The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1865-01-28
The Escaped CorrespenAents.


taken no prisoners whom they have hello
with the same amount Of persistent and
obstinate determination, whose inc2rcera-
ton gave them such demoniac satisfac-
ton, and caused SO general and :4andisn :.
glee, ss the correspondents OF the New
York Ir.0s4.e, Messrs. Albert I. Aicharc.
son and Juuius II. Browne. We know Of
no reason why this feeling sloaid have
arisen. O. why, after j: had arisen, It she cld
continue to manifest Itself throughout
their long imprisonment. uLle.s il may be
accoun.ed for by the general law hat PEI
sons hate whom they fear anG .e;.r whom
hey hate.
When these gentlemen were o&r.area at
y,cksbG.g. May 4ah, 1863. ,scy Hero in2-
neGia,ely paroled; bu: instead Of Being a.
orce released and sent .nroueh tic Lines
g. tina: city, were hurried OF < sich.non
for The os.ensln,e Ilrpose 81 ht.Lr seIf-
Nor.h via City Point. TIE scales. 81
t..o,i..es Of the Eonteueracv. ,.oy's.e-, did
10. hesitate To violate tie 81 IA: .os1f an
Ger which the.c paroles EaG been gwen,
.8G cast them into Libby Prison. IneItn
they were removed 10 Castle II Ger, and
af.erSSarG 70 Salisbury, Norm Carolina,
where they have reEnal ned ever since.
On May 18th, 1864, Z. Res. q, Georgia,
VIM. Z. Davis, the correspondent; o. TIC
Gc-ctte, was also captured, anG after some
months q, Richmond, was sent to the same
prison. The affinity tina. exists between
nlen bers OF the Press, soon attracted the
three to each other, and both through IL
clination and necessity, they became in
separabie. At this time Salisbury Penn
contained abou: FIVE hundred
prisoners. The fare was Of good quality,
ard although small in quantity, was s,.fil-
c!ent 10 preserve life, fac. which, how
ever, was soon destined to be reversed.
About the first OF October las., nearly ten
thousand prisoners wereadded 70 he nuM-
Der that already filled the prison 10 its
capacity. This over:axes. the Keep
ers, who were compelled 20 call 70 their
assistance our journalistic friends, who bad
gained whatever good graces rebel pris-
en- keeper might tie expected 10 nave, by
their Urb ane manners, their general lDtell-
icence, and their native fi!ce Of intellect
aud character. Mr.. Davis Was therefore
appointed general superintendent o! all the
hospitals in the prison limits; DIR Browne
became charged with the General Dispens-
ing Hospital and Depot of supplies out
side; Mr.. Richardson was made chic. GieI X
and book keeper, and made up the reports
while Captain Wolfe, who also escaped and
arrived here with them, took part n the
duties that devolved upon the other three.
The positions to which hey Lad beer IS
$ gne6 secured them al passes through the
inner line Of sertineis, with the ex ception
D! Richardson; and tie .ai.E.n ness " ath
wL;ch they discharged, al and Singular,
The duties assigned them, Won for them rot
Tie esteem merely, 1I. re love, also, O.
their patents, and tie confidence Of the
of the prison. imrrcs sing
Goc:ors or: Of editors and newspaper cor
res pondents IS sOmewha. no,el proceed
,ng, but !. was fortunate Tor eur heroes, for
!. gave them the hospital ration. which was
nuch larger and better THAI. ina; given e
ordinary prisoners.
When they were given permission 10 pass
the line OF sentineis, lucsily nc paroles
were demanded, ana Il they fal been they
would have been refused, for, after IL ieas.
Fifty foiied efforts TO escape, they were no.
made OF stuff to be chained by promise.
Still, they had no intention o! using the
freedom these passes gave for the plrpose
Of escape. They had two tunnels IN pro-
cess Of construction, one OF which was We.
nigh completed, and would have soon been
used but for circumstance which not only
FASTENED their;departure bu. assisted them
u making their escape.
On the 18th of December, Gen. Bradley
T. johnson arrived at Salisbury and reliev-
ed the former Commandant OF the Prison.
He was a soldier, and they feared the
changes be would make would no, only
deprive them o: the freedom they possess
ed, but also render their escape Still more
even il it did not postpone i;
They determined, therefore,
20 escape al once; and fer The purpose Of
Of getting Richardson beyond the guard i;
was determined that he should use the pass
belonging to Junius, who himself went
through on his reputation anG The fact,
known 10 the sentinel, iha. ne had been
passing for more than two months without
hindrance and IN accordance with orders.
On the night OF Sunday, Deem Ger 18Th,
therefore they me: outside tie inner guard
line and walked pas, the oa;er line, the
sen.-nels being under the iir preston thn.
they were attaches OF the rebel hospital ont
side. They Travelled about ,lile and lay
down among some reeds, vhiie Davis went
place 10 spend tie remainder
o. the nigh. and the nextday. They heard
approaching, and q man hrushed
against them as they lay paid with fear
and breathless with anxiety. lie passed,
however, and fer that moment they were
safe. A barn not more than n..e from
night and the next day. On Monday nigh;
they left the vicinity Of Salisbury. aud du-
ring the week travelled fifty miles, being
guided and fed daring tha. time entirely
by negroes.
At this point they met certain loyal peo-
pie who directed their movements and fur
rished them with food, sometimes giving
-ucM WOMe0 IOi Suluoh, SOsIesltses ueu,
until they reached Wa'auga river, Carter
Tennessee. where they fell in with
! party Of North Carolina refugees, num-
ber;ng about eighty. under the charge OF
guide who has made the delivery OF prls-
Oners from the hands Of the rebels bust
ness for more than three years past. Two
hundred miles of space had been iraversed
and three weeks of time consumed when
hey reached this point; and they were
weary, but they were rapidly nearing the
goal and their prospects were daily bright
ening.
On Tuesday, Jan. 10Th, they reached Kel-
US Gap, and here, while they were grow
ing hourly less able to endure them, their
troubles rapidly increased. About three
hundred rebel scouts surrounded them, at
one time, and capture seemed unavoidable.
Their guides, however, were wary as they
we're trusty, and about midnight they sep
arated into two parties-those on foot TAX
ing one road, and those on horseback an
other. God help them! So near the Heav-
en- they were trying to gain-to have been
now would have been cruelty on
the part Of Fortune too hard to bear. Three
hundred miles from the He'll from which
they had eecaped-to have been taken back
now would have rendered life burden and
death boon. Still they Travelled cautious
~ on; worn OOt with their long privations;