Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1880-11-25

Justas fast as I would light one
candle and 60 to the other end of
the room to light the other the rats
would cut the first one down. They
we're regular Confederate rats, and
q candle was gOdsend to them.
After a lot of worry / got the rats
out Of the way, and sat down near
the door waiting for developments.
There I stayed till IL o'clock; but,
though kept my eyes ON the pota-
toes all the time, couldn't see any
Of them going, Shortly after - |
heard . ereaking, grating sound, !,
which seemed to be all over the
reO0m at once. cooked my gun
and held my breath, but still 1
conldn't see any sign of life except
, the rats creeping about, the floor.
By Georgey / thought, sthis darned,
place is haunted, if there is any
such thing as place being haunt
ed. The sound stopped, but about
ten minutes after it began again.
looked at the pile, of potatoes, anu
presently saw something shoot from
the ceiling and fall ON them. / saw
it was brick, and could distin-
guish rope tied to it. I crept lit
tie nearer to get aHgood look at the
thing but before I could examine it
itwas drawn slowly up, and there
was about peck of yams sticking
to it. l. weat up through a hole
which had been cut in the floor
above, and presently came down
again with a thump light among
the potatoes. 1t was the most
artful arrangement yor ever saw.
The brick had about fifty holes drill :
ed in it, and through each hole a
sharpened tenpenny nail had been
ran, so when the brick fell among
the yams these nails stuck into every
one they fell on. l couldn't help
I,ughlng at the smart dodge those
Yaukees had taken to get at the
sams. | gently put my hand for
|fyard and ssaught hold of the rope.
PRETTY sooh) they began to draw on it,
s.nd 1hen it did not move | heard one
fglIow say: Steady, boys; the, brick s
lsang in something. Pull her stead
|l!y without jerking They did pull
satadily, and fairly lifted ME from
.thehoo- Nov je2s; easy, boys, easy
sasy *he director said and they tag
ged away. got pretty red in the
face holding to the rope. I was
afraid to let 60, because | thought
some of those spiked nails might
strike me in passing. thought of
my pocket-knife and hauled it out
just as, they were putting all their
weight on the other end of the rope,
cut it in two, and the end shot back
through the hole in the ceiling, and
could hear rolling and tum bling
on the floor above, showing that the
sudden giving way of the rope had a
disasterous effect. | heard another
voice say: "There, now, I told you
So You've broken the rope. We've
lost cur brick, and tomorrow we'll be
found. out" Then another voice
cllied out: Cant you see it? We
might hook it np." Next [ saw a
long peck protruding throughr-the
hole, and fellow peering down.
Then I called out: IF you trouble
any more of those potatoes I'll
shoot.7d That Fellows head shot
back through that hole just like a
terrapin. and it was as still as death
up there. l hated to tell on. them
because it wat such sharp scheme
of foraging on the enemy, but had
to. When the officers went up next
morning to examine the room it
took long time to find the hole.
Those Yankees had cut hole about
foot square through the floor, and
it was done 50 neatly that it took
good eyes to discover it. That was
where the officers yams went to"
There were two characters connec-
ted with Libby Prison whose wherea-
bouts doubtless many an ex-prlsoner
would like to know-"Old Ben,' and
1.-The General" The former was an
old darkey who had the run of the
establishment. and who generally
came by sunrise to waken the prison
ers. he made it his business to get
some one outside the prison to read
him the dispatches from the seat of
war, and these he t,trned over in
his mind until he had managed to
work them up into graphic des-
cription Of the battle, generally man
aging to give the victory to Union
forces. The keen old fellow had
learned that reports of Union yicto-
ries elated the prisones to such an
extent that they became liberal, and
rewarded him for his cheering intel
ligence. He would come in the room
and sing out at the top of his voice:
Look sharp, dar! Here lis wild de
latest talogrifck 'spatches from de
seat er war" This signal was
enough, and the prisoners would
crowd around the willy old darkey
while he related ''de latest 'spatches,' =.
which often ended with intelligence,
AN Ginrel Lees men dey took'n
rum Old Ben, although he claimed
fn bc q Nortbarn syn,natb;;zer was