, 1863-01-31
ATTEMPT TO RESCUE REBEL
PRISONERS.
THEIR PLANS ABE THwAHTEn,

About SIX O'Clock on Thursday evening
a train laden with rebel prisoners, arrived yin
the Chicago & St. Louis Railroad, and
stopped for more than hour upon the track, q
short distance south oftheC Chicago, Burlington
d Quincy Railroad crossing, waiting for an
engine to take them across upon the Illinois
Central, opposite Camp Douglas. The train
was behind time, and quite crowd Ind col
lected to meet it, for wllat the sequel will
show. Soon after the train stopped several
persons came forward and shook hands
with the prisoners, making such expressions
as hese:-" You are men aftef my own
heart;'' 37e entertain the same sentiments
thatyou do;"-'you are down on the id ab-
olftionists and 50 are we.'' Pass out your
cantecns and We will bring you water.., 4 per-
feet shower Of cauteens was handed from the
cars by the prisoners, and taken away by the
synpath{zers. "A guard requested that lis
too might be filed, and received in reply,
You id Abolition rascal, I'd see you d-d
first, md then wouldn't" While the filed
cantcens we're being passed hastily into the
cars. one Of the Captains discovered
that they were filled with whisky instead
Of water, and ordered the guard to
empty those That we're presented, containing
whisky, which they did. BY this time the
crowd had increased to upwards Of three
hundred, Of which the officers and guard con-
cluded from their conversation aud actions,
fully, two thirds were secession sympathizers.
The cmptyiDg Of the whisky from the can
teens was made the signal for an attack upon
the officers and priyates Of the S4th Iowa 1egi-
ment, who were guarding the prisoners. The
mob tried to open the doors Of the cars,
threatening to Kill tile officers if they didn't
let them go In to see their Southern friends.
/ Others were SO defiant as to say that these
men we're not, and never should be prisoners
in Camp Douglass. During the melee, ". ".
White and another policeman came up to
quell the disturbance, and arrested tTo men
named Mike Connor and VIM. Hickey, who
| appeared most troublesome at the time. Ono
| Of the policemen Was knocked down by the
mob, but still held to his man, and with the
assistance Of the guard, the two men were
taken from the crowd, who were only kept
! from following and rcscuing the men, By 4
line Of guards being formed across the street
| ~ ~AFis 4A@~nAA4+stA1 ~ ~VAAGaA3 ! hA4EL
| prevented the mob following the police
Afterwards, 4 stout individual was very loud
in his secesh demonstrations, and tried
to incite insnrrection among the pris
onere, and to urge the mob to
release the prisoners. Refusing to
dcsift from his outrageous conduct, Capt.
McClnnahan placcd a guard around him, with
fixed bayonets, and ordered them to run him
through if he still persisted In his harangue
to the prisoners. Not until after he had been
rrickcd by the bayonets did he believe them
III earnest, but he became quiet Just In time
to save his life.
About dark, when the engine had arrived
another squad Of men came running up to
the train, and one Of them asked tho cnginec,
how soon he WAS going TO start. His reply
WaR, ain about two minutes" "Can't you
wait half an hou1e-1 hare good reasons fol
making the request said the leader Of tht
gang. To this Capt. McClanahan replied
"We are going to start within FIVE minutes
If yon or any Of -Four secession friends hay,
any idea of attempting to rescue these priso
nere, now is your time; our men are full,
prepared for you'.'
As the train started, they were heard t,
make some threatening reply, and we're see,
in tic dusky twilight hurrying in aifferen
directions. rs II to summon crowd together
hut this was the end Of their demonstrations