Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1864-02-15
AFTERNOON -EDFTION- MONDAY. FEBRUARY Is 1864.

In the meantime Lisateuant La Touche and
Mnj5T Turner made thorough inspection Of sho
bsssmsnt Of she prison, which slspes doznwsg1
tT0m Cary street toward the river dock. This
basement is Very spacious aud dagk, and rarely
opened exesps to Teeeivs eonmissary stores. A
stsiTwsy, leading down from the frs. aoor, has
long Rgo been boarded over, and there was no
Communication fem above The wall masonry
Of tie basement Bssr the freHt Of the building,
commences al lsass ten feot below the level of
Cary street
At the bsse of the east wall, and sbout TWEEN.
~ feet from the CaTy street front, was oiscov-
cred tunnel, the entrance 10 which Was hidden
by : largo Toek, which fitted the aperture exact
/ ". This sions, rolled away from the mouth Of
the sepulehga, revealed AZ avenue, which it was
1t encs coniec,ETed led 10 The outer world be-
yond A small negro boy was sont 10 the tan
mel on Z tour of exploration. and BY the tins
Msj. Turner and Lieut.. La Touehs gained the
eufside Of the building, q shout from the negro
announced his arrival at the terminus Of the sub
tensnean Touls. lis passage ley directly be-
meath the tread Of thFee sentiuels, who walked
the breadth Of the east end Of the prison, Across
paved alley way, distance Of more than fifty
feet, breaking up inside Of the enclosure in the
rear of Cars warehouse.
So nicsly was the distance gauged, that the
4 inside Of the ineloEurs was struck precisely,
which hints strongly of outside measurement
and assistance. Through connection once
| opened. the prisoners were enabled to woTn
i themselves through tho tuEnel, one By enc, snd
emerging at least sixty feet distant from any
sentinel post, to betake themselves of, siBgiy,
| through an srehsd gateway, 10 some appointed
rendezvous To reach tho entrance of the tuu-
mel it WAS neeo sary for the prisoners to cut
through the hospital room and the closed stair.
way leading into the basement. All tho labor
must have been performed at night, and al
trsces Of tho work accomplished at night was
closed up or cleared away before the morning
| light. Tho tunnel itself is 3 work of several
months, being Ebou. three feet in diameter and
sixty feet in length, with eurvstures worked
sroaud roeF.
Upon the testimony afforded by the revelation
of the tunnel, the imprisoned guards were ct
orcs released and restored to duty, the manner
Of the escape being too evident.
| The following is list Of tha principal officers
who sseSpsd, and their rank Among them we
regret to have 70 class the notorious Straight;
2 Cclonsls: j. Z. Boyd, 20;h sTmy corps; W,
4 G Ely, 18th Conrsctieui; H c. Hobart, 2lst
Wisconsin w P. KendIiek, 81 West Tennessse
esyslTy; W B. AcCFeRTy, Dist Michigan; Thos.
E.. Rose, 9Th Pennsylvsnis; j. p Spofford
s7lh New York; @. W. Tilden, l6;h Maine; 7
5 West, 24.h WisconsiR; a D. Straight, SIS.
! Indians; j p Collins, 29sh Pennsylvania.
/ Majors J. P Collins, 29sh Indjaas; G w
FiiEammous, 30ih Indisnsi J. II Hooper, 18th
Massachusetts 3 b Macdonald, IO0th Ohio; A
/ Won WI zsl, 74sh PeBsy lvania; J. N. Walker, 73I
| Indianai J. Henry, 5lh Oaio.
! There were besides, ihigtE-two captains and
/ dty-pine Geutensnts, making ore hundtsd and
nine in ell, who gained their liberty githsut the
| prei;rinaTies OF parole or exchange. OF this
number four only bed been returned TO the
pIisen up to lsst evening, IeesptuIed. These
were two clpssins and twO lieutenanls. Two
were ovsTtaken near Hanover Conrt House, and
The others, about twenty miles below Richmond
on the Williamsburg vouse.
Couriers were early dispatched in every di
TeeiioR, and the piekets double posted on 81 the
rOads and bridges. L is quite evident shst The
escaping prisoners have scattered and arc travel
ing singiy or ia pairs, or are LAYING up in ths
houses, or hiding places, provided for them by
The dislsysl element 10 be found in and sbeat
Richmond. D5abtless many win be reeaptuIed
but We fear too many viii escape for the credit
of tho CoBfeaeTscy.
We believe the largest number of them are
Jet in Richmond, and viii seek 10 steal eff, one
by eHe, in various gniaes other than that Of The
Y6ukea. /. was fortunate that the leak was
discovered when it was, OF the exodus would
Lave been continued lsst night, and night after
night, Cntil there would have been 40 Ysukees
to guard.
Bligsdier- General Nssl Dew did cot attempt
the passage Of ths tunnel, for she reasan that he
vas afraid his strength would fail him In his
Eight 10 tbo embrace of Butter the BsEst