Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-03-08
THE TIHvFL ATLJBBY PRISON.


From an illustrated article in the
March century. by participant, we
quote the following: Work could only
5e possible between the hours of 10 at
night. when the room was generally
abandoned by the prisoners because of
is inundated condition. and O'Clock
in the morning. when the earliest risers
were again astir. 1t WAS necessary to
10 the work with an old jack knife and
one Of the chisels previously secured by
Rose. Il must be done in darkness and
without noise. for a vigilant sentinel
paced on the Carey street sidewalk just
outside the door and within ten feet of
! the fireplace \ rubber blanket was
procured. and the SCOT from the Chin
ney carefully swept into it. Hamilton,
/ With his old knife, cut the mortar be-
. tween the bricks and pried dozen of
them ont, being careful to preserve them
whole.
The rest of the incision was made
! in accordance with the design described,
/ but no conception could have been form
ed beforehand of the sickening tedious
ness Of cutting an - shaped hole through
a heavy wall with a feeble old jack
( knife. in stolen hours OF darkness. Rose
guarded his comrade against the con-
slant danger of interruption by alert en-
emies on one side and by laundering
( friends on the other; and. us frequently
+ happens in human affairs, their friends
gave them more trouble than their foes.
/ Night after night passed, and still the
two men got up after taps from their
/ hard beds, and descended to the dismal
and reeking kitchen to bore for liberty.
/ When the Sentinel'S call at Castle Thun-
/ der and at Libby announced t O'Clock,
! the dislodgcd bricks were carefully re-
placed. and the SCOT previously gathered
/ in the gum blanket was fang in hand
/ fuiS against the restored wall. filling the
seams SO entirely between the bricks as
TO defy detection. At last, after many
weacy nights. HamilOn's heroic patience
and skill We're rewarded, and the way
was open to the coveted base of opera
tions, Rat Hell.
Now occurred circumstance that
nearly revealed the plot and nearly end
ed in a tragedy. When the opening
was finished. the long rope was made
fast to one of the kitchen supporting
posts. and Rose proceeded to descend
and recoanoiter. He got partly through
with ease, but lost his hold in such a
manner that his body slipped through 50
/ as to piniOn his arms and leave him
wholly powerlesS either to drop lower or
return-the bend of the hole being such
as to cramp his back and neck terribly
and prevent him from breathing. He
strove desperately, but each effort only
wedged him more firmly in the awful
wise. Hamilton sprang to his aid and
did his utmost to effect his release; but,
powerful as he was, he could not bulge
him. Rose was gaSping for breath and
rapidly getting fainter, but even in this
/ fearful strait he refrained from an
Outcrv, that would certainly alarm the
| guards Just outside. Hamilton saw that
without speedy relief his cOmrade must
soon smother He dashed through the
! long, dark room up the stairway. over
! lIlt ltiIlio VI StN6ldl
disregarding consequences and savage
curses in the dark and crowded room, he
tramped upon arms, legs, faces, and
stomachs, leaving riot and blasphemy in
his track among the rudely awakened
and now furious dodgers of the Chicka-
mauga room. He sought the sleeping
place OF Major George H. Fitzsim-
mons, but he was missing. He however
! found Lieutenant F. F. Bennett, of the
18Th Regulars (since a major in the 9th
United States Cavalry, to whom he told
the trouble in few hasty words. Both
men fairly flew across the room, dashed
down the stairs, and by their united
efforts, Rose, half-dead and quite speech
less, was drawn up from the fearful trap.