The National tribune., 1897-07-15

thought or hope of an exchange, as in the case
of ordinary prisoners of war. First, we were
not sent into camp with other Union pris-
oners they held. Again, we discovered,
when we were all together and compared
notes, that every means had been resorted
to by our incensed captors TO extort and OBJ
tain admissions and confessions from rs
which could be used as evidence on which
TO support charges for our conviction. OF
course, they must put us through the form,
at least, of a trial, and sustain their charges
by some kind of testimony, by which our
execution would have the appearance of
justification under the rules of civilized war
fare; otherwise the Federals would be justi-
fed before the world in swift and terrible
retaliation.
The rebels had shown an especial desire
to fed out who was the leader of our band,
and also the engineer the man who ran the
locomotive to death in our great race Those
two men they seemed to regard as the head
and front OF the offense-the men whose
lives were first to be sacrificed on the altar
of rebel vengeance. But am proud TO be
able TO say that not a man Of that faithful
band was base enough to betray his COM
rades, although poor Jacob PARROT, of the
33d Ohio, the youngest of the party, and
who had a boyish appearance, was stripped
by the inhuman devils who captured him
near Ringgod the same day we left the
engine, and four men held him stretched
hand and foot on a large rock, while others
held reyolvers to his head, threatening him
with instant death if he made the least
effort at resistance. Having thus placed
him, rebel Lieutenant scored and gashed
his naked back with a heavy rawhide to
l. IN
tell the names of the leader and engineer.
Thrice was he released and asked to con-
fess and thrice put to the torture because
he refused, until his inhuman captors had
sickened aud tired of the inhuman spectacle
before them, for, although they had whipped
him until his back was one mass of bloody
welts and bruised, quivering, lacerated flesh,
still did the heroic lad refuse to open his lips
and disclose a word that might betray his
comrades. He suffered untold agonies from
this merciless flashing. His back became a
mass of sores, and with the hard floor to lie
On and no covering, it was no wonder that
his affection nearly cost him his life.
CHAPTER
Planning to Escape-Lured by False Hopes
Night Fixed Upon for the Attempt.
vile for Trial-Escape Postponed-An-
drews's ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS to
Break Jail.
This course of the rebel authorities toward
our band had q Significance meaning,
which to me, and, in fact, to most OF Us, WAS
not pleasant to think Of 1t forbade the
thought-yea, the possibiity-of our being
exchanged. Andrews, our leader, with
m 81 o,,I h..
lion, had admitted to them that he was the
leader of the party, and, az before noted,
had been out and had trial, or what pur-
ported to be such, before q court-martial.
the findings and sentence of which had not
yet been made known, and hnI4Fad been re-
turned to the prison with as 10 await the
result
Meantime we had carefully capvassed our
chances of escape. There were two plans.
and only two, in which the chances of
success looked fairly reasonable, and even in
these the odds were as five 10 one against us.
Still, they offered q possibility, and, to men
in our desperate situation, no risk was too
great.
One of these plans was that we should all
have our irons off in the evening when the
jailer and guards came mp to bring our sup
per, and, as soon rs the door was opened,
make grand rush on the leveled bayo-
nets disarm the guards, rush down on the
guards below and dissrm them ; then, taking
the arms thus secured, We could have
marched In solid body TO the .erry-boat,
which lay on our side of the river, cross
over, destroy the boat, or disable her, and
escape to the mountains, where no ordinary
squad of mounted troopers could have
captured us.
The other plan, proposed by Andrews, the
most feasible. and the one finally agreed
upon, was that one of our number should
as we came in from our breathing spell in
the yard which, by order of Col Claiborne,
Provost-Marshal. We had been allowed part
Of the time since our return to this prison,
and for which, and other acts of humanity,
he was removed from his position By Lead