The Dickenson County herald. [volume] (Clintwood, Va.) 1927-1930, 1929-12-05

heavy chain extends down the baron's
front to his ankle shackles. Two short
err chains join the collar to his wrist
letters. He is woven into a veritable
net of ironmongery.
A certain Lieutenant Sonntag, an
under officer of the garrison, is won
over by Trenck's fortitude. Sonntag has
false handouts made which Trenck
substitutes for the others. He brings
a file, too, and soon Trenck disencum-
bers his burdened body of all his
bonds excepting the necklet and its
pendent chains. These he dares not
remove. Through Sonntag's good Of
fees he obtains sausageS and wine;
until now his sole fare, even in his
illness, has consisted of dry bread ard
water.
Again he breaches the floor and
through the earth beneath the founda-
tion he bores with his bare hands
passage thirty-seven feet long leading
towards cross-gallery in the princi-
pal rampant. This operation takes
him six months. When he is within
arms reach, almost, of freedom, with
but six feet more of soil to be exca-
waited, a sentry on the ramparts hears
the rattle of the chain dangling from
Trenck's throat. The captive manages
to regain his cell and slip into his 9TH
err irons before the chief jailer bursts
in on him. The filed places in his
letters are not discovered, nor Is his
tunnel found, so the stupid commander
decides that the sentry has been mis-
taken. The warden, though, thinks up
a fresh torture. He gives orders that
day and night at intervals of quar-
ter of an hour Trenck shall be visited
and if found asleep shall be forcibly
awakened This dreadful system pre-
walls until more humane governor
succeeds Trenck's old oppressor.
Writing on Pewter.
The successor suffers the prisoner to
have more light and more air. But
since a guard stands at the door to
observe him, Trenck cannot resume his
tunneling. But he finds employment
and incidentally method of commu-
nicating with his friends in the outer
world. Here's how he does this, as
told in his own words!
"Having light, began to carve with
a nail on the pewter cup out of which
| drank, satirical verses and various
figures. and attained so much perfec-
ton that my cups were considered as
masterpieces both of engraving and
invention, and were sold as rare curl
csities I grew more expert
and spent a whole year in this employ
ment. The officers made merchandise
of my cups and sold them. Their
value increased so much that they
were now to be found in various mu-
seums throughout Europe. There is
another remarkable circumstance at
tending these cups. All were forbid
den, under pain of death, to hold con-
versation with me or to supply me
with pen and ink; yet, by writing
what ! pleased on pewter. l was en-
abled to inform the world of all |
wished and to prove that a man of
merit was sorely oppressed. at
tanned the art OF giving light and
shade and. by practice, could divide
cup into thirty-two compartments as
regularly with stroke of the hanG
as with pair of compasses. The
writing was so minute that it could be
only read with glasses, yet l could use
but one hand, both being separated
by the rigid bar, and therefore must
a cup be held between my knees while
l labored."
Another year passes thus and yet
another. Trenck wins over certain
officers and certain common soldiers.
Secretly they give him aid by furnish
ing tools for digging. An ingenious
device occurs to Trenck. He makes
two different openings in his floor.
One hole he hides; at widening the
other he purposely makes so much
noise that a sentry becomes alarmed
and calls the governor. who comes and
finds on the floor great heap of
sand. The second opening is nailed
fast and convicts wheel away the sand.
No one except those in the conspiracy
guessing that most of 1t has been TAX
en- from the still concealed working.
lie continues to delve underground,
aiming always to break through the
earth outside the walls. When victory
is almost within his grasp, an accident
almost costs him his life. He de-
scribes it thus:
"Whie mining under the foundation
of the rampant I struck my foot
against stone in the wall above, and
it fell down and closed up the pass
age behind me. ! began to work the
sand away from the side, that / might
obtain room to turn round, but the
small quantity of air soon became so
foul that a thousand times I wished
myself dead, and made several at
tempts to strangle myself with my
hands. My sufferin%s were incredible;
1 passed full eight hours in this dis
traction of horrors. | made a
desperate effort, drew NY body into
ball and turned round; | now faced
the stone, which was as wide as the
whole passage. My next labor was to
root owav the sand under the stone