Jasper Republican, Volume 2, Number 20, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 28 January 1876 — An Incident in the Life of the Late Dr. S. G. Howe. [ARTICLE]

An Incident in the Life of the Late Dr. S. G. Howe.

vxwmw wwa* w amio via «» vieit, and was there when one of the Polish insurrections was put down. The disaster filled Paris with crowds of Polish refugees. A committee for the relief of these sufferers was formed, of which Lafayette was President. Dr. Howe was one of the officers of the committee, and attracted the notice and won the affection of Lafayette by his great services. During the early proceedings of this committee it was found necessary to send a secret agent to Berlin. From this enterprise those most ready to undertake other perilous deeds shrank, and, among those who were in tiie secret, Lafayette aid not find a single volunteer. At length Dr. Howe volunteered to face the peril, but Lafayette refused the offer, because, he said, he could not spare Dr. Howe from the work in Paris. But the necessity was urgent, and, as no other person could be found for the trust, Lafayette reluctantly consented to intrust the business to Dr. Howe. Lafayette drew up a letter of instruction for Dr. Howe, and the doctor started for Berlin, under the conviction the secret of the mission was unknown to all save Lafayette

and himself. Berlin was reached in safety. When Dr. Howe reached his hotel he saw a gentleman walking on the pavement. soon as Dr. Howe’s light baggage was disposed of in an upper room he came down-stairs to the pavement, where he was saluted by the stranger, under the impression that Dr. Howe was a brother Englishman. The gentleman proposed a walk, to which Dr. Howe agreed. After walking together toward the suburbs they started back on their return to the hotel. For some reason, but not on account of anything connected with the secret mission, Dr. Howe stopped a short time in the suburbs. As he turned toward the hotel he saw his English friend walking the pavemqpt evidently in great perturbation. As he passed Dr. Howe he whispered, without stopping: -“ The d'annet are aft-er-,you.” Dr. Howe had Lafayette’s letter es instructions in his pocket, and, knowing that it would compromise him, he at once determined on his course. The three soldiers entered his room with him, and they were thrown from their guard by Dr. Howe’s apparent willingness to go with them. As they descended the narrow stairs one of the soldiers was in advance and one on each side of Dr. Howe. At the head of a long flight of stairs Dr. nitdenly seized his right and left companions and hurled them headlong against the soldier in front, all three of the soldiers falling to the bottom of the stairs. Dr. Howe returned to his room, locked the door, and prepared for the destruction of the letter of instructions. The guard understood this as perfectly as Dr. H. understood it. Two of them sat down near his door; the other went into the yard. When Dr. Howe opened his window to throw out the letter in small fragments the guard gathered the pieces. Dr. Howe said he was confident that no one of the pieces had two letters on it. After the completion of the mutilation Dr. Howe opened his door and surrendered. He was marched off io prison, and next morning taken before the military police, where, to his horror, he saw his letter as perfectly put together as it had been before he tore it into pieces. He was ordered to a Prussian fortress near the frontier forconfinement in a dungeon. He knew that at one part of the journey the vehicle approached.within about a mile of the frontier, and, on reaching that point, he sprang from the wagon and started for the boundary line. Unfortunately he sprained his ankle, which interfered with his fleetness; but, notwithstanding the accident, Dr. Howe had nearly reached the line of safety when his guards caught him. Upon reaching the prison he was thrown into a dungeon, and the authorities not only refused to permit the prison docter to do anything for him, but refused to let him have any more waler than he could

drink, for fear that he would use it to mitigate the sufferings in his sprained ankle. He said that words could not describe his anguish, extending through many weeks. He often hoped for death. The Hon. Edward Everett was our Minister to England, and, after many vexatious delays, he finally secured the release of Dr. Howe. His constitution was shattered, and he was for manv years a sufferer.—LouiteiUe Courier-Journal.