The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1897-07-09
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Escape Of Lieut. Kupp'
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES

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Lieut.. Kupp of the Eighty-eightn
PENNSYLVANIA volunteers, was caplureu
with many of his regiment at Ge'tys-
burg. He was known as a Pennsyi-
yania Dutchman and he came from
Berks county, in that state, wnere Ter
man colonists settled nearly two cen
turtles ago and where their descendants
cling to the old customs aAd the moth
,er tongue even unto this day.
AS it was summer at the time OF
Gettysburg, the men captured IN that
battle were in light attire, and the lons
march down to Richmond and the wear
and tear on their thin blouses reduced
them to rags, and this Pennsylvania
lieutenant seemed to be the most
ragged Of all.
Kupp was considerably over six feet
in height, lank, long-llmbed, and In
clined to be round-shouldered. he was
about "a years old, and the gray eyes,
long. dark hair, and fuZz-coverod face
gave him the appearance OF North
Carolina mountaineer. His comrades
iokingly called him 1.-The tar heel but
he took it good naturally. The resem-
blance was much in his favor when he
made up his mind to leave Libby, and,
to use his own language, make bee
line for Gods land" as the prisoners
called the north.
The two subjects that engrossed the
minds of the men were exchange ana
escape. Nearly every day the report
spread that the exchange cartel had
been resumed, and that the men were
to be sent north under flag of truce
within "a hours. On such occasions
groups of excited men would lush
through the six divisions of the
dark, dreary old warehouse, shouting
frantically:
Pack up Pack up! All exchanged!
Hurrah for Gods land!'
Constant disappointment failed to
lessen these rumors. nor did 1t weaken
the hopes of the men who heard them,
Perhaps Kupp was an exception, for he
never got excited, was never stirred
from his stolid bearing by the cry OF
Pack upv' 81 have nothing to pack,
he would say with grim smile, and
without raising his eyes from the Dit
of yellow bone he was trying to carve
into a crucifix with broken jackknife.
Plans for escape were daring and in
Vulnerable. Nearly all were imprac-
tical, yet, unknown to their comrades
25 men, pledged to secrecy, were at TINS
time digging in the darkness the great
tunnel through which subsequently llO
men escaped.
when I get good and ready I'm go
ing to light out"
This Kupp used to say to The men I'M
folding their schemes about him, but
as he refused to tell how he proposed
getting away he was laughed at and
left to his bone carving.
Just before Christmas the cCnfeder-
ate authorities, who had refused to
-eceive supplies for the prisoners from
the United States government, per-
mitted friends in the north to send
down a little food and clothing under
flag of truce. Uniforms were contra
band, so that all the clothes that came
through were of the citizen style and
material.
Lieut.. Kupp received a huge box
full of hams, sausages, preserves
cheese and other good things from the
old farm, but neither the memory Of
past hunger nor fear of the future pre-
vented his inviting the men who hat
no boxes to help themselves. OF all the
things in the big box, the one that mos
delighted Kupp's soul was a suit of but
ternut clothes, evidently of home man
ufacture, even to cloth.
The lieutenant soon "shucked' hi;
blue rags and donned the new suit
Thus attired, he strobe up and dowI
the upper Potomac ROOM" a hunk q
bread in one hand and chunk of han
in the other, while his laughing com
panions demanded to know when h,
left North Caliny."
"Hit don't mattah we'en l left" re
sponded Kupp, with an inimitabl,
mountaineer drawl; "the thing that
a-botherin' nue. now is we'en an how
lie gwine ter git back"
AS old soldiers will remember, til,
uniforms of the confederates were any
thing but uniform at about this time
The citizen clothing put aside at tn,
beginning Of the war was sent to tn,
front from home. though gray hat
gray trousers or a gray coat had beer
retained wherever possible. Hundred
of confederates in "butternuts" passe'
the prison along Carey street every da!