughter and talk to cease. A COW
cred carriage was standing at the curb out
side the officers gate-as a certain hole in
the fence was designated-and the sentry
there posted remembered that the officer of
the guard came hurrying out and asked the
driver IL he was engaged. I'm waiting for
the MAJOR was the answer.
"Well, where can one order a carriage to-
night without going clear to town." inquired
Gray. 81 want sne-that isl wish to order
one at once"
AND the driver who knew very we'll there
were several places where carriages could be
had, preferred loyalty to his W particular
stable away in town, and so declared there
was none.
You can telephone there, if you wish,
sir" he added.
And wait till morning for it to get here?
Mo-! I'll get it-somehow."
And that he did get it somehow was cur
rent rumor on the following day, for the
~sentries ON the g~uardhouse side OF camp
swore that a closed carriage drove down
from McAllister street for all the world as
though 1t had just come out of the park, and
rolled on past the back of the guardhouse,
the driver loudly visiting Killarney" so
that 1t could be heard above the c%runching
OF the wheels through the rough, loose rock
that covered the road, and that carriage
drew up not a hundred yards away, while
the lieutenant was out visiting ~sentries,
and presently they saw him coming back
along the walk, stopping to question each
sentry as to his orders. Then he returned
and inquired if all was quiet among the
prisoners, and then went and put out his
light in the tent reserved for the officer OF
the guard and Onca mora loft hir pocf
briefly informing the sergeant of the guard
he was going to the officer of the day. Then
1t was ascertained that he had visited halt
a dozen places in search of that veteran
captain and appeared much disturbed be-
cause he could not find him. In half an
hour he was back, asking excitedly of the
sentry in rear of the guardhouse If a car
rdage had come that way. 1t had, said the
sentry. and was waiting down the street.
Gray hurried in the direction indicated,
was gone perhaps three minutes, and re-
turned, saying that the sentry must be mis-
taken, that no carriage was there. But the
sentry reiterated his statement that it had
been there and had been waiting for SONS
time and must have disappeared while he
was temporarily around at the opposite side
OF the building. This was about II D. M.
Then when Gray appeared at reveilre
Morton had disappeared.
It's not the sergeant let them fellere
out said the regimental oracle. This /,
no Observation-Disclosures business" Ant
so until late in the afternoon the question
that agitated the entire range of regimentaI
camps was: How did those fellows break
away from the prison of the -teeuth? p
Then came a clue, and then-discovery.
By order of Lieutenant Colonel Canker 6
board Of officers had been convened to in
q ALo 40 --l
everybody whom "Squeers" had alread,
badgered with his assertions, threats and
queries, they went to the guard house ant
began a thorough inspection Of the prem.
ises. The wooden building stood In the
midst of a waste of sand blown in from the
shore Zine by the strong sea wind. 1t was
perched on something like a dozen stouI
posts driven into the soft soil and then the
space between the floor level and the sane
was heavily and stoutly boarded in--thicl
planks being used. Between the floor and
the sand was a space of about eighteen
inches vertical, and a dozen men could have
sprawled therein-lyiug at full length-but
to escape would have required the comm
vance of one or more of the s~entries sur.
rounding the building and the ripping of
of one or more of the planks. In his keer
anxiety Canker accompanied the board or
its tour of Investigations thing the board
did not at all like-and presently, as wa:
his wont, began running things his owl
way. 1t had been found useless to question
the soldiers Of the guard. Not a man could
be found to admit he knew the faintes
thing about the escape. AS for the prison
ers, most of them reckless, devil-may-cart
r~ascals, they grinned or leered suggestively
but had nothing to tell.
well have this boarding ripped off," sait
Canker decisively, land see what they've go
secreted under there. l shouldn't be sur
prised to find a whisky still in full blast
or a complete gambling outft-dash, dasf
'em to dash and destination. Send for
carpenter, sergeant"
The carpenter came and he and two OF
three of the guard laid hold of one end
of the plank after Its nails were drawn
and with little ~exertion ripped it off the
other posts. Then everybody held his
breath a minute, stared, and a small ma
jority swore. So far from its being open
to. cats, cans and rubbish, the space on tina
side was filled solid with damp, heavy sea
sand-a vertical wall extending from foor
to ground. Canker almost ran around to