The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-05-05
HIS FALSE GRAVE.
REPRESENTATIVE TARsNEY SUP
POSED To BE DEAD AND
BURIED.

His story of AndersOnvilIc Prison.
How He Succeeded in Being Ex-
changed Into the Union Ranks.
Memorable Experience.
! From the Washington Star.
Down in the cemetery. where are buried
/ the prisoners who died in Andersonville. -
said Representative Tarsney OF Missouri
/ 10 a writer for the star. you will find my
/ headstone and my grave JOHN TARs-
] NEY. -th VI. V. L. is the way it will read
I the NJ. v. 1. standing for Michigan Vol
unteer Infantry.
How did it befall that my grave and
I headstone were dug and reared and still
I here to tell of it? The story is simple
enough when one hears Of il.
7 was a prisoner at AndersOnville, and
being young and strong when arrived
and of presumed good character, was put
on the police force. Just before l came
there had been robberies and murders
among the prisoners; certain strong ruff
fans and men of criminal bent preying
upon their weak comrades. The prisoners
held meeting and organized a court
and constabulary. and after that any
william found robbing and numbering was
hauled up and tried and executed.
" EAAs 4 NeiS On the ponce. one morning
II was announced that an exchange of
prisoners had been agreed to, and doctors
came among our various companies to Sc
lect those who were sick and about to die
for the purpose Of the exchange. The rea-
sons for selecting the sick and dying were
two-fold. Humanity for one thing; and
| then the next. the confederates were cum
ming enough not to send back a well,
I so i
the front the day following his return to
his regiment. The men they selected were
too far gone with emaciation and sickness
to ever aim gun or fix a bayOnet in war
again, ard 1t was an advantage to be rid
hands.
with a method of selecting which took
only the sick and dying of course / stood
no show to be exchanged. ! had been cap
tured but few weeks. and was hale and
strong compared with most. OF course
! did not grudge these sick prisoners their
luck, but as one after the other they
were ticketed for exchange and their
names written down by the sergeant of
their 100, could not but envy them. They
] was to remain until dwindled and bro
ken down to be what they were. could al
most wish l were as shattered as they, so
that 1. too, might be selected.
while my thoughts were running on
this exchange then being arranged for, l
had occasion to go down toward a little
Slftdm Wnlcn ran through the lines.
heard groan off to one side. Being Of the
police l turned to see what, If anything.
was wrong 1t was early in the morning
hardly light, indeed. There under some
trees lying on 2 thread-bare blanket, was
a soldier In almost his last gasps. | asked
him what / could do for him. He said
there was nothing to do. .rustled about
and built IRE. and managed to get
enough coffee to make him a few spoons
full. thought IL might brace him up. Then
] sat down and had a talk with him. He
. chi n &c mo "a
myself, of a Michigan regiment. He told
me- too, that he had been selected for eX
change that day.
"shan't live an hour
1T was he who suggested the plot.
After l am dead ne went on, you
pin a paper with your name and regiment
on my coat. Take my name and number
yourself, and be exchanged in my place.
You'll have to see the sergeant of my 100
and fix II with him. II he objects, br1be
him with all you've got, II necessary, not
| to peach and tell who you are. You can
fix him and get out in my name
AT first the idea didn't strike me favor
| ably. l doubted success. And | wasn't at
| all sure just what form confederate re-
sentiment might take II they detected me
| escaping under the alias of man dead
and gone. But John France urged me to
so; -.-,.. 49,. .,z,- az. ohoo
he said. You will come down, down, UNI
til you are as you see me here And he
held up hands like claws.
Il half way assented. The appearance
of John France was very convincing. |
| would have gone through a storm of lead
| to escape his starved fate. He went on
and told me all the incidents of his cap
/ ture; the date and the battle; with all
of other data, before and since, so that
/ might stand any cross examination they
might make as to my identity.
After a bit / left John France, as /
| had certain duties to attend to. 1 fixed
| him to be as comfortable as he might,
! and promised to come back as soon as l
| had liberty to see how he had got along.
When l returned in half an hour John
/ France of the tn Michigan Volunteer
! Infantry was dead.
| II had made up my mind TO take John
| Frances offer, l would assume his name
| and claim his exchange. l pulled his body
! to one side, where it wouldn't be readily
! observed by chance strollers and, after
! pinning paper with my name and regt-
| ment on the breast of his blouse, covered
| his dead face with one corner of the
blanket and came away. That was all |
| could do for the dead man, who unlocked
Andersonville for my escape.
my first business was to hunt up the
sergeant of John Frances 100. l found
! him bull-head sullen sort Of fellow. He
| bluntly refused to permit me to escape in
| John Frances place. AS he would have
| to muster and march the prisoners mark
ed for exchange to the place of departure,
! II was necessary to gain this mans aid.
You can't go he said, roughly. If
| France is dead, then I'll send some other
man from my hundred in his stead. I'd go
/ myself, but my being sergeant queers it.
! They'd spot me al once, and there would
| be no one to muster the men. But you
1 can't have the place Here the sergeant
! assumed a determined air, as one who set
! tied the business. l was boiling.
81 had grown fairly frantic by this time
| to get away. and the more ! dweh on the
| chance to escape and reflected on how few
| they were and far between l felt like
throttling this obdurate sergeant, who
| stood in my way. l controlled my wrath
1 as we'll rs 1 could.
% 1t will be me or nobody who takes
John Frances place l retored. He gave
me his place himself. and 1 will ger It or
it will go wanting a candidate. Since YOU
| tell me / shall not go, I tell you that
| neither shall you nor any man of your
! hundred And for bitter emphasis I
| shook my fist under the sergeant's nose
| Observing that l had made an impress
! sion on him, 1 went rapidly and almost
! eloquently to the question of reward |
| was the proud owner of a jim-crow watch
! which in this day of the Waterbury would
| be dear at s. | offered him this if he
! would help me. 1t was all l had.
ITO make hong story short he at last
! after deal of grumbling, accepted. That
/ afternoon. when the ticketed folk were
ordered to fall in for exchange. I took the
| place of John France and answered to his
name. l had blackened and grimed nv