The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-06-27
THE TIMES DAILY SERIAL STORY
THE VINTAGE
Ely JOSEPH STARTS
Copyright. 1911. The Frank A. Munsey Company

tugging and jerking at the reins. filled
the air with tmprecations at the run
Always, and shouts of warning to al
who might be in the road. 1t was only
by tremendous heave upon the line,
he avoided colliding with the lamp.
| post at the corner.
! Good! That's it, boyr' shouted severa
of the soldiers, recognizing the skill with
which an accident had been averted
But the negro's effort TO dodge the
iamppost almost precipitated his mules
| INTO the opposite fence; they had dashed
up on the sidewalk, striking showers OF
sparks from the slippery stones. ere he
got them out into the street again by
another timely tug. all this amid an in
| ternal yelling and whooping,
| Such was the momentum that now, in
swinging the frightened mules away
from the fence, the negro seemed about
engine house itself.
Pull haw there1 excited voices
shouted to him from the upper win
dows: "Yank that of line. you black
The well-meant advice seemed to con-
fuse the negro, for at the unexpected
| shouts above his head he glanced up
ward and pulled the team right into the
building. Both mules collided with the
wall. The off one barely grazed it, but
! the near ono struck, with such violence
as 70 jar the whole structure, and slip
ped down. The wagon wheels crashed
against the cUrbing. and over toppled
the mass of hay.
Come ont O. dab! Come out O. dahl
roared the negro in a voice Of thunder,
apparently losing his wits and jerking
at the lines like one possessed. The
slow pitching Of the load against the
building enabled him still to retain his
footing on top Of it, and he continued to
shout as though unaware that one mule
was down and entangled in the traces
and kicking.
~ l.
turned at once TO disgust among the OIL
lockers above. They ieered him and
laughed ct his predicament. believing
him drunk.
But while the building still rocked
under the blow, and while everybody at
the windows was calling the driver
names. q thing hardly discerniDle in the
turmoil, sort of bundle. dropped from
the window directly above the load,
which window happened 10 be that of
ped down into the center of the hay.
Its fall was almos. simultaneous with
the fash and loud report Of a gun inside
the room: And at once pandemonium
reigned. They saw the negro Stoop over
the bundle which had rolled &c his feet
and make two or three slashes with a
knife which he had snatched out of his
shirt And thereupon the shapeless
bundle. rolling from the load Of hay to
the street, struck the ground in the
full stature of man erect. There
4 moment, in the dim light Of the street
lamps, stood Captain Grigg shaking a
defiant fist up at the thronged windows.
Not one of the dismayed spectators OF
this happened to have his gun at hand
except the corporal of the guard. The
others rushed for the stacks. The cor
p"ral, taking a 1urried aim as the
two figures darted away inlo the shad-
wasted. The fugitive vanished among
the short and confusing alleys and
lanes toward Marshall square
In the strict official investigation
which the Confederate government in
stituted over this remarkable escape,
several facts became known which |
were held to exculpate Lieutenant Jet |
ter from blame. During the time that
Captain Grigg appeared 10 have been |
asleep with his face upon his hands. he |
wrists. for the trayed, bloody strands |
were found afterward on the table. |
with what haste he had ground |
his teeth into the hemp and lacerated |
his flesh while pretending 10 snore in |
slumOer. At the instant the load Of !
hay struck against the building and the |
negro below shouted Grigg leaped up.
seized the ,sntern. and daEhed IL into |
the sentinels face. At the same time
he showed aside the gun with his other
hand.
The sentinels attention had been for |
the moment distracted by the shock Of
the team C0lllSlOn WIN the
But though taken unawares and blinded |
by the lantern. he discharged his piece |
and lunged forward with the bayonet.
The bayonet only penetrated the oppo-
site wall, like the bullet. while the pris-
oner, hopping, shackled as he was, to
the window, dived out head foremost
through glass and sash
An effort was made to trace Grigg
rescuers nv means Of the mules and load
Of hay. The mules. 1t was sscertained,
belonged to Aaron SLIDER, who at the
time was supplying manv teams TO the
Government under contract But Aaron
SLIDER had disappeared. AS TO the ne
yro's identity there was no clue what
ever. Accounts of his appearance diff
Tered widely, owing to the uncertain
light in which he had been seen.
The manner in which Grigg had con-
rived to communicate With his allies
outside the engine house was the point
which troubled the reviewing board
most. They. had to ascribe il to treAch-
,ry among the guard. but could not fix
he guilt upon any particular one.
Time soon proved, however. that the
yreat conspiracy was defeated and at
IN end And Captain Grigg, the des-
,erado who had terrorized the Rich
nond nights for so long. disappeared
rom the Confederate capital as he had
,ome, shrouded in mystery.
TnIs SfnPv yVftI Ra |