Fully sensible of my situation, young as I was at that time, it became necessary for me to devise some plan to get out of the scrape, and I reflected for weeks how to manage this matter. One day, in a conversation with my mother and some other confidential friends, she and they advised me to consult GALE H. WAGES; and my mother said she would send for Wages and see him herself, as he was a particular friend of hers. This she accordingly did, and he came to our house. There were several of the clan at our house then, though I did not know them at that time as such; but my mother did, as I afterward found out when I joined them. Among the many plans proposed by the clan, none seemed to suit my mother or Wages. Some were for waylaying and killing the witnesses; some for one thing, and some for another. Finally Wages made his proposition, which was seconded by my mother. This was the proposition I had been waiting to hear, for my mother told me that whatever plan Wages would pursue, he would be certain to get me clear. His plan was, that we should, in some way or other, endeavor to have the Court house and all the records destroyed, and so destroy the indictment against me. By that means there would be nothing against me, and I should be acquitted, as no charge would rest against me. With this plan I was highly pleased, and much elated with the idea that I had a friend fully able and competent to bear me out, and who would stand up to me at any and all hazards, and bring me out clear. Wages pledged himself to me in private to do this, and he was as good as his word. We set a time for the accomplishment of our design, and we accordingly met. The precise date I cannot recollect, but it was a dry time, and a dark night, with a strong breeze from the North. After procuring sufficient dry combustibles, we entered the Court-house, went up stairs, and placed our combustibles in the roof, on the windward side of the house. Wages went down stairs to patrol around. After reconnoitering around sufficiently, he gave me the signal, by a rap or knock on the wall; I immediately sprung open the door of my dark-lantern, applied the match, and made my escape down stairs, and Wages and myself left the place in double quick time. We halted on an eminence some five or six hundred yards to the southeast of the Court house, to watch the conflagration. Such a sight I never had before beheld. The flames seemed to ascend as high, if not higher than the tops of the tallest pine trees; they made everything perfectly light for over two hundred yards around. After the Court-house, records and all were completely consumed, and the flames had abated and died away, we took our departure for home, rejoicing at our success in the accomplishment of our design. There was a great deal of talk and conjecture about the burning of the Court-house, and we were accused—at least, I was strongly censured, but there never was any discovery made,