The Worthington advance., 1876-06-01

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rank "A few days after he got drunk
and a1 removed; thus our hopes of /
mai hg game of the Dutchmau q HE
to- aaz,and. From tile time wa left /
q rleston the weather had been old
q rainy, md no tongue can I'd or
pek descrf68 the sufferings of the bfave I
men confined there The want of cloth
ing made our bodies more susceptible |
to cold, and many were dying daily Of
diseases contracted from exposure to |
the sun and storm and from a constant |
diet of coarse and unWholesome food.
A great many prisoners escaped from |
this prison, but most ..Qf; them wefeire+
captured by hounds. Lieut.. Parker |
TIE next day alter lsis capture: not
.witllstanding all this, I. determined to-
take; the chances and strike. for fire.
dom. No time was lost in packing or |
checking my baggage to any given /
point, Or to thank the rebels for 'hospl-
talities received. 7 took the chances of
being sllyt down like a dog and run the
guard, making my wayint0 the swamp. |
Here breathed the pure ait once more
uncoltaminated by the breath of my
dying comrades. I made 4 march 0f
miles in twenty-one days !
and nights through the swamps Of
South CaroliEa and Georgia, and my
heart beat high with delight at the
thought that I was not far from. the |
federal lines, l. had been more. thar,
thirty-six honrs; without food except
some ears Of corn. when, about. two
o'clock one morning, came in contact
with IL picket, and once more was held
a prisoner Of war. They Threatened to
hang me TO- the first limb they came to:
The cry among them was to let the
d--d Yank stretch hemp. Iw:ts sent
from here to Augusta, Ga, and con-
fined in a dark cell for ten days on
bread and water. This, perhaps, was
one of the most melancholy periods of
my life. Again I came in contact with
the fiends from whom [ had previously
escaped. The prison commander pro-
nounced death upon me, claiming that
I had forfeited every right that belonged.
to 4 id, Yam kee, prisoner: Under
such Il sentance l was confined, III the
jail at Columbia City, $: g., for escap-
ing the hands of u Darbarous enemy.
one lnorSel Of food or even water tO
and treat me as 4 prisoner of war and
I would never try to escape again: On
the fourth day was taken out and put:
into the Asylum stockade, which is ell
closed by massive brick wall fourteen
feet in height, with the expectation of
I dragging out Il miserable death. Here,
for the first time. my courage failed me,
became sick. and helpless, and Was
finally put into hospital building.
was. visited daily by the rebel surgeon,
but no medicine was ever administered
| to the sick. About tile 10th of Febrl-
ary, 1915, it was understood that Gen.
! Sherman was moving in that direction,
consequently I tried to forget that / had
promised the commander of the prison
| that would not escape.
| February 18th, 1865, the rebels issued
All order for every prisoner to lie ready
to move ut Il moments notice, claiming
that we were all to be exchanged. This,
in my mind, was to take us to some
point for safe keeping, for it was evil
dent to me that Sherman was within
twenty miles distance, so I claimed to
be too weak to march out to take the
cars with. the rest OF the prisoners.
Sherman was advancing on the city and
| everything was III confusion; the guard
had gone to conduct my comrades to
the cars and were coming with 4 cart
to carry me out. Willie they were gone
[ jumped to my feet and sprung the
ceiling down from over head and
climbed up into the attic unnoticed.
There I remained until the second
night about twelve O'Clock, and then
crept carefully down put Il plank up to
! the fourteen foot wall and climbed to
1.-THE top-tlis was 4 hard task in my
weak condition,-carefully drew up
the plank slid it down the opposite side.
No sooner had struck tue ground than
Il rebel patrol of six armed men came
around the corner of the street. The
cry was, ':Halt!'' I could not see that
anything would Ge gained by RECAP
ture, and SO fled down the street 1T
the top of my speed. This was the
prison pen in the fall. Tire patrol fired
their six shots ut n1e, but none of them
taking effect I soon concealed myself
with an old colored man. :.'':' !. .
The next day the Fourteenth Army
Corps, commanded by General John A..
t Logan, took the city. Oh! ye who sleep
ON beds Of down in your curtained
chambers and rise. at your pleasure to
feast upon the good things, smile not
when l SHY that you never knew tile
luxury Of Il nights rest, nor the sweets
Of 4 meal seasoned by hunger. This.
think, was the happiest day OF. my life,
and one that will ever remain as Il
bright oasis III the desert Of the past,
and the beauty Of it was Major Turner
was not there to say what he las 50
often repelted: ''keduce their rati ions.
I'll teach the Id Scoundrels: not to
attempt to escape again. The first
days Of liberation after Il protracted
captivity are yelled in the misty atinos-
phere OF unreality. And thus it was
with me. L could scarcely recognize
the identity of my own being; was I
the same nl;.niwtO once shivered will,
cold. and nearly died of hunger in i,
rebel prison pen?. Couldiit be; 1 that
wandered; nude and forlorn through
swamps and streams amid snakes and
aligators, bounds and .mur(lerous men,
and for one long month suffered the
privations Of il fugitive? As I took a
retrospect Of those, days it seemed as
thou gh had traversed tile impass:,ble
Il lgulf-tlie dreadful clIasm of: a dream.
But at length became convinced that
1 was myself, and that what L enjoyed
was substantial and. positive freedom:
l will here close my account of the
sufierings Of myself. So tar as am
concerned personally can "forvive Cur
bitter foes the cruelties they have lin.
flicted upon me; do not desire revenge.
that: is sfarthest from my heart; God
will punish them for their evil deeds.
They have already suffered terribly, and
:: feel that all should now try 10 do