The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-14

let these thousands of men starve for me, so
told the officers how L had been cheating
them. The result that they tooG me
TO 3 blacksmith's shop and fastened thirty-two
pounds Of Iron to my leg by way oil punishment:
legged this around for awhile and then one Q,
the officials. seeing that was but boy, asked
me what was the matter. told him and asked
him TO have it taken of, saying that wonid
not cheat them again If they would remove tne
iron. This was done, but couldn't keep my
promise Ny stomach was stronger than my
conscience, and / was soon drawing three OF
four rstions under di iereDt names. Wen. fney
caught me again, and they now put thlrIs- w,
pounds of iron on each leg. dragged TINS
around for some time, but at last Massachu,
sets man who had file cut the chain so tnat
could take the balls of and fixed them In sucn
a way that could fasten them on with string
when / had 10 go to roll call. The result was
that got around very nicely and the authori-
ties never suspected that l was not dragging
this load of iron all the time.
What was the story OF your escape, Mr.. Tars'
neys
II was curious one According TO the rec
ords OF that prison, ! am numbered with the
dead, and the United states government. which
has erected headstoues over the graves OF the
prisoners who died during the war. has proDa-
bly, pE, up with my name On 1t IN the ceme-
te-y outside the prison OF Milan. The way it
came was this. large number OF prisoners
were to be exchanged, and, according 10 the
principle followed by the southerners; the poor
est, the diseased. the lame. the halt and the
bl. nd were picked out for. exchange. was 100
fat to get among that number, and mad no ldes
that / would be taken. The night pc
fore the exchange was to be made In walking
down the hill which was on one side OF the
prison. heard voice. II was about dusk. |
looked, and on the ground was an emaeiated
soldier, who had attempted to drag himself
across the stockade, but had fallen and was
helpless. lifted him up, gave him something
to drink and made him as comfortable as L
could. talked with him, and he told me the
company that he belonged to and all about him
sell. He told me he was to be exchanged on the
morrow, but, with his consumptive cough.
corld see that he would never get to the North.
He gave me the number of the company he was
in In the prison and the name OF his sergeant,
anc after doing what could for him / lett
HIM Early the next morning, IN crossing the
camp. saw what remained OF him. He had
died during the night, and he was little more
than a dead skeleton. AS / walked away from
him the thought came to me tnat might get
out OF prison in his place. and at once went TO
one of my friends and told him my scheme. L
wrote out my own name, my regiment and my
company on piece OF paper aud pinned II on
his coat. Then my friend Johany Campion and
myself lifted him up and carried him aud
placed him among the dead bodies at the side of
the gate of tho prison. This WAS the custom,
and the bodies were regularly carried out and
buried and the names upon them were recorded
among the dead of the prison. then went to
the sergeant of my own prison company and ar
ranged to have him report me dead. He agreed
to do so, and went to the sergeant OF the COM
pany to which the dead man belonged and tried
10 get him to let me pass out IN this mans
place. He at first refused and wanted 10 put in
one OF his own friends, but told him that the
scheme was mine and that would expose any
one else who tried to be exchanged under it. He
was ugly and would not consent to it, and was
in despair until at last thought of an old silver
watch which / had with me- 1t was the only
thing of value which | had saved, and it was
worth perhaps $40. pulled this out and offered
him the watch, saving: 81 will give You this
watch on this condition: IL l get out of the
prison you may keep it, but il don't you must
give it back to me-" He grumbled a little, but
took the watch, and was now ready for the ex-
change. j made myself look, if anything, more
ragged than ever drew in my shoulders, af-
fected an extravagant limp, and succeeded i'll
passing the officers and getting out where we
not come in on time, and had TO pass a second
examination, and this time l came near being
caught had gotten past the officers and was
the 'ng as called OUT bst hen
for move, knew, would result
in my death. The sergeant however who had
telling him it was all right. and was permitted
to go on. My name was now John Frantz in
stead OF John Tarsncy, and kept that name
uhtil got through my exchange and was at the
North. The man represented was John Frautz,
OF Company X, of the Fifty-fourth Penusyl-
vania regiment, and had to answer to this and
to where was captured before they would let
me through. At the Detroit reunion last sum
mer a man rushed up to me and pretended that
he was going to fight me, saying that he had
little matter to settle with me. l was Just
RtttiiB teauy 10 ue1e0u myself, Wneu L noted
the twinkle in his eye, and found it was my
old friend, Johnnie Campion, who had helped
me TO carry the dead body to the gate, and who,
after the war, had gone to Iowa to live.
Representative Grady, of North Caro-
lima, served three months in Camp Butler.
about seven miles from Springfie d, Ill.
He was captured at Arkansas Post by
General Sherman and carried on a boat
No 10 Map,y.bis nd -,
Butler. After he was through with his
PRISON life he was taken South and an at
tempt was made to escape by cutting a
hole through the box of the car but this
was discovered and frustrated
Representative Kilgore, of Texas, entered
the army as lieutenant, and was an adj
jutant general of the Confederate army of
Tennessee when he was wounded at
Chickamauga. He was captured during
this battle and was carried to Camp
Morton at indianapolis, and thence taken
to Camp Chase and to Fort Delaware At
Fort Delaware he had planned to escape.
He was in the barracks outside the fort,
and several of his fellow prisoners and
himself planned to jump into the water
and swim for it to Delaware City. One or
two men did get away in this way. but
General kilgore was not among them, and
nv a. tAAS AOAk abSAi AiC W d. cA-
changed.
Representative Buchanan, of Virginia.
was taken pris Juer at Gettysburg on the
Sd Of July, 1865. and he remained IN Fort
Delaware until 1865, when he was ex-
changed.
Representative Rice A. Pierce. of Ten
nessee, was wounded and captured in a
cavalry fight near Jacksonville. Tenn, in
1864. and was in the Northern prisons dur
ing the war.
Representative Andrew Stewart. of
Pennsylvania, entered the army as a pri-
vate and came out of it an assistant adj
jutant general. IIewas confined in Libby,
Macon, Charleston, Columbia and other
Southern prisons for over year and can
sing the whole gamut of prison woes.
Representative Elijah Adams Morse, the
Rising sun stove polish congressman.
from Massachusetts,. entered the army in
the Fourth Massachusetts regiment, at 10
years OF age, and he was in charge of 800
contfabands at Brashear, La, when he
was captured. He was in the hands of
che Confederates for only very short time
and was soon parolled.
John Il, Fellows, of New York, was in
the Southern army, and he was staff
officer under General Van Doren's DEPART
ment when he was captured at the sur
render of Port Hudson. He was
imprisoned at Johnson's island for
some time. anu then sent South
and released at Fort Delaware. He de-
scribes the life ut Johnson's island as not
at all bad rs prison experience. and says
the prisoners were made up OF officers, and
that they had lectures and schools and
different kinds of games. Colonel Fellows
Is said TO have been one Of the most active
amusement-makers of this prison, and at
one time he was 4 part OF an amateur
troupe there that gave the old-time farce
Of Box and Cox" in which Colonel Eel
lows took the part of Box. lie says that
the bill of fare was by no means that of
pelmOnicO's, still, for prison fare il was
mi .nrr- No .-.A ~. =. Z. ~.