Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-12-01
The Way MORGAN E.caped.

The six rebel officers who escaped from the
penitentiary at Columbus with John Morgan
were Capts. Bennett, Sheldon, Hanes, Hack
er, Smith, and Magee. John Morgan on re-
firing arranged with his brother Dick to ex-
change cells from the top one to the lower
one ON the first floor. The lower one is two
inches and halt thick, in which a hole was
cut running to the main wall around the pen-
tertiary. This wall was cut under, and the
party escaped into the open country. The
night was dark, and heavy rain was falling
at the time
Not the slightest clue has been discovered
of their whereabouts or the route they have
taken. The governor has telegraphcd to all
the military committees of the state to arouse
their several counties, and Col. Parrot, the
provost marshal general of the state, has noti-
fed every provost marshal within his jurisdic-
ton to scour their several districts thoroughly
to recapture the rebels
The most plausible theory mentioned is
that they escaped in time to take the Cincin-
natl train via Dayton, which started from CO.
lumbus at two o'clock on Saturday morning.
That their escape was connivcd at by sympa-
thizers there is little doubt. The manner of
escape was ingenious, but, after all, it was
simple enough when based upon the almost
certain theory that they were correctly inform
ed 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, composed
of about one foot OF stone and brick, down
into four-foot sewer.
Two weeks ago one of the escaped prison.
ers asked the guard for few boards to cover
the bottom of the cells, giving as an excuse
that the damp stone was injuring their health.
The unsuspicious guard granted their request.
The boards were used to cover up the holes
they were cutting On the night of their final
escape, on retiring to their several cells, Dick
Morgan managed to change with his brother
John from one of the upper down to the lower
tier.
After getting into the sewer they crawled
to the heavy grating and masonry at the
mouth, and found they could not escape by
that route. They however made a hole up
ward to heavy pile of coal which rolled in
on them to such an extent that they were
forced to go farther back into the yard. They
then excayated the soft earth clear under the
main wall, and SO correctly was the distance
calculated they came out into the open road
| one foot from the foundation
One of the party, Capt. Haines, was by
trade brick mason, and seems to have had
the management of the whole affair A note,
SlRH6u ny lIldt hbIlHyf III d uHS COul-
mercial hand, was left behind 1t reads as
follows;
castle merton, Cell No. 20, Nov. 81,
l863.-To Capt. Merton, Warden of Penten-
tiary - Commencement, Nov. 4th, 1868.
Conclusion, Nov. goth, 1868. Number of
hours OF labor per day, three. Tools, two
small knives. La patience est amepe mais
son fruit est dou1." nslation-Patence
is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
''By order of my honorable confederates.
&c. HENRY HANEs, Capt. G. $. A."
Public opinion is divided as to where blame
really rests. 1t is proper to state, however,
that, for the last two weeks, several of the
most prominent copperheads of the state have
been putting up at the principal hotels and
laying their heads together without any visi-
| Bile reason therefor.