Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-07-25

volunteers, who had been q prisoner n
war i've months and an inmate durin,
that Tune OF three different prisons-tjbby
macon, ia, and Charleston Although h
had been fofied in many attempts to escap
ne resolved on one more effort, and hayin,
hau little warning of the trip to Columbii
was prepared for any emergency tina
coulu favor the enterprise. The story o
ms adventures, in breaking guard nea,
charleston and reaching Knoxville, Tenn.
after forty-nine days of wandering, is told
in the history of the Ninth New Jersey re
Gently published.
Drake induced three fellow prisoners tr
ION him, Capt. II. II. Todd, Eighth New
Jersey; Capt. j. 4. Lewis, Eleventh Con.
hectieut, and Capt. Alfred Grant. Nine.
teenth Wisconsin. While the train was
crawling slowly on toward Columbia the
bold protector Of the scheme managed IN
remove the gun caps from the nipples of
the muskets of several guards on the car
where the four friends were. and as soon
as dusk came on the party at a signal
took their daring leap. They landed in
cypress swamp on Congaree river. and
found themselves waist deep in water and
mud. A volley of shots from all the
guards followed the fugitives, but no one
was hurt, as the train was running under
good Roadway. A night and a dav were
passed in the swamp, and although tho
barking of dogs and shouting of men indi.
Gated that pursuers had been sent ont. the
runaways were not disturbed. The second
night a bright new moon arose, and they
started on systematic journey toward the
Union lines in Tennessee.
Before leaving Charleston one of the
party had found a school map of South
carolina and with this guide course had
been studied out. They decided to hupthe
swamps and woods by day and at night use
the fields and roads, and spend as little
time as possible in sleep until the noun
tains OF North Carolina were reached.
Their chief guidemark in South Carolina
was the Wateree river On the morning
OF the second day the fugitives struck
hish road, and milestone told them they
were Wlthln twenty-seven miles of Column
pa Alarmed at this discovery they
hastened toward the river and were soon
iurther alarmed by the barking of dogs,
apparently in pursuit They then took TO |
the swamp and remained ali day in hiding. |
with some difficulty they got out of the
jungle at nighttatf and shortly came across |
patch of sweet potatoes and enjoyed a /
good feast
At the end of a week their ratons had all /
been consumed, and even their cooking |
utensils had been lost in a stampede that |
occurred one morning when party of !
horsemen surprised them at breakfast. The !
wild food of nature-grapes, persimmons |
and berries, and raw corn from the stalks
soon produced graver evils than hunger.
and in desperation the wanderers began to
think of food to the exclusion of all else.
Capt. Drake says that in these times they
heartily yearued for the government "hard
tack" and the contractors beef they had so
often mathematical og the march and in
camp.
But fortune will favor the bold, and one
night, as they halted on a roadside to debate
whether it should be quest for bread
Or for road to liberty, a dark form came
along the read, and in the moon
light they saw at distance that it was an
Did negro with basket on his arm. With