St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-04-29
s.le guard to pass out, and. when Major

swell, sir? Who the devil are you?" Kupp
gave q fictitious name, and added:
"I'm from Moth Kidney"
"D-n you! What do you want bere?" de-
manded Major Turner.
"Wa'al," drawled Kupp, as he thoughtfully
stroked his chin. "Bein' in Richmond,
thought I'd come down and see the Yanks."
ON your impudence 7. roared Turner.
eff you want to see the Yanks go to the
front! Now get out of here soon as God'H
let you, or I'll kick you out!'' ar
"No, you won't kick me-, said Kupp, draw
ing himself up, "but if you are so particular
about your darned old prison and your cussed
Yanks, keep 'em and go to hellP' And there
upon he walked coolly out.
Most men, on finding themselves thus un-
expectedly free, would have made what is
called bee line for liberty but not so with
Kupp. Having secured piece of wood, he
walked down before the prison, on the other
side of Carey street land stood there whiting,
while he looked up at his astounded COM
rades. Finally he obeyed their gestures of
warning and started off, and, rejoice to say,
succeeded in coming through to Goods land,'
as we then called the north. \
Another curious escape, requiring even
more GOODNESS and address, was that of an
officer from Connecticut, whose name have
forgotten. Before the war he was merchant
tailor and understood his trade thoroughly.
He was in hospital, when one of the Off
GERS happening to learn of his Skill asked
him if he could race a uniform made for
larger man SO as to fit him. The Yankee said
there would be no difficulty if he was pro-
vided with the necessary articles and was
paid for the work. Confederate money being
then plentiful, hundred and fifty dollars
was advanced, and the gray uniform, orig;-
nally made for an officer who had been
killed in the front, and who had no more use
for it, was brought into the prison. The
confederate officer was particularly anxious
to have it done by q certain day, as there,
was going to be ball in the city and he
wished to appear at his best. The tailor as
sured him that he would not be disappointed,
The owner of the clothes called frequently
in order to have them properly fitted, but the
tailor saw to it that no one garment was COM
pleted before the rest In the north east cor
ner Of the hospital there Was a little apart
ment boarded off, and known as ''tEe doc
tors Office" to which the prison physicians
had access at all times. AS soon as the tailor
had the uniform completed he proceeded to
try it on himself, and as he was about the
size of the man for whom it had been altered,
it fitted him like q glove. With this uniform
on his back and the hundred and fifty dollars
for fixing it over in his pocket, the Yankee
went out of the hospital and advanced boldly
to the guards.
If he had any fear that the guard would
challenge him it was at once set at resi-, for
the soldier, seeing the stars of a Eeutenant-
colonel on his coat brought his musket to an
order, and the disguised Yankee passed with
out difficulty. Like Kupp.his boidness and
address were requited with success, for he
succeeded in coming through to our lines at
Williamsburgh.
About three weeks before the completion
of the great Libby tunnel General John Nor
gan, the notorious confederate border ranger,
visited Libby, fresh from his daring escape
from the penitentiary at Columbus, Ohio.
knew Morgan very well, and he had many
acquaintance in the prison. some of the Ken
lucky officers being his old schoolmates and
friends. He was in high glee over his sue
cess, and pointed with pride to his short hair
which had been cut to the regulation for
criminals by the prison officials at Column
bus.
''Why," said Morgan. standing before one
of the windows and looking out, 81 had a
d-n sight harder task of it than you fell
lows, and made out
Grouped about him when he made this
statement there were a dozen men who at
that very time were working night after
night in the tunnel which was to become far
e., l.
ual escape, and the difficulties OF which were
far greater.
The great tunnel has been so often de-
scribed, and Captain Moran's excellent paper
is SO familiar to the public that it would seem
like iteration to attempt to give clearer idea
of it. Looking back at it the wonder to me
is that it was not discovered almost as soon
as it was undertaken.
AS I have said, I heard about the tunnel
scheme soon after reaching Libby, and being
taken sick-I had other reasons for the move
also-I was sent to the hospital, the room
directly over the entrance to the tunnel.
What was a cellar on the Carey street side of
the prison, the building being on slope, be-
came a basement on the southern, or canal
side. In two apartments in the front part of
this basement the confederates had stored
potatoes, corn meal and flour in barrels
This fact was made known to me by Captain
Singer, of the Thirty-third Ohio, and Captain
Gallagher, of Indiana, who had previously
been raiding on the confederate supplies. I
was not twenty years of age at this time;
indeed I think l was the youngest man in
the prison, and had an appetite proportional
to my years-an appetite which the hospital
rations by no means gratifed. The guards
had become more vigilant on the south side
OF the prison, which deferred my comrades
from repeating their raids; but with the tun-
mel as we'll as the supplies in mind I deter
mined to reorganize them, and this was done
with consummate success. We not only OBJ
tanned supplies for our comrades in the hes
pital, but by means of stairs leading to the
lower Potomac room and section of plank
removed from under the door, we were en-
abled to get some up to our comrades in the
prison proper.
The cellar or hospital basement literally
swarmed with rats. We could hear them
screaming as we moved forward in the Sly
gian darkness, and in their efforts to avoid
us they frequently dashed against our legs.
1t was about the middle of January that I
determined to find out for myself of the ex-
istence of a tunnel and working party.
Captain Singer who had been severely
wounded at the battle of Chickamauga, but
who had recovered, and whose lameness was
affected, in order to prevent his being sent to
the.upper floors, was by my side as we pushed
forward to the front where we knew the on.