Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1914-01-16
Glory OF southern
jT1iooMAN AND HOW SHE
SAVED HER BROTHER
Struggled File Into Cell Of Con-
federak4, Sentenced to
Death as Spy.

clever and resourceful. She could ride
q horse as well as any cavalryman and
she could walk. too, when the occasion
demanded. She smuggled arms and
ammunition to confederate soldiers
right under the very eyes Of the fed
erals. She aided in tho escape OF three
prisoners who were under sentence OF
death. Finally she was imprisoned
herself, but her ready wit won her re-
lease. So 1t is only natural that those
who were neighbors of this dauntless
~19-year-old girl should still have vivid
recollections Of her.
Mrs. Mary Carroll Brooks lives to-
day quietly with her son in Kansas
City, at No. 634 Norton She
Is 70. but her mind is alert ana her
In h winter of 1863 Dennis Carroll. .
brother Of Mary, was arrested by fed.
oral soldiers on the charge OF being Q
confederate spy, and together with two
other men, Mastin Patrick and Lieu
tenant Charles Brownlee, was imprts-
Of h Bonneville post, ordered tho
three men shot, but on account OF tho
sudden illness of Patrick tho execution
was deferred four weeks.
She Saves Her Brothers.
Carroll and Brownlee were held In
prison and when Patrick recovered he
was placed in the same cell with them.
Mary Carroll obtained permission from
Colonel Catherwood, In charge OF the
post, to take meals to her brother and
his friends and to give him any sisterly
relief she could. So day after day.
morning and evening, Mary visited the
federal Jail with a basket Of provt-
sions on her arm. 1t was almost dark
In the cell when Miss Mary brought
brother to devise a plan OF escape.
"'Smuggle me in a file and . crowbal
when you como tomorrow night" he
whispered in his sisters sar n night.
We'll break out tho bars on the win
dow and escape"
short, stout crowbar and q dle dangling
from her waist beneath her hoopskirt-
She left them in the dark cell, un-
observed by h guards. But that night
h three men were caught In the act
Of breaking out the bars. and the work
great difficulties now. for the men were
thrown in chains and placed In . cell
without windows. Fer some roaSon
or other Miss Mary wa not suspected
ut the time OF being rosponslble for
h presence Of the crowSar In the coll
IN she worked with more assurance.
A Key HE Only Hope.
The only hope OF escape now VA -
obtain = key that would unlock the
cell door, and Mary unhesitatingly set
herself h task of procuring such Q key.
Being q comely young woman, Il waa
not strange that the federal soldiers
marked attentions on her visits to her
brother. Luckily for Mary and her
brother, the man who was the hardest
hit was the young sergeant In charge
Of tho jail-he who always carried the
precious key at his belt. One day. ~
the execution time was drawing nea
the young sergeant asked her II he
might accompany her to her home.
"Why. no. I wouldn't b seer ON the
street with q federal soldier" replied
Mary. archly.
Then may I visit o at your house
tonight! persisted the solder.
We'll. perhaps I wouldn't object to
that" she leased back at him over her
shoulder as she hurried away.
OF course no went to her home. He
wa young and he made violent love to
Mary, who half encouraged. half re-
pulsed him. as women will. He asked
her to marry him. She teld him she
would consider 1t provided he helped
her to get her brother out Of Jail. This,
he sorrowfully explained, he could not
We'll. then. you can at least let me
see that piece of iron dangling from
your belt" h laughed.
How She Made q Key.
y, He placed :. the shs KEY r her .s, h.a ID.
girl folded back the nyleaf sf : book
against the cover and with . sharp
penknife outlined the key on the n.y.
leaf. There" she said. - b tore the
hyleaf out and tossing the book aside
held up the page for his inspection.
nov ! have = paper key to the jail
The young soldier seiseA the pApee
from her hand and tore. It int bits.
But the imprint Of the key remained
IN the cover Of the book, and the next
day and the next, Miss Mary worked
t. fashion . key after the pattern. hrst
making n Of wood. which her broth-
Or feared would break OF In the lock,
and then one Of sheet iron, which
proved too weak. Finally she began
making enc Of iron.
Four days before the tips set for
the execution Of the dsath sentence
she finished It and smugglsd It 70 her
brother ana his friends. tegether with
moro files to cut tho chains. This time
the scheme worked, and the next night
the three men escaped. Miss Mary
and the village blacksmith Yer n.
rested on suspicion. Mary's ready con-
After having been held = prisoner fef
four weeks she was taken before Col
onel Catherwood for trial aad &C.
quilted.
Toward the close Of the war the jail
was turned over to the town sheriff,
and this man, overzealous In the dis
charge of his duties. threatened TO re-
arrest Miss Mary and hang her 40 .
traitor. She was warned Of the sher-
in's intention and though 1t was mid
winter, she set out with her youngest
brother and another little boy whose
mother wanted to get him out Of tho
A>-~4a ~A~A A~N ~rpn1l1AA 10 -0HA.
taking the train from there to st.
Louis. Her feet were SO badly frozen
and blisterod that she was unable