The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-02-14
My Prison Life and Escape.
(BY Col. ]. O. GREEN)

formed that ne was IN his state room,
sought an interview. found a confed-
crate guard, musket In had, standing in
the doorway. Obtaining his permission
to enter, saw the lieutenant sitting on
the lower bunk in his shirt sleeves, with
his boots of, his legs dangling down to
the floor, looking very disconsolate. l
told him what / had come for, and he
readily admitted that he had several such
packages belonging to prisoners. or
dered him to give me mine. His reply
was, Il have received this money in
trust and dare not give it up" / under
stood his meaning. He was ready to sur
render it il his life was threatened-this
was the excuse to his superiors. With
out another word / reached back and
took the musket out of the guards hands,
aud posing it over my shoulder, as had
seen on a pervious occasion, said to him,
"give me my money, or Ill give you
spot between your eyes that will jostle
your Brain He immediately stopped down
and opened his trunk and took out an
envelope with label on the back showing
il was mine, and the original amount; also
the little sums already drawn out. Coun-
ting it over and finding all rig hit, gave
him receipt acknowledging that 1 had
taken it by force from him. When we
paroled the prisoners we exonerated the
Lieutenant from all blame by stating that
he was fast asleep in his state room and
knew nothing Of the capture of the steam
CT until he was rudely awakened by the
huzzahs of the victors.
"What next?" was the important ques-
ton next under discussion after quiet was
restored. Some one said, "Let us run ont
to Nassau, an English port of the West
Indies; there we will find Admiral Sem
mes, and we can join him." This was voted
down on the ground of the great difficult
ty of reaching the neutral port without
; capture. The waters over which we
5 would have TO sail where swarning with
armed vessels watching for the blockade
runners; and on the further ground that
being all landsmen and knowing nothing
Of ship craft, we would be of little use to
Semmes if we succeeded. Besides, we had
between eighty and a hundred prisoners
10 guard night and day, at the same tim,
8 depended on their skill to run the ship
This proposition was voted down by a
= majority amounting almost to unanimi
: ty. "What next?" was again the query
70 Another said, let's run the ship ashore
= set it on fire and take to the bush and ruI
5 for life and liberty the devil or the gan
q KEGS take the hindmost man." A wound
: Ell man replied to this proposition, "ther
are dozen or more of us wounded men
we can't run, We will be recaptured a
- once; the burnin. of the ship will so exas
2 crate the yankees that they will retaiiatt
e upon us, and if they DO not kill u
we will at least be treated with grIa
= brutality" THIS proposition decided ii
less time than it takes me to record it
The ship shall not be burned; nothin
shall be taken from her except our ow
private property, the arms and equipag
6 Of the soldiers and rations for two G
lie three days. Only the former part {
a this proposition was adopted. to run ash
ore, and escape as we best could Whe
this conclusion was reached, anothe
~ strange question was raised: A
Is unwounded officer remarked, 81 hav
ID taken no part in this affair, and 1 al
= bound by my parole not to leave the ship
,r what parole?" exclaimed McSpaddel
r, springing excitedly to his feet. With tn
"a eye of the mind see him now as l writ
as plainly as did that day with the ma
ural eye-his tall, manly form, towerin
III like the son Cts above his brethren, HI
rs handsome face deformed for the me
OF ment with the unaccustomed scoln visibl
III depicted on the curled lip and in Il
~ proud, flashing eye. But alas! poe
90 Mack, he sleeps in the soldiers grave to
day. He died OF Camp fever at Okalon
, Sleep on, old friend, resurrection reveill
III will sound soon and we will awake in tn
better land where yankees will trouble l
l. no more for ever. THE parole I signe
q when came on for exchange" was Ii
A reply to McSpaddeu's question. "YO
T, bound" cried McSpadden, "by that pa
ole which ended when the object iC
vi which it was given was ended; when
"' was announced that you would never b
Is exchanged, but on the contrary held as
n hostage for Strait and his men; when yo
to were marched behind prison bars an
q kept under guard in the very belly OF he
II from which you were marched to day III
der guard on board this ship, bound fc
Fort Delaware, and only relieved fro
guard by our capture of the steame
IT. Yours must be tender conscience indee
n to be bonnd by such a rotten thread
this" The argument was satisfactory
ne ninety-.our Of Us. Twelve or fiftee
- wounded men who could not escape. an
four or five conscience men" as they wei
10 called, remained on board to return
e prison life.
;" All this while the good steamer Map
lis Leaf went on her way blowing the Sc
IN the st airs and stipes at her mast head, u
10 terly unconscious of her change of ma
a ters. Her prov had gradually been tn
ned TO the south-she hid rounded CaI
Henry. The sun had fallen behind Il
III western horizon: the shades of evenir
us we're gathering around; the lamps on ligl
house sudlanly hlazed M like a new Dor