The National tribune., 1892-06-23

TO that nOor, the door TO Wnlch WAS Halieu up I,
but conversation could be conducted between
those In tho hospital and those in the main
prison.
One day the Lieutenant came to my bed and
| told me about the escape Of John Morgan from
the Ohio Penitentiary by means OF tunnel
and he preached the subject to me and sug-
gested that we try it; to which readily agreed.
As soon as was able to hobble about we began
operations by securing all the tools we could
find including Ratchet, coalscuttle, small
shovel, and an old iron pot to place our candle
| in to prevent the guards from seeing the light
in the cellar below, to which we had free ac-
cess day and night. 1t was used by the con-
valescents as place to cook in, having space
partitioned OF for that purpose
One night about 10 o'clock we went down
stairs and began operations on the north side
of Libby, thinking that we would be able TO
dig a tunnel to a churchyard that was about
$50 feet from the prison. We put our light IN
the old pot, and l covered it with my old
SLOUGH hat, SO that it would not shine out
against the whitewashed wall, for fear the
guards on the south side next to the canal.
| might see it through a crack IN the door, which
did not fit very close.
We began work by taking up the cobble-
stones which served as a pavement. and pro-
ceeded to dig down to tho foundation OF the
wall, which was about three feet below, the
Lieutenant doing the digging while carried
the dirt in tho coalscuttle upstairs and emptied
it into the sink of the hospital, which con-
sisted of wooden trough through which the
water passed with great force into the canal be-
low so that the dirt soon passed off, leaving no
trace of our work in the cellar. We thought,
therefore, that we would he able to dig our tnn-
mel without molestation or discovery. we
worked along until we reached the foundation
and began to dig below it, when the water be-
gan to collect in our hole, and with such v1o-
Ian hat tn
spring. We baled it ont, but it still flowed
into the pit and we concluded to abandon our
efforts in that direction and adopt different
course next night not thinking that We would
be discovered in our work.
The next day the Lieutenant reported to our
comrades above, who were deeply interested in
our efforts and anxious to hear of our progress,
but about 10 o'clock we wero surprised to see
carpenters begin to take down the rough stairs
that led to the kitchen below, and at the same
time nail I'D the trap-door in the floor that gave
access to the stairway. We concluded that
Dick Turner the Inspector, had found out our
plan, and had discovered the hole which we had
dug, for, having carried away the oir1' We hso
no means of filing and covering it again go az
to destroy apv traces of our work; which was
confirmed when we heard an order from zen.
Wjnder ordering all those who could walk TO De
sent out of the hospital to the main prison
above
After that the cellar was USED as q place OF
storage for bales Of hay and straw USED py Inc
horses belonging to DICK turner, anu was ssi.
dom visited, said Inspector not dreaming that
the Yankees could gain access to the cellar from
the room adjoining the hospital, which was
used as general kitchen for the main prison.
But Col. Rose went through the fireplace into
the cellar, from which we had been excluded.
which had been abandoned to inc rats rom
which it derived its name, would IKE 70 iearn
whether that Lieutenant was among the iieh
who escaped from Libby, and IL THIS reaches LIS
eve would like to hear from hlm. nave ior-
gotten his name, but he belonged 70 an Ahaians
regiment and was captured with Coi. otralght'
and was in hospital from a sabcr "onho IN Lis
face received when on that RAID. ne onght 70
have been invited by Col. Rose 10 JOIN his stan.
for "his failure made it possible 1or the tunnel
to become success" / know / ialt sighted
when heard next morning that there mad been
an escape by means Of tunnel and had not
been given a chance; for | assure Capt. Moran
that would never have stopped the hole, hav-
ing tried my size in the hole that was cut in
the door when they nailed it up to prevent
Milroy's and Streight's men from going into
the Chickamauga room.
was informed that we would all have
| chance to go through that tunnel next night if
we could only fool Ross by repeating" on him
| to such an extent as to cover the deficiency in
our ranks. When he called the roll, or, rather,
counted US, which he did every morning by
process we called "straining Yankees" which
consisted in driving us all into the Army of the
Potomac ROOM which embraced the second
and third floors in tho east end of the prison.
COL Rose had made arrangements for this
count by placing an officer at the fireplace near
the entrance TO Rat Hell" with orders to keep
| tally of the number who passed with the coun-
| tersgn SO that the count could be kept straight
next morning, and prevent the discovery of the
- Oh
to reach our lines before the rebels and their
bloodhound were let loose in the exciting chase
after uuarmed Yankees. To this end hole
| had been cut in the wall that separated the
third floor of the Army Of the Potomac from the
Chickamauga ROOM through which those who
| were In the secret and were among tho first
| counted were to 90 upstairs in the Chicka-
manga room and pass into the Army Of the
| Potomac room, come downstairs and be counted
again, to make the rol-call correct.
| This arrangement was spoiled by some off,
GERS, who by accident discovered that an
| escape" was going on, and who went up
stairs and informed their friends, and there
was mad rush for the entrance. which brushed
aside the officer that acted as sentinel, aud
! wa. keeping a record of the number SO that we
could make tho count all right. That officer
| could do nothing against such mob, who
| we're ready to trample any one under their feet
| if he stood in the way of escape. This, added
| to the cry OF :" Guards are coming, drove every
body away, so that the attempts made next day
to mako up the deficiency proved abortive,
| from the fact that those who attempted it
could not tell how many times to repeat" on
deserter Ross, who was 80 demoralized after the
| first count that he declared he did not know
whether there was "one or q hundred and
| one" missing.
| heard that the officer who gave that false
alarm did 30 to clear the entrance near the
| fireplace only after he found that he (who had
been invited by Col. Rose to participate in the
result of his labor had no show Of reaching
Rat-Sheol while such wild mob was struggling
| for such small hole and retarding rather
than helping themselves, % he resorted to q
little Yankee trick to give access TO the tunnel.
| He advised his friends to stand FAST and then
raised the cry. in voice loud enough for them
all to hear, The guards are coming" which
caused Q stampede up stairs where they came
piling over US as we lay on tho floor, leaving
| the road clear for the Yankee who had resorted
to this trick. who made good his escape
JosxPH II. CARTER. Sd Nd, Dorssy's Nd.
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