Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1888-03-16
LIBBY PRISON TUNNEL.
A Participant In tho Plot Tells How It
Was DuR,

Was Dug.
Work could only be possible be.
tween the hours of ten ut night, when
the room was generally abandoned by
the prisoners because of its inundated
condition, and four o clock in the morn
ing, when the earliest rscrs were again
aslir. 1t was necessary to do the work
with mn old jack-knifc and one of the
chisels previously secured by Rose. 1t
must be done in darkness and without
noise, for vigilant sentinel paced on
the Carey street sidewalk just outside
the door and within ten feet of the fire.
place, A rubber blanket was procured,
and the SCOT from the chimney careful
| ly swept into it. Hamilton, with his
old knife, cut tho mortar between the
bricks and pricd dozen of them out,
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
formed beforehand of the sickoning
tcdiousness of cutting an "S'' shaped
hole through heavy wall with fee
bic old iack-knife, in stolen hours of
darkness. Rose guarded his comrade
against the constant danger of inter-
ruption by alert enemies on one side
and by laundering friends on the other;
and, as frequently happens in human
affairs, their friends gave them moro
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 rccking
kitchen to bore for liberty. When the
sentiners call at Castle Thunder and at
Libby announced four o clock, the dis
lodged bricks were carefully replaced,
and the SCOT previously gathered in the
gum blanket was flung in handfuls
against the restored wall, filling the
seams so entirely between the bricks rs
to defy detection. AT last, after many
weary nights, Hamilton heroic
patience and skill were rewarded, and
tho way was open TO the coveted base
of operation, Rat He'll.
Now occurred circumstance that
nearly revealed the plot and nearly
ended in tragedy. When the OPEN
ing was finished, the long rope was
made fast to one of the kitchen sup
porting posts and Rose proceeded to
descend and reconnoiter. He got part
ly through with ease, but lost his hold
in such manner that his body slipped
through so 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 awfu. vice. 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 tins fearful
strait he refraincd from an outcry, that
would certainly alarm the guards
Just outside the door. Ham
ilton saw that without speedy relief his
cGmrade must soon smother. He
dashed through the long. dark room up
hundred men. and disregarding conse-
qucnccs and savage cus in the dark
and crowded room, he trnmpled upon
arms, legs, faces and stomachs, leaving
riot and blasphemy in his track among
the rudely awakened and now furious
dodgers of the Chickamauga room. He
sought the sleeping-place of Major
George H. Fitzsimmons, but he was
He. however" found Lieuten-
ant F, T. Bennett, of the Eighteenth
Regulars (since Major in the
Ninth 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 spccchless,
was drawn up from the fearful trap
Century.