The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-03-06
Digging the Tunnel at Libby Prison.
From the Century for March,


Work could only be possible between the
hours of 10 at night, when the room was gener
ally abandoned by the prisoners because of its
inundated condition. and O'Clock in the morn
ing, when the earliest risers were again aStr. 1t
was necessary to do the work with an old Jack
knife and one of the chiselS previously secured
by Rose. 1t must be done in darkness and with
out noise, Tor a v1gilant sentinel paced on the
Carey street sidewalk just outside the door and
within 10 feet of the fireplace. A rubber blanket
was procured, and the SCOT from the chimney
carefully swept into it. Hamilton, with mis- old
knife, cut the mortar between the bricks and
pred a dozen of them out, being careful TO pre-
serve them whole.
Tine rest of the incision was made in accord
ance with the design described, but no concep-
ton could have been formed beforehand of the
sickening tediousness of cutting an - shaped
hole through heavy wall with a feeble old
jaCk-knife, in stolen hours of darkness Rose
guarded his comrade against the constant
danger of interruption by alert enemies on one
side and by laundering friends on the other;
and, as frequently happens in human affairs,
their trlnds gave them more trouble than their
foes Night after night passed, and still the
two men gotup after taps from their hard beds.
and descended to the dismal and reeking kitchen
to bore for liberty. When the sentnel's call at
Castle Thunder and at Libby announced
O'Clock, the dislodged bricks were carefully re-
placed, and the SCOT previously gathered in the
gum blanket was flung in handouts again t the
restored wall, filling the seams entirely be-
tween the bricGs as to defy detection. At last,
after many weary nights, Hamilton'S heroic
patience and skill were rewarded. and the way
was open to the coveted base of operations,
Rat Hell.
Now occurred circumstance that nearly
revealed the plot and nearly ended in tragedy
When the opening was finished, the long rope
was made fast to one of the kitchen supporting
posts. and Rose procecdei to descend and re-
connoiter. He got partly through with ease,
but lost his hold in such a manner that his body
slipped through so as to pinOn his arms and
leave him poweriess 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, power
full as he was, he could not bulge him. Rose
was gaspng for breath and rapidly getting
fainter. but even Ia this fearful strait he re-
Trained from an cutlery, that would Ger ainy
alarm the guards just outside the door
Hamilton that without speedy relief his
comrade must soon smother. He dashed
through the long, dark room up the stairway
over the forms of several hundred men, and
disreg lrding consequences and savage curses
i'll the dark aud crowded room, he trampled
upon arms, faces legs and stomachs, leaving
riot and blasphomy in his track among the
rudely awakened and now furious dodgers of
the Chickamauga room. He sought the sleep
ing place of Maj. George Fl. Fitzsimmons, but
ne was missing. He however. found Lieut. F.
+. Bennett of the Eighteenth Regulars (Since a
Major in the Ninth United States Cavalry, to
whom he told the trouble IN few haSty words
Both men fairly lew across the room, dashed
down the sCars and by their united efforts
Rose, half dead and quite speeches., was drawn
up from the fearful trap