The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1863-12-10

2OTTUMWA, 10
covered until this morning after the bird
had fown. It is NOT known at what hour
In the night Morgan and his SIX compan
lions named shove escaped, nor have the au
thoritles any clue as t. which direction the,
took after leaving the prison. This morn
ing their bed.tick ladder was found suspend
ed from the top Of the walls, which the,
reached BY climbing . gateway close :
hand. .,.5
There is . disposition on thapart ofman.
persons to throw the entire responsibility
of this affair upon Captain Merrion, tn
Warden cfthe Penitentiary, which they
would hardly do when informed that somt
weeks since he was relieved from the duty
of taking cars Of Morgan's pris onssa With
he hsd charge of them, which was mp "a
the Sd Of NovsmbsA convict was employ
Cd each day to sweep out their cells, and
guard stood by to see that oil was right. I
would have been exceedingly difficult fo'
those seven men to dig through the floors
OF their cells under such an, arrangement ;
bat under the regime that was afterward
adopted, the task was quite easy for them.
The military suthcrities assumed the res
possibility Of the safe keeping Of Morgan
and his crew on November ad. and since
then these prisoners have been required to
sweep out their own cells, without any ex-
amination on the part Of those having them
in charge being made,, whatever. They
were thus free from intrusion, and were in
but little danger Of being interrupted in
their labors, and it now seems that they
were not in the least disturbed. Some one
is st fault in this matter. and an indignan,
public asks, that he be dealt with as severe
ly as bis culpability demands. fH
The authorities are making the most act
i've exertions to recapture the escaped reb-
els, are entertained. In the city here, and
also in the surrounding districts, thor
ough search is being made, and already
many private residences factories and pub
Tic buildings have been examined, with the
hopes Of finding some clue ofthe wherea-
bouts of the .'runaways." For the capture
Of Morgan himself . reward Of $1,000 has
been offered, which, ip itself, is . sufficient
inducement, even ifthere vas no other. for
all to Join in the search. UNO.
From the cincinnasi commsrciai, Novembsras.
The escape If the chief Of guerrillas. John
Morgan, and half dozen Of his officers
from the Ohio Penitentiary is an event dis
graceful to the authorities having him in
custody It turn. out that he was being
treated with extraordinary lenity. He was
dressed In citizens clothes. and subjected
to no sort Of vigilant supervision. He and
his ofYic RS complained. the other day, that
the floors of their oells, being Of stone, were
damp and unhealthy. and asked for boards
I'D COvcT tnc uVVS. tuaS tucy W'sus uVs
catch cold The boards were furnished by
the Warden, and answered to cover The
holes in tie floor The rascsls must have
been some time at work. and such an in-
spection as should have been given their
cells every d,y would have detected their
labors to get out. The military had, or
were supposed to have, something to do 10
guarding the prisoners, but II does not seem
to have been apybody's business to look af.
ter them Little doubt is entertained that
the fugitives had outside cooperation -
Their run Of luck in getting clear can hard
" be accounted for, save on the presump-
tion that both men and money were employ.
ed outside the walls Of the Pepitentiary. II
IL klielv that MorgaR was out in time to
take he late train for Cincinnati, by way Of
Dayton. and that bv the time the news Of
his escape was known in Columbus. he was
in Kentucky. where he would know how to
And friends and swift horses The chances
that he will be recaptursd are very small
As he and misconceptions were in citizens
clothes. thcv would And no difficulty in ta-
king passage on the train at @ Columbus
The whole affair needs sitting to the bot
tom. .af 8. ,..sq.s sf;T
s5- From the Detroit Advertiser. S0th.
The rebels in Windsor are jubilsnt over
the ruaor thst John Morgan has escaped
from the Ohio Penitentiary. They all
knew OF it before it occurred. and spscu-
lations ran high concerning the manner in
which he "dug out. Como, say that John
had become so expert in the horse stealing
line tina. Il would be considered as retro.
grade movement on his thieving propensi.
ties Il he didn't steal cut Of prison. n,
sooner OF later. Morgan's attainmsnts In the
cut.throat line do not bring up suddenly On
the end ofa line. then we are lynn. We
that Major Snyder scntemplates
presenting Morgan with mule when he
arrives 1t Windsor. Val. is to make the
presentation on behalf Of Johns late ooa,-
rads. .t fssess,'t gFt
'gs Not q Day 10 Lese.
There is : great danger that the proud
history of Iowa's patriotic past win he blot
ted and at least partially obscured by the
record Of the rapidly approaching future.