The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-03-12
THE ESCAPE FROM THE LIBBY
PRISON.
An Interesting Narrative.

our readers than the following account Of
the escape of the one hundred and nine Of
our prisoners from the Libby Prison, Rich
mond, which is taken from the Washington
Star of February 18th. A short time ago
we read an accounted the escape of Morgan,
from Richmond paper, which made him a
great hero The energy, the undaunted
courage, and the hardships encountered by
Morgan were nothing, compared with what
the Libby prisoners encountered and over
came. The narrative almost freezes the
blood:
A large number of the officers who es-
capped from Libby prison few days ago
arrived in this city last night, and are stop
ping at the National and Metropolitan Ho-
tells, and from them we gather very inter-
esting statements relative to the manner of
their escape.
Over two months ago, the officers con-
fined in the Libby Prison conceived the
idea of effecting their own exchange, and
after the matter had been seriously discuss
ed by some seven or eight of them, they
undertook to dig for a distance toward a
sewer running into the basin. This they
proposed doing by commencing at point
in cellar, near chimney. This cellar
was Immediately under the hospital, and
was the receptacle for refuse straw, thrown
from the beds when they were changed, and
for other refuse matter. Above the hospi-
tai was room for officers, and above that
yet another room. The chimney ran
through all these rooms, and the prisoners,
who were in the secret, improvised a rope,
and night after night let working parties
down, who successfully prosecuted their
Iexcavating operations.
The dirt was hid under the straw and
other refuse matter in the cellar, and it was
trampled down so as not to present too
great bulk. When the working party had
got to a considerable distance underground,
it was found difficult to haul the dirt back
by hand, and a spittoon, which had been
furnished by the officers in one of the
rooms, was made to serve the purpose of a
cart. A string was attached to it and it
was run in the tunnel, and as soon as filed
was drawn out, and the dirt deposited un-
der the straw. But, after hard work, and
digging with inger-nails, knives, and CHS
els a number of feet, the working party
found themselves stopped by piles driven in
the ground. These were at least foot in
diameter. But they were not discouraged
PenkniVes, or any other articles that would
cut, were called for and, after chipping,
chipping, chipping for long time, the piles
were severed, and the tunnelers commenced
again, and in a few moments reached the
sewer.
But here an unexpected obstacle met
thei: further progress. The stencil from
the sewer and the flow of dirty water was
so great that one of the party tainted, and
was dragged out more dead than alive, and
the project in that direction had to be aban-
doned. The failure was communicated to
few others beside those who had first
thought of escape, and then party OF sew
enteen, after viewing the premises and sur
roundings, concluded to tunnel under Carey
street. On the opposite side of this street
from the prison was a sort of carriage house |
or clubhouse, and the project was to dig I'M
der the street and emerge from under or
near the house. There was high fence |
around it and the guard was outside of this |
fence. The prisoners then commenced to .
dig at the other side of the chimney, and /
after a few handsful of dirt had been re-
moved, they found stone wall, which !
proved afterwards to be three feet thick.
The party were by no means undaunted, |
and with pocket-knives and penknives, they
commenced operations upon the stone and
mortar.
After nineteen days and nights hard |
work, they again struck the earth beyond |
the wall and pushed their work forward |
Here, too, CATER they had got some distance
under ground) the friendly spittoon was
brought into requisilion, and the dirt was
hauled out in small quantities. After dig |
ging for some days. the question arnsA
whether they had not reached the point
aimed at, and in order to if possible test the /
matter, Capt. Gallagher, of the Second Ohio I.
regiment, pretended that he had box in the
carriage-house over the way, and desired to
search it out. This carriage-house, it is
proper to state, was used as receptacle for
boxes and goods sent to prisoners from the
North, and the recipients were often allow
ed to 60, under guard, across the street to /
secure their property. Captain Gallagher
was granted permission to 60 there, and as he /
walked across under guard, he, as well as he
could, paced off the distance, and con-
cluded that the street was about fifty feet
wide.
On the 9th or 7th of February the work
ing party supposed they had gone sum
cient distance, and commenced to dig up
ward. When near the surface they
heard the rebel guards talking above
them, and discovered that they were
some two ar three feet yet outside of the
fence.
The displaoing of stone made consider
able noise, and enc of the sentinels called to
his comrsde and asked him what the noise
meant. The guards. alter listening few
minutes, concluded that nothing was wrong,