Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-02-17
way of any known in the annals of Amer.
lean oratory.


ican OratOry.
PUBLIC LANDS.
The committee on public lands propose
to amend the Homestead law, so IS to al
low soldiers OF seamen to make the nee.
esssry affidavit before his commanding
officer, preliminary to availing themselves
of it's provisions, and besides the ten dol
lar fee heretofore required, Homestead, sp-
plicants are to pay one per cent in cash Of
the value Of the land, to the register and
receiver as q commission.
The bill granting lands to the Peoples
Pacific Railroad Company TO aid in the
construction Of a railway to extend
to the Pacific coast, which was referred to
a special committee early in the session,
has been reported back with several
amendments, one of which locates the line
Of the rord on a parallel of 441. A new
section provides that if the present COM
psny does not accept the terms Of
this grant within six months; it shall then
be open to any company chartered by a
State which shall within q year after
the expiration of the said six months
accept it, Congress reserVing power to
repeal the act.
THE WAY THE UNION OFFICERS DUG OUT OF
LIBBY PRISON.
Captain William Wallack, of 5Ist Indi-
ana, originally from Peru, Indiana, es-
capped from Libby Prison through the Tun-
mel, arrived here to-day and was on the
floor of the House. He came nearly due
north from Richmond till he reached our
lines. He says he began digging the tun-
mel on New Years Eve, and only finished
it the night before making their escape.
The work was carefully concealed, even
from the larger part of their brother off,
GERS, for season, that the rebel spies, who
are believed to be among them, should not
become oognizsnt Of their working. The
laboring party were all sworn to the most
solemn secrecy. They began back of the
stove in the room on the ground floor,
where pile of ashes enabled them to
conceal their work. From this they dug
into the chimney and thence into the Gel
lsr. This cellar was filled with rubbish
and straw. They began their tunnel from
his cellar, digging through the whole
night, relieving one another by turns, and
piling the dirt taken from the tunnel in 6
corner Of tho cellar, from which had been
the rubbish. Every night, before
closing their work, they would stamp the
lirt down, to make it occupy as small a
pace as possible, and would then cover it
With straw. They would then carefully
lack their boots and remove every parti-
lie Of clay from their clothing, and after t
morning roll call spend the day in Sleep a
ng, for the double purpose of gaining f
leeded rest and avoiding conversation s
With the others. c
Col. Rose, Of Ohio, acted as Chief En-
ineer in managing the direction of the e
unnel. They continued in this way night I
fter night till the evening before making '
heir escape. Some negroes who were
prison waiting upon the prisoners dis
Overed what they were doing but loyalty
ept the secret. They dug in this way
nder an adjacent street and finally came :
the surface in vacant lot, so yards
istant from the point where they went C
nder the street. They were only about R
our feet below the surface and nothing y
ut the tenaCity of the soil prevented the 5
unnel from erumbling. a
Towards the close they became alarmed 4
bout the pile of dirt they had excsvated
nd in order to make it occupy as little
pace as possible they only made the tun- !,
ell large enough for medium sized man f
'crawl through on his belly. When they d
ame to attempt the passage several of the v v
len stuck fast and it was with the ut d
lost difficulty that some Of them managed E
work their way through. Owing to this a
clay comparatively small number es- ;,
aped, for daylight soon came to check b
heir operations. d
Many started without any provisions a a
nd being compelled to stop at houses
long the road, for food, were discovered. il
0 this and their weakness from long con- o
nued privatiOns, recapiure of so many '
attributed. a
Colonel Straight is expected here to- 3
light. Captain Wallaok leaves for his j
ONE in Indiana. "
Escaped prisoners confirm previous a
tstements as to scarcity of provisions in t
'ichmOnd. They say that during the time a
he rebels distributed the contents of the
O1es from the North, their very guards II
Iould beg provisions of them, and that Of
lte half starved boys from the streets of +
.ichmond, used to gather about their win E
Ows to scramble for the crumbs from their IL
Orn bread they thrust out to them. Z
Dickerson is before the Naval Commit
ee again to-day. Members Of the Com II
littee say he will talk all winter on the "
ensacola machinery question if they v
ont stop him. The Ways and Means "
ommittee say that questions which have a a
nexpectedly intervened have so delayed a
latters that it will be at least ten days IL
ct before they report on Petroleum. 5. 5.
Whisky came up again to-day in the -.
.ouse. The vote on agreeing to the SEN Of
be amenement striking out Woods pro- q
osition to tax stock on hand was II, and N
q rnninrifr nnnir,nA An-s-. Ill - I.-.l |