The Portland daily press., 1877-07-31


us in the open air and the tramp of the
guard, but they sounded far of, and we could
not delay or we should have suffocated, so
we just trusted to luck and broke ground.
Gas he thrust his hand out down came
bayoret beside him through the turf and
somebody shouted for the corporal of the
guard.
1--WE were discovered and all our labor had
been in vain! There was nothing for us to
do but get back again the best way we
could. 1 found it harder to go backwards
than forwards, especially in a hurry, and in
one place, the stony part, 1 stuck fast. The
passage was too narrow, and 1 felt my
strength falling. However, wasn't going
to die there in a hole, so made one desper-
ate effort, which tore away the flesh from nv
shoulder deep down to the bone.
81 had just come out at the end of the pas
age, naked and covered with blood, when
the commandant met me.
"Tbere had been Others standing about
when we went into the tunnel, for it was
known among all the prisoners that if we
succeeded there would be a chance of escape
that night, but now they all suddenly disap-
peared and was left alone.
''The Colonel seemed very angry, land a fter
abusing me in severe terms, asked my name.
Il am Capt. B. of the Dist. Columbia Cav
alry,' 1 answered, 'and Pm proud to own
it.'''
"Wcll you might beP' exclaimed Frank.
"The Colonel went out as private, Cousin
Kate, and without influential friends or
favor was promoted for sheer gallantry, at
Antietam, right over one grade, from Ser
geant to first Lieutenant"
eyes; have to thank Mcclellan for
| that" said the Colonel. "Traitor though he
may he may have been (and it looked very
| much like it after the battle of williamsburg
would have laid down my life.for him then
and think the whole aImy shared my feel
ing. I remember very well .the day re.
ceived my commission, it was the - of May,
and proud enough felt of my shoulder
straps Though I had to turn my coat inside
out afterwards to hide them, when was
afraid of being captured). T was in the
- Maine Infantry then, and was trans
ferred afterwards to the Cavalry SERVICE"
Sand magnificent regiment that --
Maine Infantry wasp exclaimed Frank,
''made up of Maine lumbermen. You should
have seen them as, they went through Bos-
ton, Cousin Kate. broad-chested, athletic
fellows, and not a man under six feetv'
'But, Frank, you do not let the Colonel
tell us what the commandant did to him."
interrupted Kate. 81 am so afraid he was
cruel"
"He had taken little book from hi Is pock-
et," the Colonel went on, 'and was writing
my name in it when G. appeared. IF there's
any punishment. to be inflicted for this,
Colonel, must have my share he said. Il
am to blame as much as Captain B. I
planned aud dug as he did, and hoped to
get away, as he did,
''The tcommandant took down G.'s name
too, and so dismissed us, after good deal of
abuse of Yankees in general and Of us in par
ticular. But we heard nothing more from
| him for that time"
"Imight almost say that his back was hardly
turned before we had arranged another plan
| for tunneling. This time we started from a
tent On the other side of the yard where two
men lay sick with a fever. We knew there
was an old well near, and though we had, at
| first, to get rid of our earth in the same way
as before, after we reached the well we could
work more rapidly, because we could throw
| the earth and stones into that.
"We fattered ourselves that we were getting
on very successfully, when one day, just as
we crawled out from our hole, some one near
by said, You uns want to buy shirt?' 1t
was rebel spy who was kept to prevent any
attempts at escape, and so that work had
been for nothing!
'BY the time the commandant arrived how
ever, we had all scattered, and I had hidden
| in the first tent reached. He was furiously
| angry and ordered the tent to be taken down
from over the sick mems heads. I couldn't
see that, so, without stopping to- think, I
came out from my hiding place.
Colonel, these men are nigh unto death,
said, 'and its cowardly to make them suffer
If there is anybody to be punished, let it be
me, for planned and dug the tunnel and
Pm not ashamed to say, meant to escape
by it and take as many men out with me as I
could
"'What is your name p he asked. Capt. B.
of the - District Columbia Cavalry 'Ah =.
yes-yes-yes-yes,' he said, looking at his
little book, I've heard your name Mfore.
And yours" he asked, turning to G.. 'Ah!
Capt G., have your name too, Capt. G.
and Capt. B. Well see if we can't cure you
OF your propensity to Dig
''Then he left US after he had ordered his
men to break open the tunnel through its
whole length, but we were not forgotten this
time.
To be continued.