The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-03-02
ESCAPED FROM LIBBY PRISON.


ESCAPED FROM LIBBY PRISON.
When. on the night of February 8, 1864
Colonel Rose completed the tunnel at
Libby Prison, through which sixty-one
Union soldiers escaped to the Federal
lines, Captain Frank F.. Moran, Of the
Seventy-third New York Regiment, then
prisoner there, got an inkling of what
was going on and hurried to join the
crowd of fugitives. While hundreds
were pressing for precedence ut the mar
row mouth OF the tunnel, the cry of
guards" was raised. A stampede fol-
lowed. Notwithstanding the panic no
guards appeared. and Capt Moran hast
ened back toward the opening. What
befell him is related in an extremely en-
PERTAINING article III the Weekly Times,
from which article the subjoined ex-
tracts are taken:
squeezed myself feet first through
the narrow aperture in the fireplace and
found that the opening led in Il descend
ing slant from the back TO the fire place
through the chimney and into the east
cell, which was divided from the cellar
containing the cells by wall. These
cells were directly under the kitchen at
the front Of tho building, and were al
ternately used for the confinement of
hostages, troublesome prisoners" and
Union spies under death sentence. They
were fioorleSS and closets about ten or
twelve feet square. A small stream of
light stole into them part of the day
from narrow grated window half
sunken in the sidewalk above. They
were guarded by special sentinels. were
alive with enormous rats. and the air in
them was sickening. From these dread
full cages many = brave fellow went forth
10 death. A thick wall divided this
from the east cellar under the hospital
room. and il was in the east wall of
this cellar that the tunnel proper be-
gan.
Finding the short fragment of a blank
ct rope banging from the top of the
opening. | let my feet down, hoping To
touch bottom, but found none, and as
my bruised hand ana shoulder made it
impossible Ia hang long, balanced my
self for afall, whittier and 10 what depth
knew not. for it was L rayless pit of
darkness. With a sort of faith in for
tune | shu: Inv eyes and teeth, and in
the name OF liberty lot 20. Thanks to
my thoughtful comrades ] fell into
huge pile Of straw. and, after rolling
over two or three times, found myself
in the darkness among hundreds Of
sauealing rats. and before l could rs.
cover nv equilibrium score of tho re-
pulsive creatures ran over me. Com
plying with my Instructions. l placed
my back TO the wall near whore l drop
ped, and waded knee deep toward the
opposite wall through the straw that
covered the cellar. The place seemed
to be perfectly alive with rats that
fought, squeaied and tore each other
and thumped against my ankle atevery
step.
At last l reached the wall and ran my
hand along the cold, damp surface In
search of the opening Of the tunnel. In
this manner CROPPED along until l reach
ed the southeast corner, and believing
that ] must have passed the hole,
made my way back in the same way,
feeling the wall with increased anxiety
and caution. stopped dozen times
to listen for some friendly token from
nv comrades, who had long since pre-
ceded me, but no sound could be heard
but the horrible chorus of the rats. The
thought of failure began to harass me,
a. did the fear that should be forced to
pass the night in the loathsome place.
Great beads Of perspiration came out on
my forehead when thought of being
found by the guards in the morning. if,
indeed, the colony of rats did not long
ere that time battle for the choice cuts
of my remains.
1t paralvzed me to think that through
my laundering the tunnel would be dis
covered, that had cost such heroic Ia
Dor, and that should be loaded with
the disgrace of depriving hundreds OF
my fellOw-priso Of their liberty. In
this train OF expressing thoughts came
the remembrance that this had ut one
time been the ''dead cellar" where
bodies from the hospital room above il
used to be boxed up prior to burial
The revolving idea that the Union deac
should ever have been left. even tempo
rarily, in such place, sickened me an'
/ would have given fortune ut that mis-
cradle moment for friendly stream o
light and blessed breath of fresh air.
thought had already surveyed an acr,
If wall and was Oh the border of despair
when, to my bOundless Joy. my hand fel
upon a pair Of heels. knew that the.
were live heels. for l had no sOone
touched them than they vanished lik'
magic in the wall.
..Who's therep' said voice, rs j
from grave.
Moran" answered, 'from the Get
tysburg room. Who are yOu?"
Charley Morgan" the sepulchra
voice responded, '.from the Chickamau
ga room. Are the rebs coming?'
"No. Go ahead and make room TO
me-" said l; and away went the heel
after sending a shower Of dirt into bot
my eyes.
The hole appeared as I advanced t
have an average diameter OF about tw'
feet. At times We appeared to be de
scending, and again we seemed to rise
The earth was clammy cold, and the al
foul and sutfocating My bruised shout
der got rough usage as wedged mysel
forward on my hands and face. Tn
hole grew narrower as 1 advanced. an
notwithstanding my slight form, Ifoun,
myself more than once in the position @
the fat man who had preceded me-
Morgan unhappily took violent cram
in one Of his legs, and to relieve hi
distress / pulled of his shoe. Thi
proved a somewhat troublesome charge
for in order to save it for its owner
had to push it ahead of me as crawle
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