The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-11-22

as we could get
AT one time no meat was furnished for abo,
nine days, and the reason given was, that the
soldiers at the front required al! they could o
tam. During this period, we received nothin
but corn bread Kind friends sent Us boxes
provisions from the North, which were openc
and examined by the Coniederates, and If nolI
ing Objectionable was found, and it please
them, the party to whom II box was sent va
directed to come down and get it, Many {
these were never delivered. Every gcncroU
soul shared the contents Of his box with hi
more unfortunate companions. Had 1t NJ
been for this provision, our life IN Libby wonl
have been intolcrable,
| There was no glass IN the windows and IL
some time no fire in the rooms. An applic'
ton for window glass, made during the scvc
est cold weather, was answered by the aSsuI
ance tina, the cOntcderates had none to turnlsl
The worst ailiction, however, was
THE vERMIN
which invaded every department.
Each officer was permitted 10 write HON
the amount of three lines per week; but cvel
these brief messages were not always allOwct
to leave Richmond.
A variety of schemes were adopted TO i'm
prove or kill time, We played chess, cares
opened theatre, organized band OF min
strels, delivered lectures, established schools
for teaching dancing, singing, the French Ian
guage and military tactics, read books, pub
lished manuscript newspaper held debates
and by these means rendered life tolcrablc
though by means agreeable.
An incident occurred, after we had been il
prison some time, which made deep Imprcs
sion urOn every one. Some Of our men hac
been confined in block not tar from Libby
called the Pemberton Building. An order hac
been issued to move them to North Carolina
When they left, their line of march was along
the street in our front, and when they passed
under our windows, we threw out drawers,
shirts, stockings, etc, which they gathered up
and when they raised their pale and emaciated
faces to greet their old commanders, there were
but few dry eyes in Libby. Many Of them
were making
THEIR LAST MARCH.
Our sick were removed to the room set
apart, on the ground floor, for hospital; and
when one died, he was put In box Of rough
boards placed in an open wagon, and rapidly
driven away over the stony streets. There
were no flowers from loving hands, and no
pageant, but Il thousand hearts in
Libby followed the gallant dead to his place
of rest.
We were seldom visited by any person. The
only call received was from General Brock
inrIdge, of Kentucky. had known him before
the war. During our interview, | referred to
the resources of the North and South, and ask
ed him upon what ground he hoped the Con
federacy could succeed, HIS only reply was,
that five millions of people determined to be
free, could not be conquered
There being no exchange of prisoners at
this time projects for escape were discussed
from the beginning. Our scheme was for a
few persons at time to put on the dress of a
citizen, and attempt to pass the guard as visl-
tors. A few actually recovered their liberty IN
this manner. Another plan was to Gig tun-
mel to the city sewer, which was understood to
pass under the street IN front of the prison, and
escape through that to the river This project
might have been successful had not the water
The final and successful plan was
rs follows;
On the ground floor of the building, on a
level with the street, was Kitchen containing
A fireplace ut Il stove connected with which
The prisoners inhabiting these rooms above did
heir cooking Beneath this floor was base
ment, one Of the rooms in which was used as
4 storeroom. THIS store-room was under the
hospital and next to the street, and though not
directly under the kitchen, was so located
downward aud rearward through the masonry
work of the chimney. From this basement
room it was proposed to construct tunnel
under the street. to point beneath a shed,
connected with brick block upon the oppo-
site side, and from this place to pass into the
street IN the
GUIsR OF CITIZENS.
A knowledge of this plan was contided to
Ia, fyn W. N
he proceedings by the others until two or
hree days before the escape. A table knife,
,hisel and spittoon were secured for working
ools, when operations commenced. Sufficient
If the masonry was removed from the fire
place to admit the passage of II man through
/ diagonal cut to the store-roOm below; and
IN excavation was then made through the
oundation wall toward the street, and the con
'truction of the tunnel proceeded night by
hight. But two persons could work at the
same time. One would enter the hole with
lis tools, and a small tallOw candle, dragging
he spittoon after HIM attached to string.
The other would fan the air into the passage
with his hat, and with another string would
lraw out the novel dirt cart when loaded, con-
ealing its contents beneath the straw and rub.
Dish of the cellar Each morning before day
light the working party returned to their
'ooms, after carefully closing the mouth OF the
unne, and skillluly replacing the bricks in
he chimney.
An error occurred during the prosecution OF
his work that nearly proved fatal to the enter
Prise. After a sufficient distance was suppos
I'd to have been made, an excavation was com,
nenced to reach the top of the ground The
person working, carefully felt his way up
ward, when suddenly small amount of the
op earth fell in, and through this he could
plainly see two sentinsls apparently looking at
Iim. One said to the other, 81 have been
hearing "A strange noise IN the ground there "
After listening "a short time, the other replied
hat it was
"NOTHING But RATS"
The working party had not been seen. After
this opening was carefully filled
With dirt and shored up. The work was then
and after digging fifteen fee,
urthcr, the objective point under the shed was