Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1864-02-18
OUR MILITARY BUDGET.
HE ESCAPE FROM THE LIBBEY
AN INTERESTING NARRATIVE.


National and Metropolitan Hotels, and from
them we gather very inters sting statements
relative to their ma ner OF escape.
over TWO mon hs age, the officers confined
In Libby prison c nceiyed the idea Of efecting
tseiT own exchar ee, and after the matter had
been seriously discussed by some or Of
them, they UNDERTOOK to d G for q distance to-
ward sewer running into the basin. This
they proposed oirs by commencing at point
IN the cellar, near q chimney. This cellar was
INNS diately under the hospital, and was the
receptacle for reiuse straw, thrown from the
beds when they were changed, and for other
refuse matter Above the hospital was q room
for eff c. rs, and above that, yet another room.
The chimney ran through all these rooms, and
tie pIisoDeTs, " no were in the ecret i'm pro-
vised rope anG night after night lot working
parties down, " no successfully prose uted
their excavaIipg operations.
The dirt was bid under the straw and other
refuse matter in the cellar. and it was tram
pied down 50 as not to present TOO CREST bulk.
When the king party bad got to a consid-
cradle distance underground, il was found
difhe ult TO haul the dirt buck by hand. and
spiuoop which had been furnished the Off GERS
IN one OF the rooms was made to serve the
purpose of 3 cart. A string WAS attached to il
and IT w as run in the tunnel, and, as soon as
tiled, was drawE out and the dirt deposited
under the straw But af er hard work and
digging with fiji g.r-nais, knives aud chiseis, q
NUN b. T OF fet t, II e working party found them
selves stopped by piles driven In tae ground.
These wtre at least 81 foot in diameter. But
they Were not discouraged. Penkuiyes, or any
other at ic!es that u ould cut, were called for,
ard after chipping, chipping, chipping for q
long time. the pies Were severed, aai the tun-
ns.ers commenced again and in a few moments
rFaCGed the sewer. F.
Eut hens uLexpect obstacle met their
further prs grese. Tie stencil from the sewers
end the flow OF filthy water was so great that
o-e CT the }aTty tainted. and was dragged out
more dead thai alryt, nd the project IN that
III i'm had tn kA al Nod no fot tsA,a
y as communicated 10 a If others beside those
who had fret thought of escape, and then d
parry OF seventeen, after viewing the premises
and SURROUNDINGS. coIctuied to tunnel undar
Cares street. On the opposite ii Dis of this street
Rom the prison was q sort Of carriage mousse or
clubhouse, and she pre- Jet was to dig IN der the
street and emeI &c from under or near the mouse.
There " SIS a high fence around IL. aad the
guard IS oursida of this frnca. The prison.
ers then CONNER ced 10 dig at the oth-r side OF
fne Chin Eey, ard aft few handfuils of dirt
had bten removed they found themselves
s.oppsd by 81 stone wall which proved after
wards to be THREE ftet thick. The party were
Ey no mpaGs Epcountsd and with penknives
and pocket knives they commenced op Taiio1s
upon Ia. stou. al ii mortar
After nineteen DAYS and nights hard work
they sguiu struck the earth beyond tina wall,
and psshed their work f3rward. Here, too
{aiter they had got some distance under ground
ihs friendly spittoon WAS brought into requisi-
ton, AID the dirt was hauled ont 10 small
quantities. After digging for some days the
question arose whether they had not reached
the point aimed u; and in order to ii possible
test the matter, Capt Gailag her, OF the I'd Ohio
regiment, pretended that he had q box in the
carrlage-bouse over the way, aad desired TO
search 1t out. This Carriage house, it is proper
to state, was used as a receptacle for boxes and
goods sent to prisoners from thu North, and the
recipients we're often allowed to go, uadsr
guard, across the street 10 secure their property.
Capt. GailaghsE was granted permission TO 90
ssre, and as he walked q, ross Under guard he
IS be seuId. pr ced OF the dis lance, and
vida. was inouI o. lee'
On the eth or tn CT February the working
parry suppose they had gone a sstf,c,snt dis,
tsnce, an0 commenced to dig upwards Wh.n
rear the surface they heard the r-be, gears
Taking above them, and disc avereu they were
some TWO or three feet YET outside the fence
ne dspiacing of a stone made considerable
Hoise, and one OF the sentinels called to his
Somrade and asked him what me noise meap.
