The National tribune., 1885-04-02

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other guards around, one of whom snapped his
| gun at me when not two yards away. / eluded
| them, got into the Jail again, and out at the
| back door. This time / reached the top of the
yard fence, but dozen muskets were lifted
| from the outside to fire. To jump down on
| that side was inevitable death. One chance
only remained. Possibly the gate now was not
watched 1 sprang back into the yard, and
other guards were after me. The prison door
was open, and [ entered, seeking to pass
| through it as before, and get outside the gate
! for a clear race. But the front door was now
| guarded also apd as | turned found my pur-
suerS in the back door. was fairly trapped
| back in the prison again! 1t was a terrible
situation. If I could crush between the two
men who stood with loaded muskets in the
| door, their comrades were outside. and il was
simply death to attack them. In sheer des-
| peratiOn / turned my back upon them not car
| ing whether they fred or not and walked up
stairs to window, from which / could see
| something of the fearful race still going on and
note the streams of troops pouring towards the
| prison. My guards pointed their guns at me,
! but did not offer to come near, and when /
| walked from the hall window into ro0m-Bot
| our own, but another which commanded bet
ter view-I found in it the four Federal SOL
| diers its former occupants who had made no
attempt to get away, the alarm and the rapid
| firing which followed convincing them that it
| was safer to remain where they were.
| Parrott and Reddick we're recaptured inside
| the wall, like myself. Buffum got over the
| wall about the same time as Capt. Fry, but was
| less fortunate A soldier singled him out, and
| sguarely ran him down. When hardly able to
drag another STEP and with the inexorabie
! armed runner within a rod of him, Buffum
tried Yankee trick" (He was a native of
Massachusetts, Sinking down exhausted, he
said / surrender. You can go on and get that
| other fellow" pointing to one few rods away.
NO." answered the man, with great oath
"Pve got you, and mean to keep you" So be
stood with his gun aimed until some of his
comrades arrived, and poor Buffum was
marched back to Jail. Had the man taken his
advice and looked for bird in the bush, the
one in hand would doubtless have flown. Ma
son and Bensinger were also captured outside
of the wall. making recapture of six and an
escape of nine-a better result than had sup
posed probable when we planned the attempt.
From the window of the front room where |
then was had good view of the proceedings
below. In short time large body of troops,
including regiment of cavalry. were drawn
up in front of the Jail I heard Col. Lee give
his orders. He said, Don't take one of the
villains alive. Shoot them down wherever YOU
find them," with many similar expressions,
which were possibly meant for the benefit of
those inside the prison we'll for the troops.
He also ordered pickets to be placed at the fer
ries of the Chattahoochee, along the railroad,
and also at all crossroads-an arrangement that
pleased me, for we had agreed to avoid those
very places Our intention had been to travel
in the night time through the woods, and to
cross the rivers on logs as far from ferries as
possible.
Hearing some confused sounds of distress
from the room of the Tennesseeans inquired
the cause, and learned that young man named
Barlow. who alone of their number had at
tempted to escape, had broken his ankle. This
in frnn hp MT.
side fence. He was driven back to the prison
room, where surgical aid was refused, and he
finally died after great suffering.
OF all who were upstairs at the time the
alarm was given, only Fry and one other man
succeeded in escaping. The latter was de-
active and fleet. reached the shelter of the
woods in advance of all the fugitives.
From the window | could hear the guards. all
night long, talking over their adventures.
Generally they praised their own bravery lib
orally, but occasionally some one who had ar
rived later would suggest that it was not much
to their credit to let unarmed men snatch their
guns from them; but such suggestions were
not kindly received, and the work of self
glorifcation went on. One of them expressed
astonishment at the speed of the Yankees, who
had been SO long kept in Jail; another account
ed for it by the abundant practice i'll running
Yankee soldiers had received in battlei
one of the Regular soldiers had swung by the
window, but now kindly resigned to me, and
listened to the boastful conversation below.
Sadly thought of the morrow"
There was little reason to doubt that full
vengeance would be dealt to each man who re-
manned in the enemy power The news we
had received. and which we had agreed in
crediting was the end of all hope. Death,
which had stared US in the face so Often could
not be far distant now. Another escape would
scarcely be left by the aroused vigilance of the
enemy within the realms of possibility. And
such adeath, No vision of glory to dazzle the
sight and hide the grim monster from view or
wreathe him in flowers. No eye of friends TO
behold the last struggle. No sympathy-noth-
ing but ignomny and an impenetrable dark
ness, beyond which no loving eye might ever
pierce. But even as the cold horror of the
scatioid and the vision of the heartless jeering
crowd rose freshly before me, looked out in
the clear night and up to the shining stars, and
remembered that l had one Friend-a Friend
who would not fear to stand with me on the
scaffold, and who had Himself tasted the bitter
ness of public execution. Was it for me He
had died, to show me that no outward shame is
too great to be borne by the true heart? With
the thought came a still and heavenly peace,
while my hope, finding no place on this side,
overeaped the darkness of death and dweit
upon the scenes of promised happiness beyond.
ing power of religion is fully realized.
The next morning the jailer put me back
into the room formerly occupied. When al
had gathered, we were only six in n1mber-
Mason. Buffum, BenSinger. Reddick, Parrett
aud myself. We had enough to talk over for
many hours. The jaler. too. had his story TO
tell. He said that some man put his hand over
his mouth and nearly smothered him, but
added. with great satisfaction, " bit his inger
terribly, and gave the rascal 4 mark he will
carry to the grave with him" However,
though he did bite hard. his teeth were not so
sharp as he thought, and he had only managed
to nfict slight bruse. L kept my hand ont of
sight in his presence for day or two, and he
had no idea that | was the person of whom he
complained as his fright prevented his clearly
Distinguishing anything He was rather cross
for awhile, and always brought up the guards
when he came to feed us.
About the middle of the day some officers
came to see u.s. and talked very roughly. With
many threats, they demanded to know what
direction our comrades had intended to travel.
I was glad of this, as it assured me that some
were still at large They professed to have
killed several, and declared that they meant to
kill the others as fast as they were taken. In
answer to their demand l told them the truth,
as | thought that would do them as little good
as anything else. / said:
"They intend to try to get to the Union
lines; and they said that it made little differ
ence which way they went for our forces have
you so completely surrounded, that travelling
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