The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1863-12-03
ESCAPE OF JOHN MORGAN.
DETAILED ACCOUNT.
prom the Ohio State Jourrniiall November sO'l

following are their names zen. John
Morgan, Captains ]. c. Bennett, L. D. (
Hockersmith, #. II. Hines, G. S. Ma
gee, Ralph Sheldon and S. B. Taylor.
All these prisoners, with the exception
of Morgan, had their cells on the first
range, or ground floor ofthe east wing
of the prison, on the south side. Nor
gan's cell was on the second. range on
the same side of the wing. An air..
chamber, built and arched with brick,
runs the whole length of the wing, di-
rectly under the cells. This air-cham
Der, or ventilator, as it is sometimes
called, is seven feet in width and four
and halffeet high, and at the end and
fastened into the foundation of the main
wall strong bars of iron were placed.
We are informed that this chamber
was built for the purpose of keeping
the cells dry. The airpassed in at the
end where the iron bars We're fastened
and communicated from this chamber
out at the top ofthe building by means
of fues built in the middle or partition
wall. The floors of the cells were
made first by the brick arching over
the air chamber, about nine inches
thick, then a heavy layer of mortar
made from sand and lime and then the
last coating, or that which served as a
floor, was cement about two and a
half inches thick Perhaps the whole
| thickness is two feet.
The first hole made through the floor
to the air chamber was in cell No. 20,
occupied by Captain Hines. 1t was
made in the corner of the cell, nnder
the bedstead, and, we should judge,
was easily done. After getting into
the chamber below, he had plenty of
room to reconnoitcr and work. The
balance of the six holes were made
from below by removing the bricks
and mortar, leaving only the thin crust
of cement, which, when all things
were ready, conld easily be broken
with the heel of a boot or shoe. After
getting into the chamber, the question
was, how to get inte the outer world.
They first went to the end ofthe cham
bcr and removed determination stones
about four feet in length but here
they met with an obstruction There
had been about 10000 bushels of coal
piled up against the end ofthe prison,
through which they were unable to
make hole, and their game was
blocked. Nothing dauntcd they went
back about twenty five feet, and Sc
Letting spot, they dug hole from
near the top Of the arch, south, and
came up uuder the foundation Of the
main wall, opposite the female priso",
inside of the prison yard, and then
proceeded to the southeast gate, and, by
means of rope made out of bed tick
ing formed into long links, scaled the
wall and made their escape.
From the purport Of Captain Hines
letter to the Warden, found in the air
chamber after their escape, it is evi-
dent that their reasons for delaying
the time for their escape seven days,
was to wait until Il dark night, or that
the arrangement between Dick Nor
gan and John in regard to the exchange
of cells, could not be effected with safe
ty until Friday night. The letter re-
fcrred to had the following supcrscrip-
ton: "Hon. q y N. Merion," the
faithful" "thc Vigilant." On the in
side was the following written in a
good hand:
"CAsTLE MERIoN, Cell No. 20, |
November 27, 63. !
commencement November 4th,
1863,
Conclusion, Nov. 20, 1868.
Number OF hours for labor per day,
three.
Tools, two small knives.
"Ld Patience Get amor mdiS sou fruit
est dOur,
"By order of my sixteen honorable
Confederatcs.
~. HENRY HINES,
, Captain c. s. A."
: There certainly was want of Wig
, lance on the part of the guards OF
. Friday night, in permitting the Nor
gans to exchange cells, or rather il
not detecting the deception when they
locked the cells Another, and per
haps tho gree test want Of watchful
ness, was in not examining their cells
= We learn that the Warden and Direc
= tors of tho Penitentiary claim tina
they delivered over to the military
: authorities the sole control Of Morgan
and his men, on the third day Of Nov
: embcr, and that up to that time h
caused their cells to be swept out ev
%. cry morning and examined On th
n other hand, it is contcnded that tn
military were ouly requested, by tn
Warden and Directors, to receive tn
G funds of the prisoners and disburs'
K them, guard them at meal time, ant
: attend to their medical treatment, ant
, that in all other respects, they remain
. ed there as they had been previously
The following is copy of the rcques
c alluded to, witch is dated Novembe
2, 1863:
"Tho Directors and Warden have
requested General Mason to receive tn
funds belonging to prisoners of wa
: here, and through the agency of th
, United States officers of his appoint
ment, to disburse them to guard then
at meal time, and to attend to thei
!, medical treatment, subject, as far Il
. possible, to the rules ofthis prison"
: On the same day, Brigadier GenerG