The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1859-12-21


of the guard house, in close proximity
to the JAIL
The military were called to arms, and
the excitement was intense-beyond
anything that has yet occurred during
our ever-memorable era of military
occupation.
In few minutes the streets and av-
enues of the town were in possession
of armed men, and it was with some
difficulty that the cause of all turmoil
could be ascertained.
Rumors of every description were
afoat, and it was at one time thought
that the prisoners had oVerpowered
their guards and made their escape,
and then that an attack had been made
on the Jail by parties attempting to
rescue the prisoners.
1t was dangerous for q citizen to go
out to ascertain the true cause OF the
excitement, and rumors Of the most
extensive character foated in, to be
contradicted the next moment by eiti-
zens who had been driven in from the
streets.
The sentinel stationed near the jail
reported that at quarter past eight
O'Clock he observed man on the jail
wall whom he challenged and receiving
no answer, fired at him. The head of
another man was also seen above the
wall, and retreated as soon as the FIRST
one had been fired at. The man on
the top of the wall seemed at first de-
termined to persist, and was about
making an attempt to jump down when
the sentinel declared his intention of
impaling him on his bayonet. He then
retreated into the jail yard with Cop
pie. and both gave themselves up with
out further resistance. Cook after
wards remarked, that if he could have
got over and throttled the guard he
would have made his escape.
The Shenandoah mountains are with
in ten minutes run of the jail WALL and
could he have 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 the
night. They had succeeded, after two
weeks labor, whenever alone, and at
night, when their bed clothing muffled
the sounds of a saw, which they had
made out of an old Barlow knife, in
cutting through their iron shackles, so
that they could pry them off at any
moment they should have their other
work completed. They had also made
a sort of chisel out of an old bed
screw, with which they succeeded, as
opportunity would offer, in removing
the plaster from the wall, and then
brick after brick, until a space sufi :
cient for them to pass through was
opened, all except the removal of the
outer brick.
The part of the wall on which they
operated was in the rear of the beds
on which they slept, and the beds be-
ing pushed against the wall complete
" 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 acknowledged that
| they had been at work a whole week
in making the aperture in the wall
Their cell being on the first floor, the
aperture was not more than five feet
above the pavement of the yard, and
when freed of their shackles, their ac-
cess to the yard was quite easy. Here,
however, was a smooth brick wall,
about fifteen feet high, to scale. This
difficulty was, however, soon overcome
with the aid of the timbers of the
scaffold on which Captain Brown was
hung, and which were intended for
their execution on the succeeding day.
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
vigilance of the sentinel on duty so
quickly checked their movements.
They were visited in the Jail yard
by Gen. Taliaferro, and an officer of
the day, who rushed to the Jail the
moment the alarm was given. Gen.
Taliaferro Immediately telegraphed to
Gov. Wise, informing him of the frus-
trated attempt of the prisoners. His
answer directed that the military should
Immediately take possession of the in
terror of the Jail and guard the prison
ers until they were executed.
Sheriff Campbell and Captain Avis
are, of course, much chagrined at this
narrow escape of their prisoners, es-
pecially as they had resisted all inter-
ference Of the military with the interi-
or discipline of the jail.
At day break the reveille was sound
ed from the various barracks, announc-
ing the dawn Of the day of execution,
and soon the whole community was
astir.
n Al.