Omaha daily bee., 1906-12-09
STORY OF FRENCH CONVICT
Partisan Publishers Bid High for
Right TO story from Real
Life.

PARIS, Dec. S.-(special) 1.-The police
have discovered IN the rooms of convict
named Sporn manuscript entitled THE
True Account Of the Adventures of an
Escaped Convict" The book is extremely
powerful and Paris publishers are bidding
high for the rights to produce the same.
Sporn appears to be something of d
philosopher for the recital Of his adven-
lures is interspersed with numerous moral
reflections and appreciations on the beau
ties of nature, written in almost religious
strain.
sporn as a habitual criminal had been
ordered to live for the remainder Of his
life In French Guiana and he has just FIN
ished a sentence OF eight years there But
he longed 70 revisit France and TO partici-
pate in his escape he selected fourteen
followers, 'murderers, but not thieves.
Each paid so per head toward the expenses
Under the preteXt of wishing to start in
business as a fish dealer he obtained a
fishing license to navigate in the Maroni
river and bought large fishing boat. This
he gradually stored with provisions and all
being ready he started Off with his four
teen companions
my object was to run for Venezuela,
he says, carefully avoiding landing In
Dutch and British territory where all
French convicts are Immediately handed
back to the French authorities, and to
reach the Venezuelan republic it was neces-
sary to steer right out for the open sea-
cut Of sight Of the coast. My companions
had all promised to obey me as captain.
for ! had made a special study of naviga-
ton and Of charts and maps of the coast.
But when the morning broke and they dis
covered they were already out Of sight of
land all became alarmed and threatened
to XIII me If / did not return. OF course /
expostulated with them and pointed out
that II they killed me they would have no
one 10 navigate the boat and that they
never would get back to land. This argu
ment held them down for time but not
being sure OF just what they would do and
not caring to venture too far from the
shore I returned After two days we were
caught in a heavy ground swell and thrown
upon sandy beach closed in by a dense
brush. Four OF US were drowned.
we succeeded with infinite pains in re-
covering the boat some Of our provisions
and the body OF one Of our companions.
And there Is stll before my eyes the pic
ture OF the impressive and solitary funeral
we gave our poor mate on this lonely beach.
Outside the pale OF the law as we were
there was not man or us VINO was not
profoundly moved. One Of us had formerly
been divinity student and he said few
extcnrpore prayers over the new mad
grave In the sand"
The ten survivors finally succeeded IN
making the little British port OF New Am
sterdam. After revictual.lng they were
obliged 70 get away as hastily as possible
for they noticed that they had already
aroused the suspicious Of the residents
Out in the sea they were caught in fear
! full hurricane and were afraid that every
moment would be their last They were
bufeted about within easy reach OF George
| town. but dared not go I'm. Eventually they
were again wrecked on a lonely and dan
gerous coast, and they finally suffered 81
much that they we're Obliged to resort "a
cannibaIlsm. II Is advisable to pass over
/ the cannibalstis features which sporr
/ gives. II sufices 10 say that after strug-
| g!es for a day or two they all became can
nihals and once more put on 10 sea with q
provision OF human food. In the delta OF
the Orlnoeo river they we're captured by