Daily national Republican., 1863-01-01
Another Union MArtyr--A Match for Par.
son BrOyVnIOy.


Another Union MArtyr--A Match for Par
son BrOwnlOw.
At the resldence Of Rev. DR.. Breed, In Phlla-
delphia, Is now staying, In the person Of Rev.
John II. Aughey, Presbyterian clergyman, a
a gentleman who, at the hands Of the rebels in
Mississippi, has endured everything but death.
He 10 q citizen of Mississippi, now emAciated
almost to skin and bone. He has tasted three
times the bitterness Of death, and yet escaped
Its consummatlon. Whether any galley slave
ever endured greater suffering In a given
amount Of time, may bo safely doubted. He is
preparing for publication a book descriptive OF
his experience since the war broke out.
Mr.. Aughey was an earnest, open, decided
opponent Of the rebellion from the outset. Ar
rested as a Unionlst, he was heavily manacled,
and thrust into a crowded, filthy prison, whence
his companions were taken out, day by day, to
be shot, and their bodies thrown into ditch,
as the punishment of their patriotism.
Mr.. Aughey himself, as a more determined
and influential Unionist, was reserved for con-
spicuous hanging, but escaped before the fulfil
ment of that intention. Travelling in the on
poslt0 direction from that In which he would
naturally be sought, wearing on his ankles the
heavy iron fctters which he had not been en-
abled to remove, lfe was obliged to evade the
bloodhounds that are usually kept for the hunt
Ing Of laves, but now employed for tracking
whitO Unionlsts. Taking care TO leave none Of
his garments In the prison, as from those the
scent might be takeni travelling only by night
and then very slowly, because of the CALLING
clrclets Of his ankles living mainly on green
corn plucked from the fields, and eaten raw,
since to raise q smoke would have been to ad-
yertlse his location TO his watchful, unrelentlng
foes, he finally discovered himself, at a venture,
TO farmer, who proved to be Unionist, and
by whom he was conveyed on horseback several
miles In the right direction, and thus enabled
finally TO evade the rebel plckets and make his
escape.
From conversation with him, we learn the
following:
On the lst of July last, he was arrested by
company of cavalry under command of Capt
Hill, In TishomlngO county, Mississippi. When
brought into Capt. Hills presence, he thus ad-
dressed hImi
care you Unlonist1"
"a voted the Union ticket, sir"
"That, sir, Is an evasion. voted the Union
ticket, and now Pm fighting against the Union
What are yOur sentiments now Z"
81 have never seen any reason for changing
my opinions. / voted the Union ticket and am
still Unionlst."
"You must go to headquarters"
A Mr., BENJAMIN Clarke had been arrested as
Unionist, on the same day, while plowlng In
the feldj who, with himself, wRs placed under
guard and sent to Fulton, In ItaWambA county,
to the headquarters of Colonel BrAdfute. When
they appeared In his presence, the following
cOllOquy ensued;
"Ars you UnlonIstl" Ito Mr.. Aughcy.)
81 Am, SIR"
"Where were you born !"
81 was born In the State of New York, but
have spent eleven years In the South"
"Ahl Yankee born and traitor; you deserve
to be hangedi"
II being Of Northern birth Is q crime, II GER
tanly was not Mr.. AughCy's fault, Inasmuch
as his parents did not so much US consult him
as to the place he wished TO be born, and he
could not have helped 1t If he had tried. This
he lacOnically stated.
They were then placed under heavy guard
and conducted to Brooksyille, the headquarters
Of General Pfeifcr, where they remained during
the night, sleeping upon the ground, having
nothing to lie upon but the grass, and with no
covering. On the next day the guard conLuc-
ted them to Prlcev:lle, into the presence of
Gen. Jordan, who thus addressed Mr.. Aughey {:
| "ATe you Unionlsti
! 81 Az, sir Z"
"WhCre were you born :"
~ was born In the State Of New York;
State which never repudlated, nulllaed, seeded,
pOr did any other diBgraceful act. | am proud,
sir, Of my blrthrlght In that glorious Empire
Stlte."
"If you love the North so well, why did you
not go North atthe commencement ofthG war o.
"Give me passport, sir, and will go North
| Instanter."
"The frst passport you will get will be free
ticket TO the Internal regloRs."
"Thank you for your Lkind offer, was not
before aware that you were the DEVILS ticket
agent" was the response of the divine.
Soon after this interview, the guards set out
with them for TupelO, where they were lncar-
cerated in the central military prison. There
were some seventy or eighty prisoners In that
gloomy abode. The prison was filthy In the
extreme. 1t was not supplied with any kind
of furniture, not even beds or blankets. At
night the inmates lay down on the hard planks
and slept aB best they could. They were starved
lnsulted and maltreated in every possible way.
A strong guard came In daily and took the
prisoners out to do scavcnger work In the
streets. At three O'Clock every day some of
| them were taken out and shot or hanged. With
a Mr.. Malone, Mr.. Aughey attempted to escape.
| His friend did escape TO the Federal lines, but
he was re-arrested, heavily ironed and replaced
| In prison, They sent out two companies of
cavalry with bloodhounds in search of them
Mr.. Aughey's arrest took place AFTER he had
been out two nights aud a day. Several of his
fellow prisoners had been shot during his ab-
sence.
On his return, he found that the aoor of his
prison had beeu spiked down, the guards dou-
bled, and great precaution and vigilance exer-
clsed TO prevent any future escapes. The
Judge advocate Of the Confederate army of the
West came, one day, and Informed Mr.. Aughey
that he would be executed on the following
Tuesday. As they had determined to hang
him, he petitIonod to be shot, but the request
was refused. He resolved, therefore, to attempt
a second escape and, In the event of u failure
draw the fire of the guard and be shot. lie
preferred TO no slain In the excitement Incident
to an attempt at escape, to q horrid death by
strangulatlon at ropes end, amid the jeers
of q rahble. His fellOw-prisonors aided him In
removing his chain, (the heavy bands they
could not TomOyo,) and, although the prison
was strictly guarded and surrounded by camps
containing nfleen or twenty thousand armed
men, yet he eluded their vigilance, and sue
Ceeded In reaching the dense woods, AtlSngtA,
after Incredible suffering from hunger, thirst
fatigue, and excitement, he reached the Federal
lines at RIenzl, Mississippi, In SafoIy, whore he
found protection beneath the folds OF the old