The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-05-09
Nine Are Finally Washed Out By Flood from Big
 Fire Hose
ONE BRAVES THE WATER
 AND IS NOW AT LARGE
Gang Disappeared as If By Magic and the Clanking of Chains Was Heard Far Down the
 Sewer, -..st-

The chains clanked and the shackles prisoners of warfare, worse than galley slaves. were cleaning out ditch toward the north of the city of Birmingham yes- terday. Slowly they moved, shoveling now here and digging there, and all the time thinking of their unfortunate condi- ton, of liberty, of the pone of corn bread and mess of beans that awaited them at the stockade.
 On the bank walked the two guards, armed to the teeth with pistol and gun, watching their every move. and spurring them on to haste. The sun was setting toward the west when they disappeared under the bridge at Ninth alley, where the ditch crosses Nineteenth street.
 The guards stood on the bridge, yelling instructions to the crowd, and for a few minutes the customary sound of swinging shovels was heard. Then slowly it died out, until the clank of chains sounded dim, as though 1t were vanishing away.
 Convicts Had Vanished.
 Amazed, the guards looked at each other and wondered. Finally all was quiet and they scrambled down into the ditch in search of their wayward crew. but no where, high nor low, could any trace be found. Ten negroes vanished as If by magic, leaving their tools in pile as if arms were stacked for the last call.
 Looking, however, for some material cause, the guards found, opening into the ditch, a 24-inch storm sewever, barely large enough for a man to crawl in on his all fours. Holding their ears to the opening they finally caught the distant rattle of chains and the mystery was partly solved.
 Police headquarters was notified and in- stantly a special detachment of officers was sent out to man the manholes and stop the escapes.
 Crawling for Liberty.
 While all was excitement above, below things were moving slowly. Never be- fore did the negroes march in such a straight and narrow way. One hand for ward then one knee, then the other hand
 
 annoying presence of the spike and shackle. In, front crawled Will Fucker, leader, and desperate, crawling for 1S0 days, next upon his knees was Larkin, crawling for his s90 and 1SO days, fol- lowed by George Harris, seeking freedom from sixty days.+ The fourth in process sion was Charley Jourdan. then Henry Margan, Arthur Henderson, Perry Will Hams, Charley Hall and Bud Hewlett brought up the rear, all ninety-day men.
 Hey. you nigger back da, yuit yo' cussin Do you want us all killed !? Chicken, chicken Did ye' ever think you'd ketch dis nigger in sech little hole? Nigger. turn loose of my feet, l aln't no mule if l is on my all fours"
 Suddenly the ten declples of freedom, as they crawled along, heard the vocfe of an officer above them, ''Nigger, hear your chains rattle; come on out of there or you'll get shot.' The division sat back on it's heels willie their hearts futtered, but they did not move.
 Flood of Water Turned On.
 A moment later rumbling sound ap- preached, now crashing along. now mum bling, as if angry. and the next second flood of water filling the whole sewer, struck the leader full in the face. He recoiled and yelled and sputtered. while his comrades in trouble cursed and blamed .him for their condition.
 So they knelt while the water poured