St. Cloud Democrat. [volume] (Saint Cloud, Stearns County, Minn.) 1858-1866, 1862-01-02

ond in command, that the lives Of the
prisoners were preserved. j..
On Monday night your g calf was kill
ed, OF which the prisoners got u fair pro-
portion.
On Tuesday they marched a distance
of twenty miles, and stopped at point
near Chapmansville. At this point the
cavalry separated, and moved in different
directions for the purpose cf gathering
corn. leaving Major Whaley in charge Of
Capt. Wicher's company, the rest being in
the front and in the rear. Night coming
or, Major Whaley. after hanging up his
coat and hat by the fire to dry, went to
bed in another room with Capt. Wicher
In this room there were eight men, one
Of whom acted as guard. About three
O'Clock IN the, morning Major " haley
awoke, and finding the guard nodding in
front OF the fire, and all the rest in deep
slumbcr, determined to effect his escape.
Leaving his bed as quietly as possible he
approached tho guard, and ascertaining
that he was asleep took Capt. Wicher's
hat, picked up l. is OWN shoes, raised the
latch Of the door, and seeing all clear out
side, ran with all his might about two hun
drcd yards down the Guyandottc river
Here he put on his shoes, and looked
about for some drift wood upon which to
cross the stream, but finding none conclu-
ded to swim the river, which he Gil with
considerable ease. He then proceeded
down the river about mile and u halt
end coalmcnced to ascend Mcuut;,ln. the
su nmit Of which he reached Just at day
b:elk, and just as Wicher was firing his
guns as signal Of the escape The firing
was answered from all directions Major
Wha|cy knowing 1t would be fatal to az
tempt to travel in daylight, sought Il
thickct Of red, cak brush, in which he
found a sort Of path. =:
TO and fro over this path he walked all
day. A bleak wind was blowing, and be-
ing wet through and having no coar, he
Was compelled to walk rapidly i'll order to
save his life. When nj @ht came on he
started down the Guyandctte VALLEY, trac-
inS the foot of the hills, distance Of two
miles, when lie came upon q camp Of about
one hundred cavalry, and knowing it would
, be folly to attempt to pass, retreated
again to the mountains. The next day he
: took circuit upon the top Of the hills,
to try and trace the valley and keep off the
river, which he supposed wo2ll be guar
: dcu.
s At last he came upon Ha~t's creek,
i and supposed himself to be in the vicinity
: Of a Union settlement at the head of
c Twelve Pole lie went up llartes creek
J. and inquired Of an old lady, named Nd
: kins, who with her son and son-in-law
y were in the house, asking her to direct
. him to Kycrs creek, which he knew to be
;, one of the branches of Twelve Pole
Young Adkins finally agreed to show him
d the creek for two dollars, and when they
= started the Major observed that the son-
is in-law, Thompson, started in another d.
y rcction. The Major suspected that
j. Thompson knew him and feared pursuit,
, so he hurried young Adkins along good
IS deal faster than that young gentleman de-
s. sired to move. Arriving at the creek, the
e Major, having been robbed ofall his mon.
D. ey at Guyandottc on the night Of the fight
s. could not comply with his contract. will!
L. Adkins, but gave him twenty-five cents
3 all the money he had, and new pair OF
al soldier shoes, taking in exchange tho
le guides old moccasins. The Major struck
ID down the creek along very narrow road
y passing two houses, at one of which ht
e saw little girl, but had not gone grea
D. distance before he heard the tramp o.
le cavalry coming in pursuit The nlaicl
to was about turning bend in the road, anl
&c had barely time to jump over fence ant
" lie fiat upon his belly, when along dashed
I'd a company led by the fellow Thompson
j. before mentioned. The Major was i yins
notsix feet from where his pursucrs pass
s. ed, and could see their eye peering anx
y iously forward in search of him, 1t is har
W dly necessary to say that he stuck closc
n to the ground than ever did bat to wal
I'd and for the first time in his life yearnel
a for the powor to make himself Invisible
le After the pnrsuers passed, he crawled W
1e a ravine, and spent another twelve hours
or exposed to the hardest kind OF lain, accom-
ry panied by the fcrcest lightning and tn,
ID loudest thunder. .
of The Major afterwards learned that tho
to little girl, whom he had seen, had inform.
lg ed his pursuers 4 that he had just gon'
~ around the bend in the road, and in thci
or anxiety to gain the bend and capture him
ID they never thought of looking to the righ
m or to the left ,' If ~1~~~. j.. ~. -
to Being exceedingly weak and feeble, il
j. consequence of having gone three day
en- without food, the. Major determined t
ct approach house a short distance aheat
"a and ask tor something to cat. According
be ly he waded the creek, about waist deep
y, picked up couple Of boulders, and goinI
Ell to the house; spoke to the occu2ants.-
n, He was answered by the man Of the hous