Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1894-04-29

heartsned or deferred less resolute
man, FISHER forgot his hunger and his
wretched environment in studying his
Blackstone or Kent. Such man
ought 70 succeed, and Go delights his
many friends 10 know that he has sue
ceeGed.
one of the most accurate and best
written accounts have yet seen OF the
great tuansl out Of Libby was written
by Captain Frank Z. Moran, Of Phila-
delphia, and appeared in the Century
war papers some eight or nine years
age. IL is not my purpose 20 improve
on this, but rather TO supplement 1t
with matters that escaped Captain Nor
ans notice, or rather which the limited
spaco prove nted his giving.
THE captain is under the impression
that while the tunnel was being built
the fact was known to but few men in
the prison outside Of the working party.
i reached Libby early 10 November. and
had not been in prison two days before 1
learned that a tdEnel was either con-
templated or being operated, and al
though I.Tas not in the confidence OF
Rose or Hamilton at the inception of
the enterprise, I entered the tunnel a
short time after the attempt 70 reach
the sewer had proved a failure.
During the winter Of '63-64 there
we're between twelve and fourteen hun
dred officers confined in Libby, and eK-
cepting the thirty or forty in the hos
pital at al tunes, the others, aud par
ticularly at night, we're confined 70 the
turDer two stories of the building, so
that when they lay down upon the floor
they literally covered it, the space Tor
each man being about two feet by six.
Even In the daytime, when the men
we're on their feet and moving around
10 keep warm, for as the prison faced
north and south the freezing wind blew
bitterly through the barred and glass
less windows, they formed great throngs
like funeral professions. The west
room, on the ground floor, was oc-
cupied By Major Turner ana the
prison officials; the room in
mediately above this was known as Mill
rows, because of the number OF men Of
that officers command who occupied it,
and the upper west room, known as
"Straight's" or Greenland because Of
its cold, was occupied principally by
officers captured near Rome, Ca, by
Forrest the preceding May; the lower
middle room, below which was the
kitchen, opening on Carey street, was
called the Lower Chickamauga,' and
ths one above it the upper Chicka-
manga. because most OF those occupy
ing them were captured ia that disas-
trous and sanguinary battle. The two
east rooms, Immediately above the hos
pltal, we're known as the Upper and
Lower Potomac" and were occupied by
officers OF that army, many of whom be-
longed to the first and third corps and
were captured at Gettysburg.
Around the prison, aBd stantloned
about thirty feet apart, there was con-
stantly kept a Gordon OF guards, who.
from nine o'clock at night until six the
next morning, announced their numbers
and their posts every half hour. Sleep
ing on the cold, damp floor, which, for
BOme reason unknown 20 as, the conted-
eraate kept constantly wet. we would be
frequently aroused at night by loud
stentorious cries. something like this;
"Half-past one. Post No. /. ATS
we'll" "Hail-past one, Post No. o.
ALPS well, and 50 on until the last post
about the prison was called. Frequent
ly the guard would vary the mOnOtOny
OF 'alrs we'll" by substituting colds
hell"
The mode Of roll-call, when | reached
Libby, was 20 assemble the men by fours
fin the Lower Chicamauga room aud
count them, but as the counts were
never twice alike. this led TO endless
confusion and delay, the fault Of mis-
chievous prisoners. Afterward it was
improved on by crowding the prisoners
into the Upper Potomac room ana
counting them out, one at time.
When it is understood that the Union
officers, excepting when they had &C
cess to the two stoves in the so-called
kitchen, we're confined 20 the upper
stories of this building, some idea Of the
oiaiculties Of escape may be had.
Vet the men we're continually talking
about it aud dreaming about it. Taken
~ a whole. I do not think ] ever met 50
wanv manly. brave and intelligent mer
AZ were assem- bled in Libby at that time
NJ was place and an occasion TO tes
character and TO draw cut all that va
bess and worst ia a man; but 70 theu
credit be it said, they bore their suffer
mos without complaint, never tteres
word against the goYernmen { tha