The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1880-11-27

ever saw. They came after me
and ordered me to take my stand in the
room. They locked me 10. and u Iehted
candle was put ut each end of the room
so that could see. / was ordered to shoot
on sight anybody saw stealing those
yams. 1t was terrible lonesome in that
room. Just as fast as l would light one
candle and go to the other end OF the
room to light the other the rats
would cut the first one down. They
was a godsend to them. After q lot of
worry l got the rats out of the way. and
sat down near the door waiting for
developments. There | staid till IL o'clock
but, altough kept my eyes on the pota
toes all the time, | couldn't see any OF
them going. Shortly after II [ heard q
creaking, grating sound. which seemed TO
be all over the room at once. l cooked
my gun and held my breath, but couldn't
see any sign of life except the rats creep>
about the floor. By Georgep I thought
the darned place is haunted, if there is
any such thing as place being haunted
The sound stopped. but about ten minutes
after it began again, L looked at the pile
Of potatoes. and presently saw something
shoot from the ceiling aud fall on them.
| saw it was a brick. and could distinguish
rope tied to 1t. l orept a little nearer
TO get a good look at tbs thing, but before
could examine it. il was drawn slowly
up and there was about a peck
of yams sticking to it. 1t went
cut in the floor above and presently
came down again with q thump right
among the potatoes. 1t was the most
artful arrangement you ever saw, The
brick had about fifty holes drilled in it,
and through each hole q sharpened ten
penny nail had been run, so that when the
brick fell among the yams these nails
stuck into every one they fell on, |
couldn't help laughing at the smart dodge
those Yankees had taken to get at the
yams. | gently put my hand forward aud
caught hold OF the rope. Pretty soon
they began to draw on it, and when 1t did
not move heard one fellow say: STEADY,
boys; the bricks hung in something. Pull
her steady without jerking" They did
pull steadily, and fairly lifted me from
the floor. mo jerk, boys, easy" the
director said. and thoy tagged away.
got pretty red in the face holding TO the
rope. | was afraid to les 90, because
thought some of those spiked nails might
strike me in passing. l thought of my
pocket knife, and hauled il out just as
they were putting all their weight on the
other end of the rope. | cut it in two,
aud the end shot back through the hole in
the ceiling. and could hear rolling and
tumbling on the floor above, showing that
the sudden giving way of the rops had
had disastrous effect. [ heard another
voice say: There. now. | told you so.
You've broken the rope. We've lost our
brick, and tomorrow we ii be found out.
Then another voice called out: Can't
you see it? We might hook it up. Next
saw long neck protruding through the
hole. aDd a fellow peeping down. Then L
called out: IF you trouble any more of
those potatoes I'll shoot" That fellows
head shot back through that hole just like
q terrapin, and it was as still as death up
there, I hated to tell on them, because
it was such a sharp scheme OF foragiDg on
the enemy, but l had to- When ths
officers went up the next morning to
examine the room it took long time to
find the hole. Those Yankees had Gus a
hole about foot square through the floor,
and 1t was done SO neatly that it took
good eyes to discover it. That was where
the officers yams went 10"
There were two characters connected
with Libby prison whose whereabouts
I
to know Old Ben" and the general"
The former was an old darkey who had
the run Of the establishment, and who
generally came by sunrise to wa&en the
prisoners. He made 1t bis business to get
| some one outside the prison &c read him
| the dispatches from the seat OF var, aud
| ,hesa he turned over in his mind until he
had managed TO work them up into q
| graphic description of the battle. generally
managing to give the victory 10 the union
| forces. The keen old fellow had learned
| that reports of union victories elated the
prisoners to sueb an extent that they
became liberal and rewarded him for his
cheering Intelligence. He would COME in
| the room and siDg out at the top of his
voice: Look sharp, darl Here ! is wild de
| latest talogrifick 'spatches from de seat 81
war" This signal was enough, and the
prisoners would crowd around the willy old
darkey while he related de latest 'spat-
ches'', which often ended with the crafty
| ing intelligence IAN Gineral Lees men
day took q rum Old Ben, although he
claimed to be "a northern sympathizsr, was
deeply grieved when the var ended, rs it
closed tho Libby and deprived hip, of his
occupation. After the evacuation he
hung around the old place for a week or
| more. and took pride ia showing it to such
unio0 soldiers as had never seen it before
He afterwards was engaged with gangs OF
negroes 10 cleaning bricks in the. burnt
districts. The old fellow lived about ten
years after the war. and died in want.
The general was a younger negro
who was almost as taciturn as "Utd Ben
| vas loquacious. He was q prison official,
his principal occupation being the fumiga-
ton of the prison. Every morning be
| went through each pen with a pan of
burning tar to give the place what he
termed "a good union smoke" He left
Richmond soon after the war and went
north. With him disappeared the last of
the Libby officials in Richmon :.