The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-06-09

ness to'this office should be address
ed--sHocKE n GHAMBERLIN, Jcller.
sonian Office, Findlay, Ohio"
-f -.---...----
Prison Life in the csouth-Capt. Adams
Narrative. I.. I..N .r.
CONTINUED FROM LAST WEEK.
In the course of an hour the Ser.
geant came back in terrible rage
The jailor's better half had gone into
the room below TO get corn for her
COW, and discovered the hole in the
ceiling, which she Immediately re-
ported to her husband, and he in
formed the Sergeant. "You think
you're very smart boys" said he as
soon as he came in, "but you've got
to get up early If you get ahead of
me;' then turning to dcserter by
the name of Matthews, he seized him
by the collar and said, ''vou doned
this-Tll put you where you won't
hurt nobody" and was about leading
him out, when l spoke and told him
"not to be so fast, Mr.. Sergeant, you
had better he sure before punishing
any one. / concocted the plan and
did all the work, and l am very sor-
ry the night was not tive hours long
cr--I would have bid you good bye"
"All right" said he, "we'll take care
Of you" "Do your worst" said /,
"Uncle Sam is at my back, and it
will come your turn sometime" lie
went and reported to the Post Adju-
tant, who came with him to the prs
on. He looked at .he hole awhile,
then turning to me asked "where are
the tools with which you cut this
holeP" 1 handed him the screw
driver, which l had divested of its
handle. He looked at it and ex-
claimed "give me up the tools, sir !;
you didn't cut that hole with this"
, ~ certainly did, sir; l have nothing
else" remarked. "D-n me-" said
he, "if Yankee can't do anything.
All right; get away if you can't is
our business to keep you. / was q
prisoner once, myself, and know
what it is"
During the day they fixed up the
place. The carpenter that repaired
the place had been an inmate of the
prison himself and on receiving Il
wink from one of the party, he was
careful to fix it SO it would be easily
raised but could not be detected.
On The 18th the prisoners in one of
the other rooms attempted to escape,
by snatching the keys from the Ser
geant and taking him into the room
and locking him in when he came up
came up in the evening to let the cool,
in with the supper. The leader of
the plan, a Mr.. Hooper, was to take
the keys, and negro boy, who had
been taken in an attempt 10 escape
from his master, ard incarccratcl in
prison, was to take the Sergeant into
the room and hold him till the rest
were all out, and then Sambo was 10
come out and the door was to he
locked. Hooper took the KEYS apd
the negro took the Sergeant in. but
those who were to rush out and Sc
cure the guard, "fzzlcd," and the at
tempt failed. The leader and fl few
of the most active in the plot, were
put into the Gaze, but poor Sanbo
received sevcnty-iiye lashes for his
trouble. Poor fellow! il was truly
pitiful to hear the shIirks, nroans
and pleadings of the negro IA the in
human wretch put on the lash. At
ter he had given him fifty lashes. be-
ing exhausted, he gave the whip into
the hands of another rulllan to all
minister the other twenty-five. He
ordered him to stop his howling or
he would kill him. The punishment
was administered in the hall of the
jail that all the prisoners might hear
and take warning.
On the night of the 10th the pris-
oners broke out of the cage by pick
ing the lock. They attempted to pick
hole through the brick wall of the
prison and thus escape, but they
made so much noise at the work that
they were detected, and all, twenty
four in number, put into our room
till morning. They reopened the
hole that we had attempted to escape
through, although l begged of them
to refrain, that the keepers of the
prison might not always be kept on
the watch by our fruitless attempts,
but they would not hear. The guard
was too vigilant and they were again
foiled. We succeeded in concealing
the place for several days, but were
unable to escape on account of the
unusual vigilance of the guard. On
the 22d the plan was again discover
ed by the jailor, and of course the
whole thing blamed on me. / did
not deny it, as knew if any Of the
other prisoners were exposed they
would be severely punished. They
took us, however, Cooper and myself,
and put us in the cage for safe keep
ing. five had succeeded in escaping
from Ashville prison, we were almost
certain of success in getting to
place of safety, as by this time we
had become fully acquainted with the
rout of the underground railroad
~ Deserters were now being brought
in nearly every day, chained together
like brutes, and cast into prison.
The prison was now becoming so
crowded that il was necessary to re-
move some. Accordingly on the 24th