Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1864-11-02
An Attempted Escape OF Rebel Prison

An Attempted Escape OF Rebel Prison
ers from Camp Douglas.
On last Friday night an attempt was
made by the rebel prisoners in Camp
Douglas assisted by outside sympathiEers,
to escape from 'duranee vile"
The attempt is thus described by the
Cbicsgo Tribune; .-til
"Having arranged all preliminsries, the
men waited for fitting opportunity to put
their plans into execution for second at
tempt. The opportune moment was sup
posed to have arrived on Friday night.
During the day the 196th Pennsylvania
regiment, numbering over 800 men, left
the Camp and the city, and the rebels
knew that their guards were reduced by
that number. About dusk In the evening,
just as the lights in the Camp were being
extinguished about twenty-five or thirty
rebels rushed from the prisoners quarters,
armed with sticks, stones and heavy mauls,
and throwing blanket over lantern in
the vicinity, commenced vigorous efforts to
effect a general stampede. Thesewer the
conspirators proper, and though they had
had not communicated the plot to the other
Itbtler bAbI bIusbGu TINT hl4 hOulh
brace the opportunity and fight for
their liberty. Half the men rushed to the
wooden barricades, and with their heavy
maui hammers, began a furious assault,
while the remainder Of the gang protect
ing themselves around the houses, iercely
at, scked the sentry on the barricsde with
stones, clubs of wood, and other missiles.
For moment the soldier crOuched to avoid
tho furious storm, but was only TO cock his
piece and attempt to distinguish the point
whence the attack wss made, then rising
he fred into the group of his assailants :
The report brought other guards to the
spot, who fired with as good aim as they
could into the crowd of despersdoes, but
owing to the darkness of the night and the
discretion of the rebels perfect aim was
impossible Still, one man, believed to
have been of John Morgsn's gang, was
shot IN tho breast and badly wounded
By this time an alarm had been given in
the camp and reinforcements of Federal
soldiers dispatched to the scene, but not be-
fore the barricade had given way to the
furious assault it was subjected to and four
conspirators had sprang into the road,
evsded their pursuers and escaped. The
others, seeing the arrival of the guards,
knew that again they were checkmated,
and returned to their quarters with all
possible celerity, 10 prevent their detection.
Tho broken fence was instantly repaired,
and extra sentries stationed round the
prison quarters, thus ending the second
grand attempt Of the rebels at a general
escape. @
Early on Saturday morning scouts were
dispatched In all directions to pick up the
rugitives. For many hours they searched
in vain, but about noon the whole of the
escaped men we're found hiding in the ad
iacent woods, and Of course were soon re-
stored to that society in which they have
so long been ornaments. It is determined
that the next attempt to escape shall be
even less successful than this and rigorous
laws will henceforth be enuncisted and en-
forced. IF the rebels at Camp Douglas are
treated with the cruelty with which onr
boys are kept in Libby Prison or Castle
Thunder, they will have brought it all
upon themselves and will have no one to
thank but their own desperate rsshness."