Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-07-18
The Escape of General Franklin.

Major General Franklin arrived safe in
Baltimore about o'clock Thursday morn
ing, as was anticipated from the informa-
| ton received on the 18th, and went to Bar
NUNS Hotel, whence he departed on the
14th for Philadelphia. r.e.
The following is brief account of his
capture and escape: He was seated in a
car at the time of his capture alongside of
a wounded lieutenant-colonel, when rebel
officer came OH the car and addressing HIM
self to the wounded officer. said:
"Are you Major General Franklin
He replied that he was not, and gave
them his name and rank.
Gen. Franklin was in citizens dress, but
the rebels also put the question to him, and
| he frankly answered that such was his
name and rank. There was no doubt in
his mind from the manner of the interro-
gator, that he had been pointed out by
some of the passengers.
The rebel said General, | am happy to
see you" The General replied, " cannot
say that am happy to see yon under the
circumstances"
About ten minutes afterwards Gilmore
came into the car, and, addressing himself
! to Gen. Franklin, said General, you will
consider yourself my prisoner"
He was then put into carriage and with
other prisoners driven through the coun-
try, stopping awhile at Townsonton and
then going across to Reistertown, where
they arrived at about one o'clock on Tues
day morning, and Immediately biyouacked
for the night.
The General was put in the custody of
General Owens aud two guards, who were
charged with his safe keeping. Excusing
himself as sick and weary, he Immediately
lay down and feigned sleep. Soon after
the Captain and his guards lay down, and
he listened anxiously for indications OF
sleep on their part.
He had not to wait long before he heard
the guard nearest to him commence to
breathe heavily, momentarily increasing in
volume and profundity, until it became suf-
ficiently loud to wake an ordinary sleeper.
The Captain and his other guard had also,
in the meantime, commenced to breathe
rather heavily, and the General continued,
with his ears open, to feign sleep. He lay
in this way for some time, until all three
gave unmistakable signs OF sleep.
Fearing that they were playing "pos-
sum-" he got up and walked carelessly
around, and moved over to the fence, still
watching them. He then coughcd loudly,
and made considerable noise, thinking that
they wanted an excuse to shoot at him,
each man lying with his right hand grasp
ing the muzzle of his rifle. The indications
of profound sleep being so unmistakable on
the part of all three of them, he now thought
he would test the sincerity of their slum-
bers by jumping the fence. This he did,
and on looking back he could see no move
ment of the dusky forms of his guards and
off he shot across several fields, jumping
the fences, and keeping straight ahead in
the direction he thought would take him
towards the city.
He ran for about threc-quarters of an
hour, when he entered thick wood, and
| in his weakly state, being really broken
down by fatigue, he sought place of con-
cealment.
| He remained concealed for the rest of the
night and all the next day, frequently see
| ing from his hiding place the rebel scouts
searching for him and securing the bushes
and the roads. Finally. about sunset al
most famished for water and food, he
| thought he would venture ont, having
come to the conclusion that freedom and
starvation were nearly as bad as being q
prisoner. He still kept to the woods, how.
| ever, and soon saw two men moving to-
wards him, carrying large bundles Of hay
He walked up to them, and asked then
what they were doing with hay In the
woods, when one of them replied: "Wt
have hid our horses in the woods % keeI
them out of the hands of the ID rebels
and we are going to feed them" ~
This reply was sufficient indication Q
their sentiments, and he Immediately mad
known to them the circumstances of hi
presence In the woods and who he was.
They greeted him most kindly and cor
daily, dropped their hay, and conducte'
him by "a secluded route to their farm
house, where he was most kindly and hos
pitably received by the family.
Being In neighborhood surrounded b,
rebel sympathizers, and some of the rebt
scouts still prowling around apparentl
watching for him, his whereabouts wa
kept profound secret by his loyal hos
who on w Wednesday set about devising NEAR
of getting him to the city.
This he accomplished, and at midnigl
last night carriage went out from the Gil
and returned with the General, he feeiin
as he expressed himself, "more free than
ever had before felt ip his life"
The name of the gallant and patriot
Maryland farmer Is at present withheld 7
the reason that he has reason to fear reD
retribution, should any more OF the hig
!, waymen of Gilmore's band be still In b
neighborhood. ),
: The General left on the morning Of u
i 14th for Philadelphia, to join his fami
, at York, Pa, where he will spend fe
weeks to recuperate his shattered heait