American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1863-12-09
THE ESCAPE OF MORGAN.

Taylor, Sheldon Hines, Hackersmith, and
Magee
John II. Morgan. on retiring, changed
with his brother Dick from the top cell to
the lever tier The floor of the lower cell
is two and half inches thick, in which Il
hole was cut, running to the main wall
around the penitentiary. This wall was
cut under, and the party escaped into the
open country. The night was dark and a
heavy rain was falling Not the slightest
clue has been discovered of their where
abouts, or the route they have taken.
The Governor has telegraphed all the
military committees of the State to arouse
their several counties anaaColonel Parrott,
the Provost Marshal General of the State,
has notified every provost marshal within
his jurisdiction to scour their several dis
tricts thoroughly.
The most plausible theory mentioned is
that they escaped in time to take the Gin
cinnati train via Dayton, which started
from Columbus at , A. b. on Friday night
That their escape was connived at bysym-
pathizers there is little doubt
The manner of their escape was ingen-
ious, but after all simple enough, based
upon the almost certain .heory that they
were correctly informed as to the ground
they had to work through
They, by patient labor for nearly four
weeks, by means of small pocket knives,
dug through the floors of their cells, COM
posed of about one foot Of stone and brick,
down into four-fect sewer.
Two weeks ago one of the escaped pris-
oners asked the guard for few boards to
cover the bottom of their cells. giving an
excuse that the damp stone was injuring
their health Their uhsuspicious guard
granted the request. The boards were
used to cover up the holes they were cut
ting.
On the night of their escape, on retiring
to their several cells, Dick Morgan man
aged to change with his brother John from
the lower to the upper tier
After getting into the sewer they craml.
ed to the heavy grating and masonry atits
mouth, and found they could not escape
by that route. They, however, made a
heie upward to heavy pile of coal, which
rolled in on them to such an extent that
they were forced to go further back into
the yard; they then ezcayated the soft
earth clear under the main wall, and so
correctly was the distance calculated, that
they came out in the open road way one
foot from the foundation
One oftho party Capt lIinos) was by
trade briclmason, and seems to have had
the management Of the whole affair. A
note signed by that worthy, written in
fine. commercial hand WAS left behind. as
follows:
70 Capt. Nerion, IJdrc7ea of tie RHi-
teatia,Y, Castie Merton, GcH No. 20
Noa. 27th, 1868:
: Commencement November ith, 1868;
conclusion November 10th 1868. Mum
ber of hours for labor per day, three tools
twd small knives.
4 la pGtieRce est anere. mais son traH
es' Yeoior" (Patienee is bitter but its
fua is sweet
BY order Of six honorable confederates
IT. HENRY HINES,
Captain G. S. A."
Public opinion is divided as to wheret the
blame rests 1t is proper to state, howev-
cr,'that for the last two weeks several of
the most prominent Copperhcads of the
State have been putting up at the princi-
pal hotels, laying theirheads together, with
out any visible reason therefor
---=s-a---ssss---t --t-s.----
TEXAS AND THE RIO GRANDE.-Among
the exciting events of the extraordinary
war i4 which the nation is now engaged is
the rsa7IslitY with which the theatre of in
teresi1shifIk From point to point, separated
by hundfeds, and sometimes by thousands
Of miles ofinterveniug distance. At one
time it is the Rappahannock, and while the
gaze Of the continent is centered there,
the telegraph suddenly brings into view
great events going on at Vicksburg-
Again, it is Gettysburg where all atten-
t]on is rivited, and it in its turn passes out
Of sight as Chattanooga looms up in the dis
tance. Then for a season all eyes are
turned towards Charleston harbor, and no
thing is heard but the echos OF Gillmore's
great guns battering down the formidable
walls of Sumter. BY one of these light
ning-like changes Of the scene, we are
to the far-of' banks of the Rio
Grande, where the thirty-fyo starred flag
has again been raised for the first time
since February, 1861. The forces Of the
Union, under General Banks, are again in
Of the great river which sepd-
rates our territory from that Of Mexico
The Union people of Western Texas are
again blessed with the sight of the old flag
for which they have been Watching thro'
so many weary days, and, let us hope, new
er to be without its sheltering presence
again.
This expidition has undoubtedly some
strong military advantages. The occupa-
ton of Texas win complete the recovery
and re-possession Of our territory west of
the Mississippi. Louisiana and Arkan-
sas virtually have already, and Texas
may be ranked with them at a very early
day. But, notwithstanding these consid-
erations, there is no reason to believe that
so strong force as is necessary for such a
work would not have been detached to
such distance at this time unless there
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