The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1885-04-30
"ENGINE THIEVES .
The Great Story of "Capturing a
Locomotive"
BY REV. VIM. PTTTENGER.
COPYRIGHTED, 1881.
FROM ATLANTA TO RICHMOND.
CHAPTER XIX.

When we resolved to break Jail it was oIl
! firm belief that failure or recapture meant death
! Yet no sooner was the excitement over, and we
quietly back in prison, than hope began te
| whisper once more. Possibly there was some
mistake in the report which led to our desper.
ate effort, or, if it was indeed true, the escape
of the larger part of the band might derange
the plan, or change the purpose of holding
another court martial. 1t is sure that our an.
ticipations Of worse treatment were not realized.
l cannot account for the agreeable surprise we
experienced in this particular. Those who are
convinced that the mitigations of our lot were
| caused by any representations made by the
! Union authorities at Washington after our COM
rades had escaped must be mistaken, because
the change took place before one of the fugitive,
! had reached the Union lines. Wilson and Wood
| at Washington, as well as the others of ouI
number who escaped, did make prompt repre-
sentations to our Government, which may
afterwards have been of service to us. But
these could scarcely have affected us during our
stay in Atlanta, as the time was not sufficient
| Possibly, it was thought by the COnfederates
| that the little remnant of the band which had
already suffered so much, was not worth perse-
cutting further. However it is explained, the
succeeding two months we remained in Atlanta,
after the attempted escape, was the least rigor-
| Gus imprisonment endured by US in the South.
Col. Lee thought the Jail no longer safe, and
ordered us to be taken to the city barracks.
These were in the center of Atlanta, looking
out on one of its busiest public squares. Our
room was also far better than had been given
to us before. 1t was large, well lighted, and
provided with great open fireplace, in which
a fire was kept continually burning. Our door
was never closed. bat a sentinel stood in it,
watching us, and the gas was burned all night.
The Confederate soldiers roomed all about us,
and the whole large house-a former hotel
think-waS surrounded by a line of sentinels.
We were in the second story, and our windows
were not barred. We could stand by them, and
watch the busy throng outside for hours at a
time. All our surroundings were now of a
soldierly and civilized character. Our treat
ment was also more courteous and considerate
than formerly.
Probably much, if not all, Of this change for
the better may be attributed to the character
of the man in whose charge we were now placed.
Jack Wells, as he was familiarly called had
been Lieutenant in the Regular Army of the
United States before the war, and had not for
gotten the traditions of the service. He had
no feeling of resentment against us on the
contrary, would come around to our room and
talk by the hour, telling us some great stories
of his adventures and receiving as great in re-
turn. His worst fault was intemperance,
being frequently half drunk and not seldom
going beyond that point. In these cases, and
when in communicative mood, he would tell
us tiidG NO ulu uOC care u cenC WHICH Sluc
whipped in the war,-that he only held his
present position to avoid being conscripted, and
because he preferred having a commission as a
volunteer to being compelled to fight as private
conscript But he was all excellent disciplin-
arian, and we nowhere had less chance of
escape than from under his watchful eye and
among his well-drilled soldiers. He would
allow no trifing with his authority, and was
ready to punish with fearful severity, rs sOme
of our TenneSSaa comra6eS-xyhO Irere ri itizeuS
not soldiers-found. In fact, he seemed to care
very little for those who were not soldiers.
One of these men-Mr. Pierce, who had ac-
companied us from KnOxville-One day threw
his allowance of provisions back again into the
tray in which it was being passed around with
gesture of contempt, but without word be-
ing spoken. The supply was very scanty and
bad; but, as we could get no better, we only
thought that the old man was very foolish thus
to give up the little that he was offered. But
this was not the end. In a few minutes file
of guards entered, took Pierce out, and tied his
hands before his knees, with stick inserted
across under the knees and over the arms, in
soldiers as "bucking." They left him in the
cold hall all night He was able to eat his
morning allowance without difficulty!
The next Tennessee sufferer was Mr.. Barker.
One of the guards often used to tease the prison
ers by asking them how they liked being shut
up in prison, playing checkers with their
noses OH the windows" ETC. complaint to
the commander would probably have caused a
cessation of such taunts, which it was foolish
to notice i'll any way. But Barker answered,
that he need not feel SO proud, for he would
certainly be driven before long to work like u
slave in the cotton fields, to help pay the eX
penses of the war. The guard reported the
insult, and Barker was taken to the punish
ment-room and there suspended, head down
RI ha tod fnI
or three times, and he was then put into dark
cell, only four feet square, without food, for "a
hours
l was personally very fortunate here in re-
ceiving the favor of the commander, which
used to the advantage Of my comrades as well
as was able. Having nothing TO read, for the
kind minister had not visited us since the at
tempted escape, and being determined not to
be idle. began to practice shorthand regularly
each day. l had learned it before, and now
wrote with pencil on any scraps of paper
could find. Wells watched me while thus en-
gagged, made good deal of sport of the spider
tracks" but came in the next day and asked if
l would do a little writing for him. L was
perfectly willing, provided it was not contrary
to my allegiance to the United States. He
laughed at the qualification, and showed me
that it was the daily prison reports that he
wanted made out. did not see that this kind
of work would do any harm, and undertook it.
His office adjoned the prison room, and he
gave orders that was to be allowed to go from
one room to the otherat pleasure, but no farther.
In fact, when in the Office, there was always
special guard standing at the door. A hundred
schemes Of escape flashed through my brain,
founded upon the additional privileges l now
had; but soon found that the guards were in
structed to watch me all the more closely on ac-
count of my license. Wells himself laughed,
and said that he would ask no pledges of me,
for it was his business to keep us, and ours to
get away-if we could! The qualification was
well put. The only time the eye of a guard was
off ME day or night was while in the office, and
that had only one door, by which the guard
who brought me to the office always stood till
ready to take me back to the common prison
room. Yet hoped something might occur by
which could help my comrades and myself.
One day / had the heartfelt pleasure of
saving a mans life. While was in Wels's
Office writing a requistion for provisions a
person dressed in the uniform of rebel
officer was brOugh i'll under arrest. He APP
peared to be very drunk, but demonstrated SO
very hard against being put into the rooms
which had common prisoners that Wells con-
sented to let him stay in his office, to get sober
enough to give an account of himself, He had
$500 in gold, which had been taken from him.
marvellous possession, which Wells asked me
TO feel the weight of,-but as the officer furi-
ously demanded his money, it was given back
to him. As the charge against him had not yet
been made known, Wells believed that it was
which he had great sympathy. When the man
got his money he sank down on lounge in
drunken stupor. Wells had some business to
fran sagt and Saru't Whita