Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1864-01-20
Gen. Morgan's Escape.
DALTON, GA, Jan. 5, 1854.

view WlCn Tue ceIeUTateur piaFo ouo oahAn6
Capt. T. Henry Hines, who commanded
Col. Dick Morgan's regiment in the late
expedition to Ohio in. July last, and who
planned and executed the escape of General
Morgan from the Columbus Penitentiary in
Ohio. Capt. Hines is very young man,
not over 23 years ofage, has a fine intel
lectual head, forid complexion, dark.broWn
hair and eyes, wears light moustache, and
would be considered by the ladies very
handsome. !. From Capt. Hines I have OBJ.
tanned the following particulars of the. es-
cape of Gen. Morgan, which. is one of the
most remarkable feats of the age. I give
you, for the benefit Of your readers, plain
unvarnished tale, as told to me, without the
adornings of novel writer's. .ss.-
On arriving at the Penitentiary the off.
GERS were treated the same as convicts, with
the exception that they were not made to
dress in convict clothes. They were strip.
ped and put in tub Of dirty water, one by
one, AID went through the scrubbing pro-.
cess, some eighty men being washed in the
same water without being changed. Their
boards were then all cut off and shaved
clean, and their hair was cut so close thatit
amounted to shaving their heads. General
Morgan suffered the same treatment. For
the first two days they were put on convict
fare of bread and water, but after that they
received the usual allowance Of cold meat.
The cells in which they were confined
consisted of solid stone masonry, about six
feet long, six feet high, and three feet wide.
Morgan's party were confined in the east
wing of the penitentiary, the cellsof which
faced narrow passage, or hall, some sixty
PAGES in length, and from twelve to fourteen
feet wide, the south side of the halls being
solid wall. The cells were composed of
FIVE tiers, one over the other, with wooden,
steps to ascend to them. Morgan and his
men occupied the first and second tiers only,
no other prisoners being in this portion Of
the building. The General oceupieda cell,
in the second range, and Captain Hines oc.
cupied one a hout the centre of the first tier.
Orthe 3rd of November Capt. Hines
simatured the plan Of escape, which he COM
municated to one of his fellow prisoners,
Captain Sam Taylor, of Col. 4. R. john
sons 10th Kentucky cavalry. Hines sug.,
gested, that from the dryness of the celS
there must be an air chamber beneath to
prevent the moisture from rising, and that
by removing the cement and brick in the.
cells they might strike the cavity of the
chamber beneath, when, by undermining
the foundation, they could effect their es:
cape. Taylor at once consented to the plao,
which was communicated to General Nor
gan and four otbers-Gapts. j. g. Bennett,
and Hoekersmith,- of the'I0sh Kentucky,
Ralph Sheldon the End Kentucky and
Augustus Magee. =.
: Capt. Hines having procured two case
knives, which had been sent fromthe hospi.F
tai with food for some of our sick men, the
work was commenced in Capt. Hines cell
on the 4th November, he having most gen.
erously assumed the responsibility, so that
in case Of discovery he alone would suffer
the punishment of being incarcerated in the
dungeon Capt. Hines detailed two men
at time to work in his room during the
period the other prisoners promenaded the
hall for exercise. They were relieved eve
ry hour, and worked from four to FIVE hours
per day. Hines. kept strict guard himself
and established telegraph system Of COM
munication knock on the door of the
cell was the signal to commence work; two
knocks to cease, and three knocks the alarm
to stop and come out. As the work pro;
gressed in the different cells, the men hid
the cement and bricks in their beds. They
had to contend against the most complete
system of guards, who were composed of
both civil and military, and who, being 1eal'
GUS, watched each other and our own pris-
oners' movements with the greatest scruti.
ny. Besides this, there were privileged
convicts, who also watched our men and
listened to their conversations.
Having first removed the cement and
brick for space of Is inches square, dig
gipg through six inches of cement and six
layers of brick in each cell, they struck at
last the air chamber, which was sixty feet
long, three feet wide, and three feet high
They now removed the rubbish of the ce-
ment and bricks from their cells to the air
chamber, keeping the holes concealed by
their beds. Their herculean task had now
only commenced. From the air chamber
they worked through twelve feet of solid
masonry, fourteen feet of "grouting," or
fine stone and cement, and five feet of grav-
clled earth, which led them into the yard
of the penitentiary. The work in the seven
cells was, to their great JOY, completed on
the 26th November, having occupied 70
days. General Morgan was now informed
of the fact and himself examined the work,
expressing his great surprise and delight to
Captain Hines.
1t was now agreed by the parties to effect
their escape on the night of tie 9th. But
here another obstacle was to be surmounted
as great, and more dangerous than the one
just accomplished. The wall surrounding
Che penitentiary yard was 35 feet high, and
this had to be scaled. Besides, it was we'll
known that several sentinels were on post in
the ward. and that two or three most terri