Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-04-29
GAzETTE FIT. WORTH, TEXAS, SUNDAY ME6RRII1s 20 1894

from the frontr
One Of the others suggested tina, Il was the
rats that made the noise. While they we're
talking recognized the voice OF my friend
Captain Johnson, OF tho Fifth Kentucky and
advancing, made myself and ~ mission
known.
Johnson said he mad intended TO oommuni-
cate the iact Of the tunnel to mo whom It
would have been completed. hut bcgged mo,
for Gods sake, In the meantime to say
nothing about It, and acquiesced in his re-
quest. am satisfied now, that had not
done this but had kept up communication
between the hospital and tho Lower Potomac
room by means OF tho stairs before referred
to and the opening in the hospital floor, three
hundred men, instead OF one hundred and
ten men. might have escaped through tho
tunnel.
Already, perhaps, have said more about
myself In this connection than had intended
to do, for 1t is not my desire 10 hguro as
Libby hero or an important factor in the
great escape was one Of those who made
the attempt and failed; but among the many
vivid events OF my life l shall always look
back upon the night Of February .. 1864. as
being tho strongest
Soon after dark Colonel Rose Major HamIl-
ton and Captain Johnson--the latter had been
In the tunnel for three or four days and was
reported missing - succeeded in getting
through with others who were directly in tho
secret. Those who had heard Of tunnel.
but knew nothing OF It except as a rumor,
became at once the most eager to got through
10 Gods and"
As is known, access TO tho hospital cellar
was had by taking up the bricks in the back
Of the fireplace in tho Carey street end Of tho
dining.room or kitchen.
Among the ratlons served us by the con-
federates there were few tallow candles for
each Of tho immense rooms. These, as soon
Us it became dark, were lit and fastened to
posts In the different rooms. serving merely
TO reveal the darkness. Every night at nino
o'clock, beginning with post No. /, the guards
would shout;
"Nino o'clock Post No. - Lights out
up there. you id Yanksl" and at once the
tallow dips would be extinguished. As soon
as tho lights were out this night the men, In
great disorderly gangs. swarmed about the
fireplace, forgetting all their previous self
denial and manllness In their wild Efforts TO
get through TO Gods land. About II o'clock
some one started tho cry "The guards the
guards"
Whereupon the prisoners, shouting and
struggling like demons about the fireplace,
made break for tho stairs leading TO the'up.
per rooms, and were soon lying painting, on
the doors in their own sleeping places Those
who had tho presence OF mind not TO be in
fucnced by the alarm had now a clear field
to themselves, and succeeded in getting
through.
Captain Moran Gays that one hundred ant
nine men escaped. There were really ont
hundred and ton. OF whom nifty We're recap
tured. Had not the tunnel been discovered
on the afternoon OF the 10th tho prison
might haYo been emptied tho following night
A curious incident, which Sayo never hear,
rceounted, followed tho cnemys discovery o
: the escape The following morning, as wa
, usual, the prisoners were assoihbled Into tn
Upper Potomac room, TO be counted into tn
Upper Chicknmauga. Little Ross" well
,, known to all the prisoners, and who was sub
! sequently burned to death in the Spotiiswoo
a hotel In Richmond, kept tally as tho me
. passed through. He counted them by Ayel
and when he discovered that 40 men weT
gone, he hurried and reported tho fact
!. Turner, who received tho statement wit
! open-eyed incredulity. "Why," he is II
!, ported to have said to Ross "the number {
men missing is dlyislble by five. You hay
4 simply made mistake in your tally"
a II the prisoners had known the number
4 men who had gone through the tunnel, tho
could have mnde up tho deficiency, and /
avoided suspicion, by having the mon pas
n through the west room climb up the pos
: 10 the roof. crawl along the roof to the upp'
r Potomac room, drop down and be- countc
e again; but unfortunately they did not.
D. Turner appeared ID person, to supervise
y new count and, By this time. the prisoner
/ learning that "two hundred men were mis-
d ing, determined to make up tho delelcuc
: and they oyerdld It. It should be said tn
in their rags and with their pele faces the