The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1863-12-03
Especial Correspondence ofthe Cincinnati Gazette.
THE ESCAPE OF JOHN MORGAN
Six of his Companions also at Large.

r. ance vile" and was making a second but less
9 dignifed tour of the Buckeye State. The re-
= port was so astonishing in its nature, that, at
first, but few persons were found willing to
- credit it. and even when it was confirmed
through official channels it was still with
: much difficulty that many of the less credul-
= Gus could be induced to believe in its truth,
so great was their confidence in the fancied
security of the walls within which the great
horse-thief was confined But the skeptical
were finally convinced, and it is now an I'M
disputed though Notifying fact that the great
raider and six of his companions have escap-
ed from the place of their imprisonment and
are now, doubtless, making good use of their
time while en- route for Dixie The manner
in which they effected their escape, clearly in
dicates that there has been gross negligence
on the part of some one for which he should
be held responsible, and it is to be hoped that
the proper authorities will give the matter
such an investigation as will bring to light the
guilty party, that he may be made to receive
the punishment he so richly deserves.
Since their reception at the Penitentary,
the Morgan prisoners have been assigned to
the south tier of cells in the new addition to
the east wing of that institution. All but
seven of these men were accommodated with
cells In the upper ranges but the seven, who
were Colonel Richard Morgan, Captains j. e.
Bennett. 5. b. Taylor, Ralph Sheldon, L. d.
Hines, L. Ii Hookersmith and q. 5. Magee,
these cells, with about sixteen or eighteen in
ches of brick mortar and cement intervening
there Is an air chamber some SIX feet IN
length and four feet in width, extending the
entire length of the range, for the purpose Of
keeping the cells in dry and com Portable con-
dition. 1t is said that one day, while in q live
ly mood, Hines was dancing about his cell,
and, from the character of the sounds caused
| thereby, he concluded that there was va
cant space underneath the floor He after
ward discovered the correctness of his suppo
sition by digging through the floor of his cell
1t seems more probable, however, that the
rebels became aware Of the existence of the
air chamber in another manner, which is re-
ported by some OF the attaches of the Peniten |
tiary. This is stated to be, that upon com
planning that their cells were damp, Tor which |
charge there was not the least foundation |
they were told by guard that it was impss
sible for them to be in that condition, as there |
was a large air chamber underneath which. |
kept them dry. Be this as it may, an attempt !
to escape was determined upon. and on the 4th |
OF November they commenced digging through |
the floors oftheir cells, using for that purpose
two, perhaps more, table knives. Alter es.
tablishing communication with the air cham
Der, they excavated with a small coal shovel a
tunnel from the east end OF the chamber, pas
sing under the walls of the prison, to the
guard outside, to escape from which there
would be but little difficulty. The men were
enSdSeu DuI IHree nOufS IN etlen day Tor sew
enteen days in this work, will be seen by
the following note, which they left behind !
them:
CASTLE merton, CELL No. 20
Commencement Nov. 4th. 1868.
Conclusion, Nov Doth, 1868.
Number of hours of labor per day. g.
Tools, two table knives.
''La patience est arriere mais son fruit est
doux."
By order of my six honorable confederates.
L. HENRY HINES,
Capt c. s. A.
The French quotation in the note, when
translated, reads: Patience is troublesome,
but its fruit is sweet"
After manufacturing ladder out of the bed
ticking, which torn up for that purpose,
all was in readiness for the men to take their
departure.
1t was part of their plan that Dick Nor
gan should remain behind while John made
difficult as what they had already done. John
occupied a cell in the second range and in or
der to carry out the scheme it was necessary
for him to exchange quarters with his brother
Richard. This was not done until yesterday
afternoon, when there was a convenient oppor-
tunity the prisoners were being locked in
their cells for the night Instead of going to
his own cell Morgan slipped into his brothers
quarters unobserved by the guard, while Rich
ard was equally successful in taking the one
on the second range; and though the guard,
while on his usual rounds, stopped before the
door and inquired if General John Morgan was
there, to which Richard responded by showing
his foot, the trick was not discovered until this
after the birds had flown. 1t is not
known ut what hour in the night Morgan and
his six companions named above escaped nor
have the authorities any clue to which di-
rection they took after leaving the prison.
This morning their bed-tic ladder was found
from the top of the walls, which :
they reached by climbing up gateway close
ut hand.
There is disposition the part of many
persons to throw the entire responsibility OF
this affair upon Captain Merrion, the Warden 7
Of the Pententiary, which they would hardly t
do when informed that some weeks since he
was relieved from the duty of taking care OF
the Morgan prisoners. While he had charge
Of them, which was up to the Sd OF November,
a convict employ ed each day to sweep out
their cells, and guard stood by to see that all
was right. 1t would have been exceedingly Z
lificult for those seven men to dig through 7
The floors of their cells under such an arrange '
nent; Lut under the regime that was alterward
adopted, the task was quite easy for them
rhe military authorities assumed the response
Jility of tue safe keeping of Morgan and his
crew on November Sd, and since then these
prisoners have been required to sweep out their
Jwn cells, without any examination on the 4
part of those having them in charge, being b
made, Whatever They were thus Tree from v
and were in but little danger of be- r
ing interrupted in their labors, and it now C
seems that they were not in the least disturbed r