Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1864-02-12
CITY ~sETELLfGE:ia>
Thr Recent Escape frsm she Libby Prison
i;eeapturo RI twenty-five Gmeers.

Libby continued tt be the liveEcst topic Ii
yesterday. and divers conjecturcS were iiG
as 10 the means Of the escape other than thoe'
described in the published accounts. The sen
tiaels, rs usual, were enriched with laurel
that !hsir native moae.ty, il nothing elsa
won!! caa5e them t. decline. Alter 81
however, 'hiE grand delivery docs 1,cs eSc"e,
in glory or secrecy the eecape 5f John VI, r
gan from the O;,ia Pententiary, and ye:
neither the cocniclLoo nor %careie. ness Of sen,
tinels or others have received my credit frcn
Morgan or his historians, Yankee or South
ern. 1t is most probable, in fact, that THU
distinguished general is, more tbsn. anybody
else, responsible fer the success With wl:;at
S:reight ard his chums made their exit frcn
tn: Libby. Tho experience and example :
the one wa IN admirable Lesson for the other
]. appears that the tunnel under 10Th stree
was dug entirely with an old hinge, ard tn;
luoscned ear.h-a brittle, ma.ly sand-re
moved with AZ old sugar scoop stolen from thu
hospital quarters. As the tunnel progressed
tho minfr toVk with him, besides is tools, ar
old>fnshioned knapsack, made upon a woqder
frame, to which q cord was attached. Whcr
he filed this with earth, it was drawn out BY
an anoonarHeo VIM remaiuui IN the cellar, thu
contents Deposited safely out Of the way, ant
it wa7then showed. back to tie digger with
pole.
The basement itsslf, in which this work wut
carried On, was kept constantly locked, never
used; und the windows being tightly nailed
i: was as dark as pitch. The principal is the
tunneling operation was Captain j. n. John,
son, of the Oh Kentucky Cavalry, who ii
am opg the escaped. His accompIices were
different, rs occasion or private arrangement
d sn,snGcd.
On several occasions i. lad been observed
thai this Johnson was absent from roll call
and Eov and then two or three others, a cir
cumstarc e not very gratifying % the clerk
having the roll to call, who, If course, would
have it to go ever again. A short time after
he would appear and make his presence
known, and would give as an eIcuaa TIN: it
Was Only Il little fun-"just d~e7iling the
clerk" Ga one Ccclsion, when this thing had
occurred once too often, no was called up for
punishment, when he plead very earnestly,
with a broad, good natured grin, that he was
''only jcking-and was rolled up in HE blan-
ket when his name was called" lie was ex-
oused this time with a warning. He took
good care 70 keep better lours in quarters
while the wo,k continued below to it's compile
ton.
Immediately after tho escape was discover
cd and tho first to 60 in pursuit, Mr.. John
Lyon, Assistant Clerk, with Orderly Hatcher
Warden R r Turner, and two policemen.
went Of in the direction of The Peninsula, and
MP TO yesterday evening had signalized theil
pronptnesa and energy by the rccap.ure q
eight Of the iugitivcs, who they picked up OF
the reads. Fourteen others were brought il
during Wednesday night and yesterday, BY
pickets on the Chickahominy. Several weri
captured OF Bottoms bridge, some in Han.
yer, but the larger number only q few mile.
from the city. Intelligence was "b.sined thu
n number Of them were trying to get through
in tho direction Of fredericksburg. Another
batch, recapturei il that direction. ia lnntn'
fur uu-uuy..we give telow the list Of, thos
who had, up to six o'clock last evening, beer
returned TO their old quarters at tho L;bhy
The energy and solicitude Of Major Turner ar
subjects Of deserved ccmmendatiOD.
Oae If the captures Of Wednesday wa'
made by ian American citizen Of Afsicar
decent" The dusky cap:or was engaged in
Il matutinal dig" in his potato patch, when h
! observed the fugitive officer streaking it acros
tn" field. Seeing that he wore susricionsl,
: h:u, garments, the ds1key hailed linn an,
ASK him where he was "gwine." Something
t, the effect Of nowhere" being the reply
tho darkey, with courage and patriotism
! worthy Of Immortality, brought lis hos &c ;
Charge" aud responded, Yes you IL, doug!
-ycu done broke out O. one O. debi PRISONS
c,me plong-you got to 80 wild me-" Ii
marched him to the house, handed him owe
TO his Muster, and returned to bis potai'
patch, co7ered with glory. The Yankee ar
rived, under due guard, yesterday morning.
Captured on Wednesday &C. Starr, Ga;
tnin, ln4th New York; WI. Pierce, 1T Leu
tenant, l1th Kentucky Cavalry II. Scroetel
Is. Lieutenant, 50 Illinois Infantry: J. Gates
Captain, 81 Ohio; c. H. Morgan, lst Licuter
AM, Dist Wisconsin; F. Moran, lst Lieuter an
i7SI New York; W. l.. Watson, lst Lieuter
ant, 2lst Wisconsir;.E Schr, edera, lst Lieu
tenant. 74:h Pennsylvania.
CAPTURED on Yesterday.-Col S. p. SpoJ
+ rrd, 9th New York, Il. B. White, lst Lieu
tenant, 4.h Pennsylvania Cavalry: W.. A
Dalv, LIT Lieutenant, Sth Pennsylvania Cav
aIry; II. II. Kinds, lst Lieutenant, 5Ith Penn
-y.vania; F. Irch, Captain, 45th New Yori
Isaac john. on, Engineer Gunbca: SATELLITE
j p. Brown,2i Lieutenant, Is o.. S Regulars
g S. Good, ID Lieutenant, company |, 81
P, nm; A. Moore, 1st Lieutenant, company I
lth Ky; G. P. Gamble, ID Lieutenant, con
paryD G3d Pa Adj't NJ. r. Small, 9th Md
Z. S EdmoDd, let Lieutenant, c'mpany
9th Pa, J. M. WATSON, Cd Lieutenant, C II
pany H, 40tb Ohio; P. A. White, I'd L'eutcr
ami, company D. SD Pa.
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THk EXAMINATION or MRS PATTERSON Al
! Ian, BtroRE COMMISSIONER .WATsoN.-Th
! case, which has illustrated the " laws delay