the Secretary of State. The
prisoner, it seems, desires a transfer to New York, which is
perfectly natural, but we suspect that the international
difficulties suggested touching his detention in Cuba will not
materially improve his chances of escape. Such proceedings could be
carried out in no other country than Cuba, where the
Captain-General does not always act in accordance with law.
Distinguished lawyers and judges of that city, in conversation with
the Herald correspondent, denounced the act as being utterly
illegal and without precedent."

(Cable dispatch to the London Times, March 3, 1873.)

"Havana, Cuba, March 2, 1873.

"Great efforts are being made by the lawyers and prominent citizens
here to obtain the release of Bidwell, supposed to be Warren.
To-morrow the American Consul will demand his release on the ground
that he is an American citizen. The British Consul-General, E. H.
Crawford, is doing everything in his power to counteract these
efforts. There is great excitement here over Bidwell's arrest and
the popular sympathy is with him."

(By cable from Havana to New York Herald, March 31, 1873.)

"Bidwell, the alleged Bank of England forger, whose arrest caused
so much excitement here, escaped by jumping from the second story
balcony of the police barracks late last night in the presence of
his guards. He was partly dressed at the time. Bidwell and his wife
are greatly liked here, and no doubt his Havana friends, seeing the
impossibility of counteracting by legal means the efforts of the
British Consul to secure his extradition, planned the affair.

"It is the general opinion that John Bull has seen the last of
Bidwell, there being dozens of planters in the district ready and
willing to shelter him, which they can do effectually."

[Illustration: MAT-MAKING AT PENTONVILLE PRISON.]

CHAPTER XXXII.

NIGHTLY IN MY DUNGEON THE MAGICIAN MEMORY WOULD UNROLL THAT SCENE.

So at last justice had laid hold of me, but I thought it a very shaky
hold--so much so that I was confident that I could break away from her,
so that she could never weigh me in her balance.

I will not enter into the details of events in Havana for the next few
days--briefly told, I was nominally a prisoner; actually so, as regards
leaving the b