Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-11-25


lifetime was crowded into them.
Major Turner went on with his efforts to
read the name.
There's an +. in the middle, plain
enough; that next capital looks like P
| but-no, I'm d-d If that amt an F., too.
Now I have it, Flynn. Captain Flynn,
stand out therel"
The corrected name was b. f. Flynn.
The two doomed Captains babe us fare
well manfully as they were taken away by
| the guard; and we were returned to ouI
confinement.
The names Of Flynn and Sawyer ought
to go into history; and If mental suffering,
| the dreadful anguish of soul endured fol
their country, can count anything in the
making of heroes, they surely should be
honored as such. Though they were never
executed, they lived for weeks in the hourly
| expectation of the summons to 60 out to
their death. Bravely did they endure it!
| On leaving the prison they were taken be-
| fore General Winder, the commandant OF
the city, who ordered them confined in
irons. This they suffered for several weeks,
until the Rfcnmond authorities were M
formed by our War Department that two
Confederate officers of high rank, includ-
ing one of the Lee family, who were then
prisoners, were held as hostages for these
men, and would certainly share their fate.
Then the irons were removed, and the day
| of the execution was indefinitely deferred.
They were at last returned to the Libby;
and it was joyful greeting that their old
comrades gave them.
Another remarkable incident which hap
pened before any attempt at escape was
made. was the release of Lieutenant Colonel
Irwin, of the Tenth N. Y. Cavalry. 1t was
rs unexpected to him as to any of us, and
happened in singular way. John Nor
gan's Adjutant General had been some time
before this captured in Kentucky, and
taken to Washington. His name do not re-
member; but he was a Lieutenant Colonel,
and was fortunate enough to discover
! old friends among high military authorities
at Washington. On his word of honor
that he would procure the exchange of an
Union officer of Ike rank for himself, or,
failing in that, would himself return to
captivity, he was released from the Old
| Capitol Prison, and sent by flag Of truce to
Richmond. The result was the release
and exchange OF Lieutenant Colonel Irvine.
l shall not attempt to paint the scene when
one of the prison officers entered one morn
ing in January, and, calling for Colonel
Irvine, communicated the good news,
and bade him get ready to leave at once.
We crowded around him; We wrung his
hands, some with tears in their eyes, con-
graduating him on his good fortune, and
bidding him not to forget us.
"You may be sure l will not" the good
hearted and brave man replied. "I'll not
let them alone in Washington till they do
something for you."
None OF the inmates of the Libby at that
time have ever doubted that the Colonel did
all that man could do for us. Upon his
urgent request Secretary Stanton made him
q special agent of exchanges, and he trav-
eled several times from Washington to City
Point to effect our liberation. 1t was no
fault of his that his negotiations failed.
One day letter was handed into our room
from Colonel Irvine, written at City Point.
He told us how he had labored for us, and
up your courage, tSi 6e-s he Concluded aand await
the logic of accomplished events"
From that moment the thoughts of all of
us were turned more ardently toward our
plan of escape. 1t was a good plan, and
met with surprising degree of success,
considering the difficulties under which it
was prosecuted. But l soon discovered
that the plan of my comrades could not be
mine. Long before / saw the outside of
the prison, the famous underground tun-
mel" was commenced; in fact, worked at
it frequently myself by night, being willing
to give my comrades the benefit of my labor
while was with them, though the work
was not likely to be of any use
to me. At the time of my capture
| had received O wound from a carbine-
ball in the leg which was So slight as to
give me no trouble till some weeks after /
reached the Libby. Something aggravated
it-bad air or water, or the debility of the
system under coninement-and 1t became
sore and inhamed. This lasted for some
time, and then the leg grew better; but my
night-labors with the others on the tunnel
developed its weakness, and 1 perfectly re-
allied that 1 was not vigorous enough to
] take my chances with them in the wild and
desperate fight, and that l should surely
| lag behind and be recaptured by the cavalry
patrols. An effort on my own hook,
therefore, before the general break, was
what decided upon.
But what hope could possibly have oi
getting outside the prison, past all these
guards? And what hope of evading re-
capture, if 1 did2
l suppose that, considering the condition
of my leg, any of my comrades would have
pronounced my chance of escape the very
poorest of the lot. 1t so appeared to me
and, looking back now upon the wonderful
combination of circumstances that helped
me through, it seems as if ii was On attempt
that could not succeed once in ten thousand
times.
/ was standing by the grated window, one
day, looking out into the yarl, waiting iii
one of the sentinels below should see mt
and order me away, when a lady passed OF
the other side of the street, followed by {
negro. She saw me at tie window, anC
with quick mo ion of her hand put aside
her shawl, giving me glimpse of a small
Union flag in the bosom of ler dress, in
stantly covering it again. 1t was pleas
ant and unusual inc dent but did no
dream of hearing more of it. Less than
week after, a negro was allowed 10 come II
among US to sell fruit; and recognized II
him the same who was following the lady
We had many opportunities to exchang
money with the guard, and had long be
fore broken one of my gold pieces.
offered the negro purveyor Confederat
bill; he looked me in the face, and with
significant grin handed me large swee
potato. The guards were always watching
us Mt such times: but this transaction
which was certainly mystery to me, die
not cite their suspicious. When botl
guard and negro we're gone, examined th'
potato. Contained in n cavity in the cen
te of it was n small piece of writing paper
folded into the smallest possible compass
1t was closely written, and without sigma
ture; stating that The writer was an Uniol
woman who had tried TO attract the atten
ton of prisoners ut the windows when th
sentinels we're not observing her. Minut
directions were given for finding her house
and the writer stated that, although sh
could not help any Of MS out of the prison
il the officer to whom this note might be de
livered could succeed in getting out an,
coming TO Ler, she would promise him tn