Evening star., 1936-08-09

demned to Devils Island" and Free"
are in part the story OF my life up to
that time in the prison colony.
The day before Nine. Niles and her
husband were scheduled to leave Gui-
ana, planned another escape. With
money that she had given me, pur-
chased suit of clothes and crossed
over to Dutch territory with the 'nten-
ton of spending the night in the
jungle and encountering M. and Nine.
Niles on their way to catch the S. S.
Tom Gibbons at Port Mongo. where an
American mining company was
operating.
The suspicious Of some Dutch po-
licemen were aroused when they saw
me walking in civilian clothes through
the jungle. and the next day was
again in the hands of the French
authorities. 1t was then that had
my first taste of Devils Island. See
ing that was determined at all costs
to make my escape, the governor
condemned me to six months of soli-
tary confinement.
Horror in Tight Place.
Words cannot describe the horrors
of the life of convict shut up alone
in one of those tiny cells. The only
light comes from above. where the
these the guards march, day and
night, while, below, the convict, shut
in like some wild animal, PAGES up
and down the 1o-foot square cage.
Without work to occupy his mind
and prohibited even the minimum
comfort of a chair in which to sit,
the convict gradually drifts into a
world of dreams which is really q
sphere of lunacy.
He has the most fantastic illusions,
imagines that he is free and that he
is walking down the boulevards in
search Of cafe to take his afternoon
aperitif. When he comes back to
earth-if Devils Island is really a
part Of this world and is not a dis
trict in hell-the disillusionment Is
almost too much for him. Needless
to say, many Of the "reclusionaires"
lose their minds and have to be iso-
lated with the other lunatics on the
island, to Shrek and cry throughout
the night like so many wild beasts.
After returning to the mainland,
worked quietly for several months be-
fore making my fourth attempt to es-
With civ ~
in a small sailing vessel for Brazil,
but in that republic we were arrest
ed by the police and sent back to
Cayenne.
but after six months I returned to the
mainland to act as secretary to the
governor. M. Siadous. In that posi-
tion I completed my eight years SEN
tence and hoped to return home to
France when I was informed that I
would have to spend the rest of my
life in Guiana as libere, or member
Of the penal colony.
Given Year Parole.
All my pleas were in vain. I had
seen France for the last time Finally,
through the Intervention of M. Niles,
! was given parole of one year to
permit me to visit Panama. 1t was
understood that, If I broke my parole,
I would be arrested wherever I might
be and returned to the prison colony.
In Panama tried to start life
anew, working as laborer in gang
of Negroes for the American Govern
ment. For time I was happy, until
the desire to see my native land once
more proved too strong.
One night I slowed away on the
freighter Wyoming at Cristobal and
arrived at the port of Havre Novem-
ber 2, 1881. There was arrested as
fugitive from the penal colony. I
was condemned to further period
of three years at hard labor and was
returned once more to st. Laurent.
No time was lost by the authorities in
putting me under lock and key on
Devils Island, where I remained un-
til the termination of my sentence on
November 2, 1884.
While I was technically "liber-
ated," was condemned to the penal
colony for the rest of my life-a
prospect I could not endure. Before
long I was plotting my escape, and,
on May 2. 1885, put out in an In
dian canoe with five other convicts
for the Island Of Trinidad. Every
thing went well for two or three days.
We had rigged up a sail from old
clothes and We made good headway
with fair breeze.
AS I had been named chief of the
expedition, 1t was for me to decide
whether we would head for the open
sea or follow the coast. I chose the
former course.
Six days before we reached Trini-
dad we began to feel the effects of
the terrific flow Of water from the
mouth of the Orinoco into the sea.
Frequently our canoe was filled with
water and we had to bail for our
lives. Time and time again enor-
nous waves crashed down on us and
we thought we were lost.
Finally, on the seventeenth day
after our departure from French
Guiana, we arrived in the harbor of
Port of Spain.
(To be concluded tomorrow.)
(Copyright 1886 By the North American