Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1921-02-03

henxoIlern. iItetned In a Dutch cas-
tie, apparently never thinks Of put
ting poison IN the guards afternoon
tea or burioWing his way out Of the
grounds of his estate. as any high.
spirited monarch used to do In like cir.
cumstances Louis Napoleon got out
OF similar awkward situation quite
naturally by strOlIing out Of prison
disguised In wUrkman's clothes, and
carrying plank on his shoulder.
The Ingenious Casanova.
Still more ingenious was the famous
Casanova. He was not Of royal blood,
but his exit from n prison cell over
the room where the dreaded lnquisl-
ton met is one of the most famous es-
capes In history.
CasanOva's escape has been spread
Out over several volumes. The most
amusing incident Is that In which he
desires to send a rrowbar TO fellow
prisoner. He planned 10 conceal the
CrOwbar In Il big Bible, but 1t stuck
out n few inches beyond the covers, no
he arranged with the jailer-whO was
either naturally or Intentionally half
witted-tO carry dish of macar0ni
and the Bible to his friend. The plat
ter was very large and very full. The
crowbAr was placed in the Bible and
the dish was laid on top Of the book.
The idea was that the jailer would
have to walk so cautiously to avoid
splitting the sauce that he would not
notice the crowbar projecting from
the book below the dish.
Wild Ruse Succeeded.
You can imagine modern prisoner
evolving such wild plan or modern
warden guiIelessly hearing unexam.
ined gifts from one cell to another.
YeI the ruSe succeeded. and with many
more breathleSs adventures. Casa.
nova and a fellow prisoner battered
their way out of one OF the hest pris-
Ons of Eighteenth-century Italy.
In Casanovu's day. II prisoner was
shut up IN Il fortress six feet thick and
then left alone TO get out any way he
liked Once II duy somebody came
around to see that he was there. and
utter this interruption, digging, rope
making and other preparations went
on undiSturbed. Now watchful guards
In the corridors and walls too thin To
shut out the noise from pounding So
riOusly interfere with the traditional
methods Of drsmatic escape.
Hoodwinking the Guards.
Once In II great while, indeed, guards
are still hoodwinked by an audaciOuS
trick. Some years ago, in Newgate
Conn. n very unusual and original de
unrture from prison occurred.
A prisoner had died and his body
was lying In II pine box in the chapel
ready fOi burial. A colored prisoner
realized the possibilities of that -hnX
Pretending illness with convincing I-nI
ism AT the dinner table, the negro was
permitted 10 leave the room und 90
to his Ccll unattended. Instead. he
went to the chapel. removed the body
from the box and hid il IN II corner.
Then he fixed the nails In the lid so
that The box would open easily and got
inside.
After dinner three Irish prisoners
AMI guard were sent to get the box
The four got into the prison wagon
with their burden and drove of To the
cemetery. As they set The box down
by the grave II moan came from II.
The men stood staring M IL with bulg.
ing eyes. Then n loader grnan nrOSr.
"Murlhcr!" yelled the Irish conviciS.
"'rhr corpse Is alive And they tore
back Ia the Jail. the guard only one
step behind them
Left Wagon for Him.
The corpse" lost no time in coming
our OF his hiding place. The guards
gun lay where he had dropped 1t in
his flight, and the prison wagon was
also conveniently left. With these to
help him, the fleeing convict had Il
good start before the pursuit began,
and he got away.
This Is an escape after the pattern
or medieval affairs. There Is adven-
ture in II. But such tricks are rarely
planned. let alone executed. Mostly,
prisoners who depart unofficially from
Jail do so by COLLISION with a guard,
by force lin small iails. not strongly
policed). or occasionally by breaking
their word when given liberties under
the honor system. And when the pris-
oner does carefully break out Of Jail
by one Of these methods he usually
ends by coming TO Doctor budding to
help him break In again.