Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-09-16
FROM TIE OHIO PBNITENTIARY AT OOLUM-
BUS IN 1868.
In Evsni Fraught With Deep and Romantic
ID,srss;-Ths Plan and Escape Graphically
Detailed BY One Of the Participants.


the escape Of General Morgan from the
Ohio penitsntiary at Columbus, where,
with 6s OF his officers and men, be was
held as 4 prisoner OF war 81 the insti-
CATION OF Major General A. +. Burnside,
Of the Federal army. There is also no
other Incident Of our late "~onpleassnt-
ness' which has always seemed TO have
q Greater flavor OF mystery connected
with il, and many people be-
Aieve that the real mystery OF II never
has been solved and never will be until
the grave shall give up It's dead. lhave
beer importuned SO often TO write the
Atrue story Of how General Morgan and
TX OF his oficers-including myself
scaped from that gloomy, seemingly
~npregnable pile in Columbus, that az
bngth I have determined TO do so,
Though perhaps l may never permit
That l nav Writ 70 see the light until
In the SUNNI 4 1868 General Nor
ans cOmmapdmade, through Southern
~ oneA those raids which we're the
MASKING aud successful in the his
modern or ancient warfare. In
lance, however. be did not meet
usual greet success, for his raid
ed in July Of that same year OF
the capture OF himself and GS
Ulcers aud men. Ii was very
lie OF General Morgan that
BIld have escaped himself
20 share the fate OF his
eS When We found that the
~S6kees were upon US, General Morgan
sock to the river and had gotten nearly
70 the Kentucky side unObseryed aud
unpursued By the enemy when seeing
that his fellow soldiers were prisoners,
re deliberately swam back and gave
himself up. II instead OF doing this he
had continued swimming till he reached
'Old Kentuck' be would never have be-
come a Federal prisoner.
Having caught the lion General Burn
side was at a loss 10 know where TO age
him. The Federal troops had been
assisted in the capture of the disting-
uished Confederate by the Ohio militia,
and IL, therefore, occurred 10 Burnside
that be might naturally look to Ohio for
assistance 10 keeping him. This assist
snce was afforded by Governor Todd,
then Chief Executive OF the Buckeye
State, who volunteered the use of the
Ohio Penitentiary. Though contrary 70
all usages Of modern warfare 20 cOnfne
prisoners OF war in penal institutions,
vet General Burnside accepted the Gov
errors offer, ADD on the first Of August,
1868, we were each placed in a separate
cell 10 the first and second range or tier
of cells on the south side Of the east
wing Of the prison.
\ These cells were let into a solid block
pf masonry 100 feet long and -2j feet
thick. They opened pQ0a1 a hall 70
Teet wide ana lG1L@Nt ia. length, Then,
r-H~:-Hersls0n buildings and their
yard we're enclosed by q solid stone
wall 80 feet high, 4 feet in thickness
and level on top.
Our situation was intOlersble. While
the greatest civil conflict the world had
ever known was raging in the vicinity
Of our homes, aud while our comrades
in arms were battling for their rights
aud their 6resides, we were not only
pOwerleSs 70 aid them, but we were
even denied the poor satisfaction OF
knowing how they were succeeding in
the struggle, and what was the fate or
our loved ones whom we had left be
hind US in the South, for the warden
positively refused TO allow "a 10 receive
anv newspapers. We at length became
so desperate that we determined TO es-
cape no matter 40 what hazard. But
how vas escape to be effected?
From five o'clock p. m. tin seven a.
N. we were locked 10 our cells with no
means Of Communication. Through
the day we were allowed TO roam about
tho large hall on 20 which our cells
opened aud 90 converse freely with each
other, though there was an armed sen
try at either end Of this hall. through
which the regular keepers of the prison
passed AZ frequent and regular inter
walls. We discussed every possible and
impossible plan of eStaDe as we thought,
bat could hit upon none that seemed
feasible.
We had been some three months in
durancs vile, when, ia consequence OF
an insult that was offered 20 one OF our
number, Captain Thomas A. Hines, by
the Deputy Warden, a plan was evolved
by which We did finally succeed In max
ing our escape. Captain Hines retired
20 his cell about eight n. N, vowing
that food should not pass his lips and
that sleep should not rest upon his eye
lids until be had thought out some plan
Of escape that should be practicable.
MAbout a quarter past eleven be came
3 and said that he had hit upon a
Mich he thought would do. AT all
was determined 10 try il lie
)rmed ne that be had noticed
he walls Of his cell, instead Of
damp, rs they naturally would
been from the fact that they were
upon a level with the ground out
were perfectly dry. From this he
D5ncluded that there must be an air
chamber beneath. Now IL such should
be the case, Captain Hines plan was TO
run 4 tunnel from IL through the f0Un-
dations into the yard, and then 70 escape
over the prison wall.
The cells we're built in dvs tiers.
Some Of our party occupied the lowest
or ground tier, while others, including
General Morgan himself, occupied the
second tier. OF course only those in
the ground tier could escape By means
Of Capital Hines plan. aud in order for
General Morgan TO do so, il would be
necessary TO have him exchange cells
with some one in the tier below. The
plan OF Captain Hines was c~ommunica-
ted to General Morgan aud the other
officers that afternoon, aud after being
fully discussed, 10 was decided that not
more than seven Of those on the lower
Ter could participate in the escape
because the greater the number the
longer would DO the time required for
the work and the greater would De the
danger Of discovery during It's prose.
euti0n-