Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-04-29
JoHN N1oRaAN,s EsCAPE.
The True Story of the Raiders Release
from the Ohio Prison.


COLUMBUS, o., April 27.-Thomas II.
Hines, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
Of Kentucky, accompanied by Gen. Cas-
tleman, Adjutant General, are at the
Neil House, collecting data looking to the
refutaton of the scandalous articles from
the pen of the Washington correspondent
of the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette,
which charges the late Jacob Thompson
with designing 10 burn North
ern cities and ex-GOy. Blackburn
with attempting TO introduce in
tected smallpox rags into them during
the war. Knowing that Justice Hines
was one Of the six who escaped WITH the
famous Confederate General John Nor
gan from the penitentiary here in NoVem-
Der, 1863, a correct account of which has
never been published, your correspondent
called upon him to learn the true facts in
relation to the escape of the great Conted-
crate raider. Judge Hines expressed his
willingness TO be interviewed. he eX-
planned that while Captain of the Ninth
Kentucky regiment. with 20 companions,
among whom was Gen. Morgan, he
was captured and brought here, the entire
number being confined as United States
prisoners at the Ohio penitentiary.
"Atter the chagrin of our capture had
partly worn off, said he, sour thoughts
naturally turned to a means of escape.
1t was the practice at the prison for the
guards to escort each morning those en-
ployes or prisoners who were charged
with the duty of sweeping out our cells.
1t had occurred to me that if l could by
any scheming have this practice aban-
doned | would have ample opportunity
to carry out whatever plan l thought
feasible. | soon learned that directly be-
meath the cells occupied by my companions
on the same tiers ran an air-cbamber or
sewer which emptied outside the prison
walls. / had already satisfied myself that
l was regarded as a quiet and-Well, any
thing but dangerous prisoner. Taking
advantage of this good opinion of me, |
innocently requested the privilege of
sweeping out my own cell. This request
was readily complied with, and broom
at my eXpense) furnished me. l kept
the cell scrupulously clean for the next
three or four days, and received the com
pliments of the warden on its neat and
clean appearance.
Having thus lulled suspicion, and hav-
ing secured a tape measure, by which l
was enabled to make accurate measure
ment so as to strike an air-chamber, set
to work with two knives obtained from
the dining table. The floor in my cell,
soon discovered, was simply a layer of
mortar and cement and the brick arch of
the air-chamber. had but q inches to
cut through with my knives. This took
me four or five days. The debris of each
days or nights work l hid in my bed and
slept on it.
"When finally got into the air-cham-
Der l located the cells OF my companions
overhead and gradually removed the
bricks of the arch upon which their cells
were built. l only removed them, how
in, fafr 70
for them to pass through, leaving the thin
crust of mortar and cement which com
posed the floor of their cells unbroken.
had, previous to commencing my work,
informed Gen. Morgan and my other five
comrades in the tier of cells. 1t took lie
just twenty-seyen days to tunnel and re-
move the bricks.
swell, sir" resumed the Judge, ''the
afternoon of the night of our escape l no
titled all Of the seventy officers confined
with me of the coming event. We were
permitted daily to meet and converse for
four hours in the hail OF the prison. They
all bid us God speed. and in the evening
we retired to our cells, seven of us for the
last time. We had agreed upon II O'Clock,
when the guards had made their midnight
rounds, as the time tor our escape. Gen.
Morgan was permitted TO retain his
watch, and at the appointed moment two
llkuI Tap5 On MS ctll uODI bOtQ US Ouf eihlC
had come. We dropped through the holes
in our floor to the air-chamber, and pro-
ceeded cautiously along the chamber to
the eastern end, when to our consterna-
ton we found large pile of coal had been
dumped against the foundation stone.
Here was dilemma.
fortunately the sewer was but few
feet below the surface of the ground, and,
after selecting our spot, we tunneled
until we came out in the prison yard OPP
posite the female department. Proceed
ing to the southeast gate we scaled the
wall by means of rope made from bed
ticking"
"Was there not hack in waiting, and
were you not aided by Outsidersp
''NO, to both questions. All that kind
of stuff is pure invention. Five of the
officers escaping with us parted from
Morgan and myself outside the prison,
while the General and l, having arranged
our toilet, walked briskly to the union
depot, where we boarded a train for Gin
cinnati. | had received $500 from friends
in the lining of book sent me, and this
enabled us to get safely back to Kentucky.
Our companions, j. G.. Bennett, l.. ID.
Hockersmith, G. S. Magee, Ralph Sheldon
and S. b. Taylor, hid around for while
and finally escaped"
Such is the true history Of the famous
escape learned in five minutes CONVEX