The guards, after listening a fw min tes, en-
GUIDED that ching was wong, and REFINED
to their beats. This hoE was stopped mp by
Inserting into the crevt<e par OF old panta-
whole up with toaIds, which they secured
from the floors, g., of the prison. The tun-
nsi wss then costinped soIae six or seven feet
more, and wb<n the working party supposed
they were scout ready to emerge to daylight,
others in the prison were Informed that there
was way now open for escape. One hun
6Ted and Line OF the prisoners decided to make
the atsmpt 10 get away Ointrs refused, fear
ing the consequences II they we're recaptured;
and othsrs yet (among whom were GEN Eeal
Dow decline " make the ait sInpt because fas
they said) they dad not desire TO have their
Government back down from it's enunciised
potiey Of sxtha' ge Col Rose. CT New York,
col XII diick, OF Tetn., Capt Jones, Lieut..
Bradford, sud others. infornea Gen Dow that
they Cculo MT ses how making ihsir escape
would eff ct tie policy of exchange. Their
principle WIS ,hae it " as their pers onal right
10 escape If they cauid, and their duty to tae.r
4 overnmert to make the attempt. -
About 81 O'Clock GA the evening OF the 9th,
the prisoners started our, Col Rose, OF New
YORK, ieaoipg the van. Before starting, the
pIisont II l. 40 divided themselves into squads
OF twc,&hree al four, and each squad was TO
take different route, and after they were out
were 10 Push for the Union lines rs fast rs
possible. Ii WIS the understanding that the
working party was 10 have an hours start OF
tie otber prisontrs, and, consequently, the
rope iauder in tie cellar was DIR .vn out
BtfcSs the eXpira ion Of the hour, however,
the otber: prisoners bt csma i'm patient, and
wsre LEI down through the chimney success
t'ol. w. r. Kepdrick, Of West Teenessee.
Cept, u. j. Jonfs, Of the 1st ntucky cavalry;
and LIEUT. K. Y. Bradford, OF the ID West
Tennessee, were de;aied as rear guard, or
rather TO go cut last; and from a window Col.
Il. and his ccmpan,ons could see the fueitives
walk ont of ga e at the other end OF tue en-
ciosure Of the carnage house. and feirlsssiy
move of. The aperture was 50 mario that
but one man could get through At time, and
each sQusd carried with TIT In provisions in
LaSershck At midI light false alarm was
crt sted, and the prisoners made considerable
II s.se IN getting TO their respective quarters. 9.
FroVident plfy, however, the guard uspe cted
AotAHe WIZ bgs duu III ~ IL" moments Tue eI~
Gdus was again commenced. Col. Kendrick
ard bis companions looked with some trepida-
ton upon the movements Of the fuxitives. as
como Of them exercising but little discretion
owed boldly out of the enclosure In to thu glare
OF the gas light. Many Of them were, how
ever, In citi0en's dress. and IS all the rebel
Euards wear the United States uniform, but
htte suspicicn Could be excited, even if the
fugiuves had been accos'ed by q guard.
Between ard 2 O'clock the lamps were ex.
ursuishtd In the streets, and then the exit was
more eafI " accom- piished. There were many
CftceS Who d Erred to leave who were so
weak and feeble that they were dragged through
the tunnel ny main force aud carried to nIaces
o. safety, until such time as they vouId r. ahis
t. % owe on their journey. Ajax o'cIock' Sant
Jorsr, Col Kendrick, and Lieut. RrsSSnrd
Tat 81 out in the order In which thsv So
nsned, and as Col. K. emerged from the ho,e
h heard the guard within a few feet Oh him
sing out 8 Poet No. 2, half-past two in the
morn IL z and alls well" Co, X says he couId
hardly rssist the temptation OF saying, not 80
we'll - you think, except for the Yanks,"
lieut. Bradford was entrusted with the rrovis.
tGas for this squad, an in getting through he
W obliKsd 10 leave h;s b aver- ack behind him,
q he could rot ct through with 1t upon him
.cnce ont they proceeded up the street, keep
ing IN Ire shaTe Of the bui dings, aud passed
t.1stv ardiy through The city