The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-06-21
FLIGHTS FROM PRISON
The Story of a Prison Escape that
Resembles C0mEade Hills.
To the Eaitor NAr1osAI. TnrRl,Nr.

To the Editor NATIONAL TRIRuSE:
I notice that IA your last weeks issue Is con-
ciutled the narrative of prison escape by Comrade
John =. hill, OF 0swcgo. Kansas Having had the
good fortune myself TO escape from rebel prison
you may be sure that read the furnished
10y ConirRda All with deep ana growing. interest
and you will pardon roe. trust FOR making brief
comparison between his experience and H!ine To
begin with my comrades and were captured IN
the same battleC c!saiils tls;;lgid confined
az Richmond during the same PERIOD of Time until
about the middle OF November, lSs@f,-our expeF-
fences up TO said date running about parallel, one
with the other. GoInratle Hill. however was
shipped Ito the hercisfnstIl piirsse for we
We're treated like cattle from Richmond TO Dam
vile November is, winie were NOT forwarded
until the next day, November IL 1865. He arrived
at Danyiile November IL. the same day on which
we left Richmond, and effected his escape the night
OF that date. So his experience II prisoner at
Danyile was luckily brief We arrived at Dan
vile November 10, 1862 end by | O'Clock D. n
were safely lodged ia prison No ., and before
night arrangements had been perfected and pre-
cautions taken for safe keeping. And these
arrangements and precautions were, 10 doubt, due
m large measure 10 the espide OF the previous
night, which Comrade Hill had been instrumental
IN bringing about We were not aware at the time
that dash for freedom had been made on the part
OF any of the prisoners. We not only had OPP
portunity OF escaping our arrival at Denyilie
oiIt mad no thought OF an escape being possible,
were so closely guarded and, indeed. had OPP
portuny of escape presented itself that p,rtici-
lar time within week thereafter, no matter now
favorable 1t might have been, the writer would
nave been unable to have taken advantage OF it.
On the way down from Richmond on November Ia
riot had occurred-a fresh-slir riot struggle for
life on the part Of about sixty men, who were occu-
pants OF the cattle-car, "a closo box-cr, with sliding
doors, which were almost entirely closed at the
tin'e-in the progress of which the writer had the
misfortune to be traInpled under foot and from the
immediate effects of his injuries he did net recover
Tor several days any OF the occupants of that car
at tie time still survive, hope they viii De heard
from through the columns OF THE TRIBUNE. So
We remained in prison No. 2 until December Is by
which time Cumrade Hill had reached the Union
lines. At that date the writer was attacked by
sen tn
of time however he recovered, and u coitvaIeseent
camp having been established IN connection with
the small -pox hospital, he placed iii charge of
part OF 1t, and remained there until the middle of
January, 1864 1t was at this camp that he formed
the acquaintance of the persons who subsequently
accompanied him in his flight from 8 Dixie " and
the wrath to come '-AndersonvilIe Before our
escape and from about the middle of january to
The 18th OF February, 1864. these men were as.o-
sInall-p hospital. Six of kept watch and at
tended by turns, night and dsy, during the time
ABOVE ndicated-a period of about six weeks
ward No. l was capable of accommodating, fifty
patients, and each bunk was occupied during the
whoie time that we remained there. As the stew
ards office cook-house and oseAd-house were each
adjoining said ward what prompted and sustained
US IN performing this labor was simply sense
OF duty and obligation to fellow prisoners who
We're suffering, but the hope that an opportunity
would occur of making our escape When it came
we narrowly missed it. Conra.Cle Hill and party
It VIII be remembered, when they arrived at the
SeVen-Inle Ferry, on Dan River failed to get across
4OtbotstT GUARDS.
We had similar experience for Yse found guards
stationed there: Comrade Hill and party crossed
further up the river; SO did We Cornraie Hill and
party went through the town of Rocky Mount
Franklin county. We passed around the same
town, keeping of at safe distance early in the
night of February a, 1864. II. H. Ely of MENDOZA
Illinois, IN q letter written not long since, tells
that he with comrade of the Thirtieth Indiana
regiment, was reeaptured near this same Rocky
Mount IN january, 1864, while attempting to
escape. In the same letter he inquiries for Call
vim w. Hudson. Conrade Hill and party must
have crossed the Blue Ridge at nearly the same
point where we subsequently crossed it. o. his and
our party were at or near the points either
SIDE OF the mountain AT Big Lick Station
Hills party slipped around while we passed di-
TTee!s,tly through the place. From this point
Hllis route seems TO have been TO the west
southwest of our route. His route took him as
ours did us, from Roanoke into Craig county
From Craig county Hill passed through Monroe
and Summer and Raleigh counties to Fayette
county, reaching the Union pickets at Fayetteville
we crossed from Craig county to Allegheny thence
Gauiey Bridge and the Union pickets in Fayette
county. Conrade Hill and party encountered the
Fltn virginia infantry at Fails of the hsnawha;
so did We, three months later. Many of the Fifth
Virginia had re-enlisted and were going home
veteran Through at the time we stopped at their
quarters Coinrade Hills trip it appears extended
over period of about twenty-five days. the dis
lance travelled being three hundred and fifty miles
Our trip occupied tlrty-one days and the distance
travelled was about four hundred miles. We tray
eled somewhat out of the way in order cross the
Gauley River at given point. Soon after arriving
WITHIN the ies Hill and his comrades We're granted
Through, as we understand it, of sixty days, or
extending to March i, 1864. We granted p
Through OF twenty days, extending to April 81,
1904, three days OF whie. time had passed by the
time we reached home. We reached our command
IN the evening of May 2 1864 just III time start
on the Atlanta campaign the next morning.
may add that my father in 1899 or 1851 ran away
from his home in Guiiford county, North Carolina
and Travelled on foot tho whole distance to Ciucin-
natl Ohio, going over the way part of the
route we took in our escape from prison in 1854,
and passed through the New River country He
travelled, however, in daylight. He is living yet,
hale and vigorous, aged sixty-nine.
MOUNTAIN RANGER.
DAHyILLE, III.
e. Mountain Ranger was one of W. H.
Newlins party, whose adventures were de-
sCrihel ir, LIE