The National tribune., 1897-07-22

wv dav. with q waichman at every
window to guard against the dis
covery of operations. The
noise made by our case-knlie saw was eject
uallv drowned by stamping, loud talking,
yelling. singing or anything to keep up a
din, and our singers and noise-makers were
about as weary with the monotony OF their
efforts rs the saw-shovers.
When two OF the planks were so nearly
cut out that they could be speedily finished,
we filled up the cut SO that ii could not be
noticed easily and then The fellows below
In the "hole,' Andrews among them, in The
same manner. sawed out notches IN the
plank which held the bolts of the trap-door
This was discouraginrly slow work. The
knife-blade would get hot and bend up and
the man who worked it would soon get a
tired, blisiered hand: but a fresh relay was
kept ready, and when the hand OF one be-
came too lame to run the saw, he would
take his place among the Choir of noise
makers, while fresh man would take the
knife.
Old Swims the jailer, afterwards said he
might have known there was some devil
ment up, the way the Yankees were
singing hymns. Singing, however, was a
very common pastime with US in the even
ing. although our hest vocalists had gone
to Knoxville. Still. although il seems
almost like a dream at this distant day, /
think we did sing little longer and louder,
on the nights referred TO by old Swims, just
for the little saws sake. While This work
was going on, others had twisted old blankets
and pec, of carpet into ropes. with which
10 get the men out of the hole, and by
which to descend on the outside.
When everything was in readiness, An
he
loft The work OF making a hole out
through he brick wall urder the roof was a
much more difficult Job than We had ex-
pected, and proved 10 be slow work with our
caseknite. Ii had to be done, too, without
noise. We at last succeeded in getting out
brick enough to allow man to pass out
Just as the gray streaEs of dawn began To
show in the east. 1t was nearly daylight.
If remember correctly, each man had his
boots or shoes of, SO that VIC could avoid
making noise The blanket rope, one EN-
tied TO the rafter, WIS noiselessly letdown
the outside wall. We could see the dim
gray form OF the sentry, and hear his tread
as he paced back aud forth. 1t was an anx
ious moment of suspense, when at last, in
awhisper, word was passed from one to The
other in The dark prison that all was ready
Andrews crept out and swung down, bu
in some manner a loose bri, K or piece o
mortar fell to the ground and attracted the
notice of The sentry and almost instantly We
heard the report of 4 gun. john Weiia u
vino was next behind Andrews, paid no heed
10 the shot, but lunged out head over heels
Bang! bang, went the muskets and there
was loud shouting
Corporal of the Guard, Post number
=! Captain-Captain of the Guard! Halt
Haltin
Bang. bang! bang! until the shots wer.
as thick as on a skirmish-liae in a cavalry
fgh..
Tle man Robert Buffnm, think VIII,
was following Wolam through the hole
halted between two opinions, whether h
had better jump down while rebel senlr
stood beneath holding cooked gun witt
fixed bayonet on him, or crawl back int
the old prison cock-loft and bear the ills b
was certain OF. He cr.wled back and toll
rs that it was all up with u.s."
We were all crowded in the loft, waitin
for cur turn TO 20 out and list, hing to til
racket on the outside Within a very fe,
rioint nts, almost no time at all, the yard wa
I'll ed with troops, and by thei loud, excite
talK VIC learned, to our unspeakable j0y {
the escape of Andrews and Wollam.
The rebels, Of course, did not at that mc
oners were out, but We in the loft airead
knew that the eycit d sentries had fire
wi; !ly. At all events, neither Andrews nc
Wollam were anywhere to he seen, dead q
alive. While we felt the kecnest disaI
continent at our failure to get out, yet "
felt thousand times repaid for our e1fol
that even Andrews had escaped.
A heavy load had been lifted from OF
minds We took new hope We knew th;
Andrews would pat forth superhuma
efforts TO gain the Federal lines and if !
succeeded We felt certain that Chattanoog
would, in all human probability, get Wis
very shortly from Gen Mitchell. "
thought if either of the escaped men reache
the lines and told our old comrades of OF
desperate situation, that they would at onc
demand to be led TO our rescue
These were some of the faint rays of hoI
that cleaned in upon our anxious mind
and in some degree took away the canker
disappointment somewhat, perhaps, on ii
same philosophy that says, A drownir
man will catch at straw" for, indeed, v