The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-08-16


camp in April of that year.
They had effected the seizure of the en-
CINE by stealing from the Union lines into
the eneny's territory disguised as citizens,
and having been taken in their borrowed
plumage were condemned as spies. Eight
died on the scaffold June Is, 1862, and
while the remainder, fourteen in number,
lay in Jail under military guard expect
ing the same dismal fate, the telegraph"
whispered that nooses were preparing for
them. AS they looked for no mercy at tina
hands of their captors they were not at
all morbid about showing the tender at
tribute, for they were in the heart of the
Confederacy, fourteen against the million
in arms between them and their own kind.
So one afternoon while they were being
fed under the personal direction of the
jailer-a Union man at heart-they seized
and gagged the unsuspectin9 man ,snatched
his keys away and unlocked all the apart
ments, freeing another batch of unfortu-
mates, then ran to the military guards,
overpowered and beat and stabbed them
with their own weapons, vaulted 10-foot
fence and took to their heels in the open
country. The reserve guard promptly
turned out, and of the railroad raiders who
had managed the affair eight got clear Of
the neighborhood on the jump.
The subsequent experiences of two Of
the latter in reaching some spot where the
star spangled banner still waved, is told in
this chapter substantially as given in the
published narrative of one of the pair
"The Adventures of Alf Wilson, (Na-
tional Tribune, Washington, publishers.
The story wfil prove good reading for both
"Yank" and Johnny" and can hurt the
feelings of none at this late day, not even
those of the fellows who were outwitted
by the runaways on their independent
journey from Atlanta to the sea.
Wilson's companion adventurer was
Mark Wood, comrade of the same COM
pany, G, Twenty-frst Ohio. They had
paired as chums before breaking jail, and
leaped the fence together and fed to the
woods. The comrades had had bitter ex-
perience after the raid failure in April, in
trying to escape north through the noun
tains of Tennessee, and this time concluded
to try something new and make for the
gulf. IL their former attempt at escape
they had nearly succeeded by floating on
the Tennessee river, and with the persist
ence of adventures chung to the hope that
they could do better if luck gave them a
second chance. They would find river
flowing south and seek the gulf.
After some narrow escapes from recap
ture by Confederate cavalry that secured
the country in pursuit, they took the north
star-that old time friend of lost wander
ers-for guide and started southwest,
hoping to reach the Chattahoochee. They
knew but little of the course of that river
or, IF r.. destination lint I'D m,
lead them to Union waters somewhere
under the shining canopy. The first thing
to do was TO reach it. Safety demanded
that they travel by night. They were
ragged and unkempt and would be objects
of suspicion whenever seen.
The second night out they crossed a rail-
road, which confirmed their belief in the
route chosen, and in overconfdence they
sat down and ate up all their supplies.
The third night they passed through
corntield and plucked few ears to gnaw
upon. The hext night Wood, who was no
better than an invalid, was obliged to
crawl on his hands and knees. Wilson
was discouraged by this, but herOically re-
solved not to desert his friend. At length
when ne found that they could not make
another mile he heard the sound of run
ming water. 1t was an inspiration to both,
and they pressed on and were soon on the
bank of broad stream flowing in the di-
rection of the gulf
Wilson says their Joy was unbounded
and compares their sensations TO those of
the discoveries of the Pacific ocean and
the Mississippi. 1t was a pathway to
bring the wanderers home; it led to the
sea where the old flag 1oated in indisputed
triumph. They could have shouted their
little strength away, but fortunately held
il for fear of exposure. They followed