The Elbert County tribune., 1912-03-08


prison from the outside. l was constantly and
closely guarded. All day long was vigorously
constrained to keep my room save that from
10 a. m till noon and from 2:15 till AIS was
suffered to walk about the interior of the fort
ress and talk to my fellow-prisoners. while for
an hour morning and evening an officer took
for walk on the rampant to enjoy the
fresh air blowing on the height.
well, was bored. and wrote to this ei
feet to my people who communicated with my
excellent friends Never shall 1 forget the
thrill / had when I got the first COM
munication' telling that my friends were
busy on my behalf.
THE surveillance was very strict. All my
letters were opened and read those ! received
as well as those wrote. My books and news
papers were likewise opened and anything Of
a sedtious nature taken away. Otter
when my luncheon or dinner arrived I found
the rolls had been cut into slices in case they
might contain file, and on some occasions
even the fruit was sectioned by way Of pre-
caution.
MY friends had therefore to communicate
with me in secret, and this they accomplished
by the old trick of invisible Ink. I used to
have my letters handed to with the seal of
the envelope open. and the letters themselves
contained nothing calculated to arouse alarm
But my warden had left me
used to ungum carefully the flaps of the en-.
veope and hold the inner side to the bars Of
the great white-tiled stove standing in sthe
room. Then the paper cracked and con.
tracted line two of writing would appear
telling me how the plan progressed and what
my part was to be.
81. too able to communicate with my
friends In this way, but how l managed 1t is
still a secret. l let them know that what
must have above all things else was money
and some tools for removing certain obstacles
had noted as being likely to impede my prog
when the moment of my escape arrived
- ,eII .h~1l haxrn t,< $xxrn
locked doors and then get through window
protected by a stout iron bar solidly wedged
in masonry.
From the window there was a drop which
was not too dangerous to jump perhaps. but
the noise should have made in alighting
the tagged courtyard beneath would certainly
have been heard by the sentries. SO had to
have material to make rope ladder.
"All these observations 1 passed on to my
devoted friends, very dscreetly and at rare
intervals.
Every day I received from Paris a large
parcel of newspapers and magazines These
were opened in the governors quarters and
then sent in to after they had been rough
ly tied up again with the cord fastening them
1t was this cord which attracted my attention
1t was not the ordinary scrap end of string
with which such rolls of newspapers gen.
orally fastened, but nice. new string. evidently
taken of fresh ball. I examined 1t carefully
and my heart gave great leap The cord
waxed!
Every day brought its packet Of papers or
reviews wound up with the strong twine.
and one day found under the flap of en-
velope bill just line to this effect, 'Gardez
ncellei' (Keep string)
THE next indication I had was the word
Reliure. (binding). which had been written in
invisible ink in the envelope of letter from
home. Ever since my arrival at Glatz had
received parcels of books from Paris once or
twice a week. and this single word at
suggested to me what meant. My books
were to bring me something. too.
'one two, three days passed. and on the
fourth my warder brought me box of books.
There several mathematical treatises for
being in the engineers. mathematics have al
ways been strong point with me. some yellow
paper-bound novels. and two or three ponderous
tones of history.
They were Frederic Masson's works on
the great Napoleon. favorite hobby of mine.
There was Josephine Imperatrice ct Refine
and Josephine Repudiee and or two 9TH
ers. With my penknife slit open the backs
Of the paper-bound noyels-nothingl Then
the mathematical books-same result! Mas