On being put in possession of these particulars, we immediately and naturally supposed that he was wisely and prudently directing his course to the United States, by the way of the Oromocto; and so we followed up his retreat accordingly; but in that direction no intelligence could be obtained, and we remained in total ignorance of his proceedings and history up to the 26th of October. At this date, when it was supposed that he had transported himself into the United States, to our astonishment and surprise we find him again in the prosecution of his usual business in the immediate vicinity of Fredericton. His first appearance there again, was in a bye-place, at a small house not then occupied as a dwelling. It was drawing towards night, and the day having been rainy, he came to the house wet and cold. An old man by the name of Wicks, with his son, was engaged in repairing the house, in which they had some potatoes. There was also a quantity of dry wood in the house, but as the old man was about quitting work for the day, he had suffered the fire to burn down. The stranger was anxious to lodge in their humble habitation for the night, but the old man observed to him, that they did not lodge there at night, and gave him an invitation to the next house, where he could accommodate him better. He did not accept the invitation, but said that he must go on eight or ten miles that night, and so he departed.
The old man and his son secured the door and retired to their lodgings; but when the morning came it was found that Smith had returned to the old house, spent the night, burned up all the wood, regaled himself on roasted potatoes, and again took his departure. The following night he paid a sweeping visit at the house of Mr. Wilmot seven miles from Fredericton. Finding a large quantity of linens, sprinkled and ready for ironing, he made a full seizure of the whole, together with a new coat belonging to a young man belonging to the house. The plunderer, finding his booty rather burthensome, took a saddle and bridle, which he happened to discover, put them on a small black pony, which was feeding in the pasture, and thus rode with his luggage till he came within two miles of Fredericton. There he found a barrack or hovel, filled with hay, belonging to Jack Patterson, a mullato, which presented a convenient retreat where he could feed his horse and conceal his plunder. Here he remained some days undisturbed; would turn his horse out to feed on the common in the day, concealing himself in the hay, and would catch him at night, ride into town, make what plunder he could, return to his retreat, and conceal it in the hay.
Our adventurer thought it was now high time to pay his respects to the Attorney General himself, who lived about three miles distant. Here he was not altogether unacquainted, having made a previous call on his passage as a prisoner from Woodstock to Fredericton. He arrived on the spot about nine o’clock in the evening, retaining, no doubt, an accurate remembrance of the entrance to the house; and everything proved propitious to the object of his visit; for it happened that there was much company at the Attorney General’s on the same evening, whose overcoats, cloaks, tippets, comforters, &c., &c., were all suspended in the hall. He did not obtrude himself upon the notice of the company, but paid his respects to their loose garments, making one sweep of the whole consisting of five top coats, three plaid cloaks, a number of tippets, comforters and other wearing articles! Having been more successful than perhaps he expected, he rode back through the town to the place of concealment, deposited his booty, and gave his horse, after his travel, a generous allowance of hay. This generosity to his horse led to his detection, for Patterson happening to perceive that his hay was lying in an unusual manner out of the window of his barrack immediately formed an opinion that some person had taken up lodgings in the hay, and in this he was not mistaken; for on coming to the spot, he found Smith lying in the hay, with a white comforter about his neck. On perceiving him to be a stranger, he asked him where did he come from, and was answered that he came from the Kennebeccasis, was after land, and getting belated had taken up his lodging in the hay, and hoped it was no harm.
After Patterson had gone into his house he perceived that the traveller had retired from the barrack by the window and was making towards the woods. Upon perceiving this, the idea of his being a deserter instantly presented himself to his mind and calling for assistance, he soon made the stranger a prisoner, which was easily affected, as he did not make much effort to escape. It was soon discovered that their prisoner was no less a person than the far-famed Henry More Smith, and no time was lost in committing him to Fredericton gaol.
Patterson, not seeing the comforter with him which he wore around his neck, in the hay, was induced to examine the hay if perhaps he might find it. This led to the discovery of his entire deposit; for, he not only found the immediate object of his search, but also all the articles previously mentioned, with many more, which were all restored to the owners respectively.
Upon the examination of the prisoner, he gave no proper satisfaction concerning the articles found in the hay; he said they were brought there by a soldier, who rode a little pony, and went off, leaving the saddle and bridle. He was then ordered to be taken by the sheriff of York County and safely delivered to the sheriff of King’s County in his prison. Accordingly, the sheriff prepared for his safe conveyance an iron collar, made of a flat bar of iron, an inch and a half wide, with a hinge and clasp, fastened with a padlock. To the collar, which was put around his neck, was fastened an iron chain, ten feet in length; thus prepared, and his hands bound together with a pair of strong handcuffs, after examining his person lest he should have saws or other instruments concealed about him, he was put on board a sloop for his old residence in Kingston. They started with a fair wind, and with Patterson, the mulatto, holding the chain by the end, they arrived with their prisoner at Kingston, a distance of sixty miles, about 12 o’clock on the night of the 30th of October, which was better than one month from the time of his triumphant escape through means of his pretended indisposition. On his reappearing in the old spot and among those who had ministered so feelingly to his comfort during the whole period of his affected illness, and whom he had so effectually hoaxed, it might have been expected that he would have betrayed some feeling or emotion; or that a transient blush of shame, at least would have passed over his countenance; but ah! no; his countenance had long since become seared, and there was no sensibility within, strong enough to give the slightest tint to his shame proof countenance. He appeared perfectly composed, and as indifferent and insensible to all around him as though he were a statue of marble.
On the ensuing morning he was conducted to the gaol, which he entered without hesitation or seeming regret. After his former escape, it had been cleared out of everything, and carefully swept and searched. In the course of the search there were found several broken parts of a watch, and among the rest, the box which contained the main spring, this convinced us that the watch, (which he received from the young man before his escape, in exchange for the spy-glass,) was intended to furnish him the materials for making a saw in case all other plans he might adopt to accomplish his release should fail to succeed. We found a large dinner knife cut in two, which we supposed to have been done with a saw made of the mainspring, as a trial or experiment of its utility.
CHAPTER V.
Chained to the Floor of His Dungeon He Contrived to Cut the Chain and Had also Sawn the Bars of the Grated Window—Makes a Second Attempt at Escape—Breaks Chains, Padlocks and Handcuffs and an Iron Collar About His Neck—Tries Suicide by Hanging.
