The Sun.
London, England, 1859-12-31 00:00:00

COPPIE.

Cook and Coppie attempted to escape last even-
ing. They had cut through the wall of the gaol,
and partially succeeded, when they were fired on
by the sentinels. The sentinel near the gaol re-
ported that a quarter past eight o'clock he ob-
served a man on the gaol wall. He challenged
him, and receiving no answer fired at him. Another
head was seen above the wall, hut he retreated as

soon as the first had been fired at. The man on the
wall seemed at first determined to jump down, but
the sentinel declared his intention of impaling him
on his bayonet, and he retreated into the gaol-yard
with Coppie, and both gave themselves up without
resistance. Cook afterwards remarked that if he
could have goi over and throttled the guard he
would have made his escape. The Shenandoah
mountains are within ten minutes' run of the gaol
wall, and had he reached them, with his thorough
knowledge of the mountains, his arrest would have
been difficult, especially as but few of the military
could have followed him during tke night. They
had succeeded, after two weeks' labour, whenever
alone, and at night, when the bed-clothing mufied
the sound of the saw which they had made of an
old Barlow knife, in cutting through their iron
shackles, so that they could pry them off at any
moment. They had also made a chisel of a bed-
screw, with which they succeeded in removing the
plaster from the wall, and brick after brick, until a
space sufficient to pass through was opened, all to
the removal of the outer brick. The part of the
cell in which they slept, and the bed being pushed
against the wall, completely hid their work from
view. The bricks they took out were concealed in the
drum of a stove, and the dirt and plaster removed in
the course of their work was placed between the
bed-clothing. They had been at work for a whole
week in making the aperture in the wall. The cell
being on the first floor, the aperture was not more
than five feet above the pavement of the yard, and
when freed from their shackles their access to the
yard was quite easy. Here, however, was a smooth
brick wall, about 15 feet high, to scale. This diffi-
culty was soon overcome with the aid of the timbers
of the scaffold on which Captain Brown was
hanged, and which was intended also for their own
execution. They placed these against the wall,
and soon succeeded in reaching the top, from which
they could have easily dropped to the other side
had not the sentinel on duty checked their move-
ments. They were arrested in the yard by Gen.
Taliafero and the officers of the day, who rushed to
the gaol the moment the alarm was given. Gen.
Taliafcro immediately telegraphed to Governor
Wise of the attempt of the prisoners. He, in
his answer, directed that the military should imme-
diately take possession of the interior of the gaol,
and guard the prisoners until they were executed.
Sheriff Campbell and Captain Avis are much cha-
grined, especially as they had resisted all interfe-
rence of the military with the interior of the gaol.
The prisoners' friends who were still hero were
fearful that they might be suspected of knowledge
of their attempt. The general opinion is that if
they had waited till midnight or later, they might
have reached the mountains, but it is presumed they
were fearful of being watched during the night, or
desired to have as much as possible of the darkness
to gain a good distance before daylight would allow
a general pursuit.
LAST HOURS OF THE PRISONERS.
it Alt r Elt'S FERRY, VA., DEC. IG.—Cook and
Waugh,Cop
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