The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1888-02-09

greater than in the spring We went |
over all the errors committed on first |
leaving the train, and each gave all others
the benefit of all the knowledge of geog-
raphy he possessed
But in many other respects we were less
f6gorably situated now for an escape than
we had ever been before. The distance
was greater to be traversed, for Gen.
Buell. had been forced back almost to the
Ohio river. Our own number was dimin-
ished by death. We were all weakened
by more than six months of terrible i'm
prisonment and some of our best men
were too sick to take very active part In
the struggle, while a strong guard was
constantly On duty and we were in a
strongly barred and locked upper room in
the edge of a city which was almost In
the center of the Confederacy.
But we resolved at every hazard to
make an attempt if there should be the
slightest intimation of an intention to
bring us before another court martial. It
was better to die on the bayonets Of the
guards than on the scaffold.
Long before this, when utterly wearied
with captivity, we wrote letter to JEFF
ferson DaviS-sti1 preserved in the gov
eminent Notwithstanding our case from
our own point of view. This brought no
response. More recently we wrote again
v
ment in which we were. This had been
forwarded, step by step, to the president
of the Confederacy, bringing from him q
savage question as TO why we had not all
been executed like our comradesi This
letter and its numerous Endorsements are
published in the War Records. We only
knew of the danger it indicated at the
time indirectly. Our guard was strength
ened; the jailor was overheard By
prisoner in another room saying: '"Those
Ohio men will soon. all be hunglh The
commander of the post, Col Lee, visited
us and asked of US almost the same ques-
ton Davis asked, as to the difference be-
tween our case and that Of our comrades,
and urged great vigilance on the guards.
These things convinced us that our only
chance of life was by taking the matter
in our own hands. One plan proposed
was to try to get out secretly, at night,
by saving of the bars of our windows
and lowering ourselves, one by one, to the
ground. The fatal objections to it were
that it required us to await dark night,
and even then it was scarcely possible
that more than one or two would get out
| before an alarm was given. / had no
| hope from it.
But the other plan could not fail if every
man did his exact duty, and we were now
so well acquainted that we had perfect
| confidence in each other. 1t was simply
| to attack our foes in broad daylight.
When our food was brought in the after
noon, and the door opened, we could rush
| out, seizing and holding perfectly quiet
the jailer and his assistant, threatening
| them with death if they moved, unlocking
| all the doors so that we might have the
assistance of all the prisoners, and then
! charge upon the seven soldiers below, dis
| possessing them of their muskets in the
first rush; and if this was done without
| oil toto
room and gag them there. 1t was not
likely, however, that we would be able to
keep everything quiet enough for this; in
| which case we were to run as soon as an
alarm was raised, for we knew that there
was strong reserve close by, and did not
| feel able to reckon with any more than the
| seven rebels on hand.
In such an attack, the element Of time
and exact planning of every mans work
so that there is no confusion and hesita-
ton, are of vital Importance. We ar
ranged with the utmost nicely. Capt.
Fry was to begin the movement, for he
| was the Oldest, and we gave him the post
of honor; was to stand by and help him
with the jailer and the Waterman Thoer,
if the latter was ON hand, as he usually
was; probably was given this place from
the correct view that with my poor eyes
! would be of more service in scuffle in
the hall than in the glazing light outside.
Then Buffum, who was as agile as a cat,
was to snatch the keys, and, waiting for
nothing else, to open all the doors above.
There were three, and the fitting of keys
from the bunch under such excitement
was likely to make this take some time.
l think no one of us felt that Buffum had
desirable office But it was desirable to
to have all the prisoners released if only
to distract the pursuit. All the others
were arranged into two bands with lead
ers, to slip down the stairway at the pro-
per time and break out on the guards at
| the front and rear doors simultaneously.
Then quickness, courage and desperation
were to be pitted against loaded muskets
and bayonets, and the issue left to the
God of battles.
We had also chosen our comrades and
routes. We were to travel in pairs and
in every direction. Capt. Fry was to be
my partner, and all the rest considered
that 1 was fortunate, for ne would be at
home in the Cumberland mountains, to-
ward which we were to journey. The
intended course was marked out for each
couple and everything done to forward
the movement on which we believed de-
pended our last chance of escaping the
gallowS. We did not forget to make most
earnest supphcations in prayer, and tC
VOW, in the old time manner, that we
would render faithful service to the Lord
of Hosts If he would aid us in this great
emergency.
1t was afternoon when we received the
intelligence which determined our actor
and we could not very well be ready Il
start that day. So the work was set fol
the following afternoon. We patched oul
shoes as well as we could, and made clot1
moccasins to protect our feet, for many
shoes were worn out. We gave message!
to each other beginning with the form
IF you get out and 1 do not"-for WI
could not tell who would be the fortunate
ones in the effort, or how many nigh
fail. We had strong conviction Of sue
cess, but whether seven guards woulG
allow their muskets to be taken withou
using bullet or bayonet against some o
their assailants with fatal effect, scenes
more than doubtful i have made read,
for battle more than once, but never hat
SO deep and solemn a realization OF tn
, | uncertainty of the issue as on this occa
sion.
he