The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1864-01-21

|
the Ohio Got Through the FEDERAL Lines
&c, &c. ''-' '-'''
General John Morgan was honored with
an ovation on tbs 7th, on his arrival at th'
rebel Capital. The following highly inter.
esting account of his escape from the Ohio
Penitentiary, and subsequent adventures
is published in the Enquirer:
Their bedsteads were small iron stools
fastened to the wall with hinges. They
could be hooked up or allowed to staLd or
the floor, and to prevent any suspicion, fol
several days before any work was attempt
ed, they made sbt to let them down and
sit at their doors and read. Captain Hines
superintended the work, while General
Morgan kept watch to divert the sentinel
whose duty it was 10 come round during
the day apd observe ii any thing was going
on. One day this fellow came in while
Hockersmith was down under the floor bor-
ing away, and missing him. said, "Where
is Hockersmith?" The General replied,
"He is my room, sick" and Immediately
pulled document out of his pocket and
said to him. "Here is memorial / have
drawn up to forward to the Government at
Washington; what do you think of it?"
The fellow, who perhaps could not read,
being highly flattered at the Generals con-
descension, took it and very gravely looked
at it for several moments before be vouch-
safed any reply. Then handing it back. he
expressed himself highly pleased with it.
In the meantime Hockersmith had been
signaled and came up, protesting to feel
"very unwell." This sentinel was the
| n Iop nhata al in hal
progress, because there was no telling at
what time he would enter during the day,
and at o light he came regularly every two
hours to each cell and inserted a light
through the bars of their door, to see that
they were quietly sleeping, and frequently
after he had completed his rounds he would
slip back in the dark, with pair of India
rubber shoes on, to listen at tn cir cells If
any thing was going on. The General
says that he would almost invariably know
of hia presence by a certain magnetic shud-
der which it would produce; but for fear
that this acute sensibilisy IA ght sometim es
fail him, he broke up small particles of
coal every morning and sprinkled them be-
fore the cell door, W hich would always an
nouuee his coming.
Every thing was now ready to begin the
work; so about the latter part of October
making a rope ladder by tearing and twiJt-
ing up strips of bed tick, another making
bowie knives, and another twisting up tow
els. They labored perseveringly for several
days, and after boring through nine inches
Of cement and nine thicknesses of brick
placed edgewise they began to wonder when
they should reach the soft earth. Sudden
ly brick fell through. What could this
mean? What Internal chamber ha5 they
reached? 1t was Immediately entered and
| to their great establishment and Joy, it prov.
ed to be an air chambe extending the
whole length Of the row of cells. Here
was an unexpected intarposition in their
favor. Hitherto they had been obliged to
conceal their rubbish in their bedticks each
day burning a proportionste quantity of
straw; they had room enough for all they
could dig. They at once com IN enced to
tunnel at right angels with this air chamber,
to get through the foundation; and day af-
ter day they bored, day after day the blocks
of granite were removed. and still the work
before them seemed interminable.
After twenty-three days of unremitting
labor, and getting through a granite wall of
six feet in thickness, they reached the soil.
TEsy tunneled up for some distance, and
aht begen to shine. How glorious was
that light. 1t announced the ful6llment of
their labors, and if Providence would only
continue its favor, they would soon be free.
This was the morning of the 26th day of
November, 1868 The next night, at IL
O'Clock, was determined on as the hour at
which they would attempt their liberty
Each moment that interviewed was filed
with dreadful anxiety and suspense, aud
each time the guard entered increased their
appre tensions The General says he had
ed for rain, but the m orning of the 9th
dawned bright and beautiful. The evening
came, and clouds began to gather. How
they prayed for them to increase. If rain
should only begin, their chances of detec-
ton would be greatly lessoned. While
these thoughts were passing through heir
minds, the keeper entered with letter for
Gen. Morgan. He opened it, and what
was his surprise, and l may say wonder, to
find i. from a poor Irish woman of his ac-
quaintance in Kentucky, commencing,
my dear Ginral, feel certain you are 60
ing to try to git out of prison, but for your
sake don't you try it, my dear Ginral. You
will only be taken prisoner agin, and made |
to suffer more than you do now"
The letter then went on to speak of his |
kindness to the poor when he lived at Lex
ingtcn, and concluded by again exhorting
him to trust in God and wat his time
W hat could this mean? No human being
on the outside had bsen informed of b is in
tention to escape. and yet just as all things
were ready for him to make the attempt,
b ere comes a letter from Winchester, KY,
advising him not to "try it," This letter
had passed through tho examining Office of
Gen. Mason, and then through the hands of
The lower officials. What if it should ex-
ute their suspicion and cause them to exer-
Use an increased vigilance2 The situation,
however, was desperate. Their fate could
lot be much worse, and they resolved to go.
Nothing now remained to be done but for
he General and Col. Dick Morgan to change