The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-11-15
HAD TWO DAYS START.
Clever Rinse of an Indiana Boy to Get on
,f Apla


of AndersOnville.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: 1t was
during the month of August, 1864, that
the writer was engaged, under parole of
honor, as a grave digger in the now historic
cemetery near Andersonville prison. While
there one of the prisoners, belonging to an
Indiana regiment, made his escape under
the following remarkable circumstances ::
The Indiana boy, rs l will call him, mas
much as / know not his name, was one of
the healthy ones confined at that time in
that Southern inferno, and was conse-
quently requested TO aid his halI-dead COM
rades, once a week, out of the stockade to
attend so-called sick-call for medical
treatment
On being .Hus permitted to inhale a
puTer atmosphere, soon the desire for liberty
invaded his breast, and for days and nights
he studied upon plan to escape.
On being out again, he was ordered by
the Surgeon to 60 to the brook near the
cook-house to get water for his sick COM
rades. In going thither, he had to pass,
on his left, the little shed, covered, arbor-
like, with pine boughs, and known as the
dead-house. He noticed that the driver of
the dead-wagon wore our uniform, and upon
inquiry found that the driver was one of
orr own men.
Unobserved by the Surgeon, he passed
around the rear end of the deadwagon,
and proposed to the driver that on his next
coming out with sick men he would climb
in through the rear end gate of the dead
wagon, after the load was about completed,
lay himself apparently dead upon his dead
companions, he hauled to the cemetery, and
thence make his escape.
few DAVIS latpr on a SuItrV rainy day.
our Indiana boy was again outside, bring
ing water to his less-iortunate comrades.
The dead-wag0n was again in front of the
dead-arbl II, this time little closer up to
the shed tnan usual. Sixteen dead lay like
so many fence rails on top of each other
in the wagon bed, ready to be taken to
their final resting place. The Indiana boy
passed, and on signal from the driver,
went to the end gate of the wagon and
crawled in, stretching himself out on top of
his silent comrades, disregarding vermin
and modification.
BY some mishap the wagon was detained
about 10 minutes, and it was during that
time that another one of our men. hospi-
tai attendant, passed in rear OF the dead
wagon, and noticed that the dead man on
top had good shoes on his feet an article of
clothing very much needed by the living, and
useless to anybody in the grave. He exam
ined them. found them perfect, and Of the
exact number for perfect fit. He began
to open the strings. The thoughts that
passed through the mind Of the sham dead
Indiana boy can only be imagined-shnuld
he move he might be betrayed, should he
lose his shoes, he could not travel and escape.
Thus he lay motionless until the unknown
hand tried to pull them off, when he arose
and in low, subterranean voice uttered:
"St9p, d-n you! l need those shoes my
self" Like statne, motionless, stricken
with awe, stood the man who wanted the
shots; he thought the resurrection day had
come, and in terror, as fast as his trembling
limbs won d carry him, he fed from the
confines Of the d, ad
The wagon started and arrived at the
cemetery. The Indiana boy and the driver
related the story, shook hands, and with
"good-by" the escaped man went into the
thick underbrush at the northeast corner Of
the woods near The cemetery.
Tive days later the old reb with his
bloodhounds came to the cemetery, and in
CURED: Did you'ns see runaway Yankee
this week." To which question No, sir"
was given. In a few days the writer met
the old hound man, and asked him:
We'll, did you catch anybody the other
day?" TO which he replied: No! He'll it
Sc can't catch a Yankee, if he has AZ hours
start of the hounds" If the indiana man
should be alive and read the above / wish
he would write to me-. l.. YoUNKoR,
Corporal, Co. A, 10Th U. s., Maxyille, o.