The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1912-03-15


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
me for a walk on the rampant to enjoy the
fresh air blowing on the height.
well, l was bored and l wrote to this ef-
feet to my people who communicated with my
excellent friends. Never shall l forget the
warm thrill 1 had when I got the first COM
! munication telling me that my friends were
busy on my behalf
"The surveillance was very strict All my
letters were opened and read, those received
as we'll as those wrote. My books and news
papers were likewise opened and anything Of
seditious nature taken away. Often
when my luncheon 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 me with the seal OF
the envelope open, and the letters themselves
| contained nothing calculated to arouse alarm.
But as soon as my warden had left me
| Used to ungum carefully the flaps of the en-
| velope and hold the inner side to the bars OF
| the great white-tiled stove standing in the
| room. Then as 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.
| II, too was able to communicate with my
| friends in this way but how l managed It is
! still a secret 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
ress when the moment Of my escape arrived
| Once out of my cell, should have to open two
locked doors and then get through window
protected by a stout iron bar solidly wedged
in masonry.
From the window there was drop which
was not too dangerous to jump, perhaps, but
| the noise I should have made in alighting on
| the tagged courtyard beneath would certainly
have been heard by the sentres, I had to
have material to make rope ladder
"All these observations I passed on to my
devoted friends, very discreetly and at rare
Intervals.
Every day l received from Paris a large
parcel of newspapers and magazines. These
we're opened in the governors quarters and
then sent in to me after they had been rough
" tied up again with the cord fastening them.
It was this cord which attracted my attention.
It was not the ordinary scrap or end or string
with which such rolls Of newspapers are gen.
orally fastened but nice. string, evidently
taken OF fresh ball. examined 1t carefully
and my heart gave great leap The cord
was Waxed!
Every day brought its packet Of papers or
reviews wound up with the strong Irvine,
and one day found under the flap of an
velope bill just a line to this effect, Gardez
ficelle!' (Keep string)
1.-The next indication had 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
twice a week, and this single word at once
suggested to me what was meant. My books
were to bring something, too.
"One. two, three days passed, and the
fourth my warder brought box Of books.
There were several mathematical treatises for
being in the engineers, mathematics have al
ways been strong point with me- some yellow
paper-bound novels, and two three ponderous
tones of history.
They were Frederic Massons works on
the great Napoleon. a favorite hobby of mine
There Josephine Imperatrice ct Refine
and Josephine Repudiee' and one or two 9TH
ers. With my penknife slit open the backs
! Of the paper-bound novels-nothing! Then
the mathematical books-same result! Mas