The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1892-03-17

on Gen. Dow that was highly enjoyed by the
| Libbyites, including the venerable temperance
| apostle himself One of the Richmond dailies
| copying Northern press dispatch announcing
the destruction by fire of the Generals cotton
| mill Mt Portland, substituted for mill ~ the
word distillery, and this clipping was conspicu-
ously buletined by the Libby wags.
The one thing positive is that Guard Crane
never sold whisky or anything else to Col
| Rose or any of his party, nor did he hold any
| conference of any nature with him or them
touching the tunnel plot. His whisky bottles
| played no part in the operations, nor was any
| use made during the work of the four sides OF
| two cauteens."
The only tool used in digging was broad
bladed chisel, wooden spittoon with rope at
! tached TO two of its sides, tallow candle,
large fan constructed by Maj. Hamilton out OF
q rubber blanket stretched over a sort of hoop
and a rope ladder. the rope given to Rose some
time before by Maj. Harry White, of the 9th
| Pa. (now Judge White, of Indiana, Pa.}, com-
pleted the outfit of the tunnelers.
Agnin. the tunnel was not 20 feet in length, y
but was So feet from the base, Rat He'll, to
the exit yard between Kerr's Warehouse and
the Virginia Towing Company, east OF Libby.
AS TO ANY COLLISION
between Guard Crane. or any of his Confed-
crate comrades, with the tunneiers, the thing
! is preposterous. For Crane alone to have
shielded the escaping men, he must have spent
the entire night unrelieved on the post at the
southeast corner of the prison. Then the
eastern end of that sentinel's path was indeed
perilously close 10 the wagonway under the
Towing Company's building, through which
the escaping men reached the sidewalk, and
the Intervening space was in the full glare of
stTeet-lamp. -,
For obvious reasons the excited men who
remained in the prison watched their depart
ing comrades. as well as the movements of
those east-side sentinels with sleepless vigi-
lance until daylight; and it was observed that
the uniform custom of relieving each guard
every two hours was strictly observed that
night.
Thus it will be apparent that no one guard,
however kind his intentions could have con-
nived at the escape of any greater number
than could have passed out during the brief
two hours that he was on the post at that
southeast corner of the prison. Whereas it
took from o'clock in the evening until 5 the
next morning for the 109 men to pass out on
Dock street and disappear, usually in parties
OF two and three
This slow exit was In part due to panic
caused short time after Roses departure by
some idiot or treacherous informer shrieking
THE GUARDS ARE CoMING!"
among the dense mob struggling for precedence
a. the fireplace opening, from which the descent
was made from the kitchen to Rat He'll"
This alarm intimidated mary who feared an
ambush outside and a rumor of which was
swiftly spread through the crowded prison by
one of those "panic-strkers " that, like the
theater idiot who screams "Firei" and the
young man who didn't know it was loaded" !"
is ways with Us.
Another cause of delay was the sticking fast
In the middle of the tunnel of the fattest man
IN Libby-a German Captain of a New York
cavalry regiment.
During this hour of peril the painting victim
cond not hear land it's jus; IS well he couldn't)
the biasIihemy that the savage mob were huri-
Ing at his head, or, 10 be more exact, his
STOMACH. j rejoice TO say that final desperate
struggle freed him from his awful grave and
that he was among the lucky SO who reached
the Union lines
Still another reason for the time lost was
that Il bare few of those who followed Roses
party oat had ever been in Rat He'll cellar
before, and IL took long and horrible search
for many 10 find the tunnel entrance in the
black den. This was my own case, when |
dropped into the rayless pit, which was swarm
ing with squealing rats. Rat Hell " was no
misnonler FOR the place.
Very often, and very naturally. the inquiry
has been made: How was it possible for 100
men TO emerge on the south Dock street, side
walk without being seen by the sentinels on
the southeast corner of Libby. the intervening
space being in the full glare of street -lamp?"
i RHswer that it was not possible; aud am
fully convinced that the r1gjprity of the escap-
Ing men were seen by those sentinels
Why, then, didn't the sentinels challenge
the escaping FederaIs?"
This is Just one of those features in the tun-
mel affair that has given a broad field for prison
romancers; it Is a question that prudent
writer prefers to leave TO conjecture. The
Strange inaction of the sentinels that night led
to their arrest and coHfnement in Castle Thut-
der by Gen. Winder, who instantly suspected
bribery, suspicion shown to be groundless
against the guards, whose conduct may be
ATTRIBUTED TO MIXED MOTIVES.
Certainly answer wholly satisfying has
ever been publicly given to the inquiry, "Why
didn't they challenger" although there has
been no lack of claimants in the newspapers
North and South since the war, who each has
claimed TO know it all.
The most prevalent and rational opinion
among the Libbyites, and supported as it is by
certain known facts, is that Kerrs Warehouse,
from whose rear the passage to the Dock-street
sidewalk was made, and in the yard of which
the tunnel terminated. contained at the time
about 5000 boxes of edibles, clothing, and like
comforts sent under flag of truce to the famish-
ing captiVes at Libby and Belle Isle by loved
ones at home.
Our men were at this time freezing to death
nightly in the ditch that skirted their death
pen on Belle Isle, all In full view from the win
dow Of Jefferson Davis!
This favor of delivering boxes was, of course.
rec.procated by the United States Government,
which delivered promptly and intact the goods
sent from the C0nfederacy to the Southern
prisoners in the North
II was believed by our too-credulous Com
missioner of Exchange that the Confederate
officials were keeping their pledge, given under
an hon norabie truce, to deliver TO the Union
prisoners these precious comforts inviolately.
Alas! our people and the world bad not vet
learned OF the inception at Richmond of the
gigantic and atrocious "system" put in mo-
aon IN that very month at Andersonville by
Hog" Ninder. as the Southern people yery
aptly dubbed the ancient and
BLAsPHEMIEG THUG"
whose sole becoming act in this world was to
fall dead 1T the scene of his mighty crimes on
New Years Day, 1865. Even this act was a
parting cheat, Tor without the shadow Of
doubt be would have died on the gallows be.
side his half-witted uDderling, Capt Wirz, the
Andersonvilie Keeper.
Well might Richmond newspaper, that had
obtained an outline Of the system lately
Matched regarding the Union prisoners, declare.
with terrible significance, "Oid Winder left
Richmond yesterday to take charge of the
Yankee prisoners IN Georgia. May God have
mercy on them!"
Tins AndersoRyille. in the same month of
the tunnel escape, entered upon that appalling
career oi studied and unparalleled barbarty,
whose sckening record has sent thrill of dis
may and horror to the farthest confines of