Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-09-04
RALLY posi- MfELLlaEEcER,
AssxAk res r1sEerr.

A DaEAK YOR IIBE9TT.
when, on the night Of Feb. 9Th, 1854,
Col. Bose completed the tunnel at Nbby
Prison, through which 81 Onion soldiers
escaped 10 the FEDERAL lines, Capt. Frank
q. Moran. Of the I'D New York regiment.
then q prisoner there, got IN mixing OF
what vas going On and hurried 70 join
the band of fngitives. While hundreds
were pressing for pesesdenes q the mar.
row mouth Of the tunnel, the cry o.
"puarda. was rsised. 4 stsUpede fol-
lowed. Not ~iths&andinR the panic, no
apards appeared, and Cspt. Moran hAss-
cned bach toward the opening. What
befel him ID related In an sxtIsDsly
entertaining article In the Philadslphia
/ squeezed myself feet first through
the narrow aperture In the hfeplscs and
found that the opening led IN dss,sod-
ina slant from the back Of the Fireplace.
through tbs chimney and into the east
ceIlax, which vas divided from the cellar
containing tbs cells By wall. Thess
cells vese directly under the kitchen q
the front Of the building, and we're al
t<rnstely used for the confinement Of
hostages, " tYoubles0ne prisoners !" and
Union spies under death sentence. They
were Aoorisss ciossss ten or twelve fest
square. A small stream OF light stole
into them from narrow grated window
half sunksn In the sidSwall above. Tbsy
were guarded by special septinsls, vess
sIive with enormous rats, and the air IN
them Was sicksning. From thess dread.
ful cages many brave fellow went forth
10 death. A thick wall divided this from
the east cellar under the hospital room.
and Il vas Ia ths east vail Of this cellar
that the tunnel proper began.
Finding the short fragment OF ban
ket rope hanging from the top Of the
opening, let my feet down, hoping 20
touch bottom, bat found none; and ~
my bruised hand and shoulder made II
impossible 70 hang long, ] balanced
myself for . fall. whittier and 70 what
depth / knsv not, for IL was . rayless
pit Of darkness. With . sort Of faith
10 fortune ! shut my eyes and teeth,
and in the name Of liberty lot 60.
Thanks TO my thoughtful comrades l
fell into huge pile Of straw. and. A.
ter rolling over two or three times,
found myself In the darkness among
hundreds Of squsaling rats, and before
coold recover my equilibrium score
Of the repulsive creatures ran over me.
Complying with my instructions,
placed my back TO the wall near where
/ dfopped and vaded knee deep toward
the opposite wall, through the straw
that covered the cellar. The place
seemed TO be perfectly aliye with rats
that fought. aquealed and tore each
other and tbumped against my ankles
at every step.
At last reached the wall and ran my
hand along the cold, damp surface n
search Of the opening TO the tunnel In
this manner ] Qroped along until
reached the southeast corner, aud, be-
lieving that ! must have paased the hole,
! made my way back In tbs same way,
feeling the wall with increased anxisSy
and caution. ! stopped q dozen times
TO listen for some friendly token from
my comrades, Who had long since pre-
ced0d me, but no sound could be heard
save the horrible chorus of the rats.
The thought of failure began 10 haras
me, a. did the thought that ! should b
forced 70 pass the night In tbs loath-
some place. Great beads of perspira
ton oane out upon my forehead whsn
! thought Of being found BY the
guards In the morning, II indeed the
colony Of rats did not, long ere that
tune, battle for the choice oats of my
remains.
II paralyzed me TO think that through
my blundsriug the tunnel would b dis
covered that had Cost % much her oic
labor, and that should be loaded With
the disgrace OF having deprived hun
dreds Of my fellow prisoners OF their
liberty. In this train of expressing
thoughts came the remembrance that
this had at one time been the dead
collar" where bodies from the hospital
room above II used TO b boxed MP prior
70 burial. The revolving idea that the
Union dead should ever have been left,
even temporarily. In suoh . plsos, sick
ensd me, and would have given for
tune at that miserable moment for
friendly stream OF light and blessed
breath OF fresh air. had already sur
veyed an acre Of wall, and was on the
border OF despair when, TO my bound
leas Joy, my hsnd fell ON q pair Of
heels. knew they were live heels,
Tor ! had NO sooner touched them
than they vanished like magic in the
wall.
"who's thcrei" said a voice. a. IL
from grave.
Moran" answered, from the Get
tysburR room. Who are your
Charley Morgan" replied the sepul-
chrAl voice, "fr0m the ChickamauQA
room. Are the rebs comingr
No; 20 ahead and make room for
me-" said ], and away went the hesls,
after sending shower IT DIRT into my
syes.
The hole - advanced appeared 70
have IN average diameter Of about two
fest. AZ times 10 appeared 70 b Do.
ooendinQ, and again we seemed 20 rise.
The earth vas clammy cold and the air
foai and sufooatinG. Ny bruIhsd shoul.
der got rough usage ~ I wsdssd myself
forward on my hands and face. The
hole grew narrower ~ I advanced, and
Notwithstanding m, slight form found
myssif moro than oncs In the pcsitiou
Of the fat man who had preceded me.
Morgan unhappiiy took violsut cramp
In one Of bis legs, and TO relieve his dis.
tres pulled od his shoe. This proved
. somewhat Troublesome charge, for In
order 20 save IL for its owner I had %
pash u ahead Of me ~ ! csavlod on
vard. The length Of the tunnel sssnsd
tnterminabls. vas gnnptne for breath
and my sh0ulderwas paining dreadfuliy.
" essmsd ~ II Ne we're ioss In some hor.
stols grave.
vas struck wish the wonderful clear
~ with which all sounds were srans-
mitaed through the paalAas, - II vs
vose enoompassed by metallic iustsad ol
clay wallis. AZ last. nearly faintine with
su9ooatiou, pain and fatigue, . ray OF
liaht aladdsued my eyes and fslt tha
welcome bls1ssdneas Of frsah air--oer.
tainly the most dslicisos air ! have ever
brsathed In my whole life. Morgan q.
landed his hand and gave ne friendly
veloo0e - roes like an appaTition q
the surfaoe Of the earth, and, havine
reached terra nrnA. ] made q careful
and minute survey Of my surroundings.
vao Ia . yard that Divided svo old
building. that faced respectively nssth
Stood about seventy fsss from the
eastern vail Of the prison. and, lookina
through The dilapidated fsnce, sAw tks
oentinels pacing their posts, and By ths
light Of the ntrsos lamps could easily
Distinguish thsiP features. An srohs6
way ef sufllcisnt width for The passaee
ct wagons led 10 the street on the sooSh
that ran next 10 and parallel with the
canal. I nov noticed { third psruon ia
the yard, and Morgan In . whisper In.