A Leap for Liberty
Immediately after the late rising of in Kerry, the committer of the following incident was compelled to fly home in consequence of the rigid search kept up by her majesty’s troops, 2,000 of whom had their canvass pitched and their bivouac fires lighted amongst the romantic mountains that lie to the west of the beautiful and far-framed Lakes of Killarney. The search was kept up for more than a fortnight, during which time they climbed all the peaks and crags, and explored the beautiful valleys, before they were satisfied that the tired rebels had retired to their homes and abandoned the revolutionary movement.
After many hair-breadth escapes and adventures too numerous to relate here, I succeeded in making my way to London, where I was enjoying myself in the society of some friends but this was too bright a state of things to last; for even then the cunning detectives were on my trail and before a month was at an end, I was in their custody, with a pair of steel bracelets on my wrists, sitting between two of them in the coupée of a first class railway carriage bound for Ireland at the rate of fifty miles an hour. What various feelings came over me as I started on that journey!—Feelings that I now find utterly impossible to describe, such as I had never before experienced in my life. My liberty was gone, and I felt it severely; for a few weeks had only passed away since I was treading the beautiful hills of Kerry, free as the eagle that soars over the steep crags from which the take their name. I thought the adventures and hardships I had encountered to preserve that liberty; and now that a foul hand was laid upon me, I fancied I could not breath freely, and my heart swelled with fierce and bitter feelings. I had not been five minutes locked in the train when the thought of escape flowed through my brain, and all my energies were instantly at work. In a moment my plan was struck,—I would induce my guards to remove my handcuffs, and then take a desperate leap to liberty; and now my pulse was beating quickly at the approach of danger. I knew I would risk my life in the attempt; but what was life without liberty, if once outside that carriage window I was free again—but how could that be accomplished, sitting between two armed policemen with my hands firmly bound, both doors of the compartment locked, and the train dashing along at lightning speed. The handcuffs were so tight that my wrists swelled. I complained oft, and my captors, after some hesitation took them off. They had nothing to fear. The door was locked and the train was travelling at a furious rate. But they did not know how dearly I loved my liberty. I found myself served at this moment with tremendous thought. I started suddenly to my feet, and in a second the two men found themselves unexpectedly on the floor of the carriage. I dashed open the windows, placed my hands on the ledge, and sprang out into the darkness. I felt or fancied that I was whirled about in the air before I reached the ground. Then all was blank.
My senses had left me but again gradually revived, and I found myself sitting on the ground. Everything around me had a deathlike stillness. At first I was unconscious of what had occurred; but a picture of the scene, by degrees, came over my dizzy brain. I thought it was a dream until I heard the hoarse puffing of the train gradually dying away in the distance, and felt my hands clutching the gravel. I felt faint but, with a strong effort struggled to my feet.
I was free again! But I am sorry to say it did not last long; for, in four days after, I was in the same train, under a stronger escort, on my way to the old country, to stand my trial for treason-felony of which I was found guilty and am now on board the "Hougoumont" bound for Western Australia.
