The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1897-06-18

~ Nt came tIOm 0erhS
sc - county, in that
STT3 state, where Ger
VWh man colohists set
~ tied Z nearly two
! centuries ago and where their descend
ants cling to the old customs and the
mother. tongue even unto this day.
As it was summer ut the time OF
Gettysburg. the men captured In that
battle were in light attire, and the long:
march down to Richmond and the wear
and tear on their thin blouses reduced
them to rags. md this Pennsylvania
lieutenant seemed to be the most ragged
of all.
Kupp was considerably over six feet
in height, lank. long-limbcd. md in-
clined to be ound-shonldered. He was
about "a years old. nnh the gray eyes,
long, dark hair, md ftizz-covered face
give him the appearance OF q North
Carolina morntaineer. His comrades
jokingiy called him .the tar heel, )" but
he took it goodnnturcdly. 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" Us the prisoners
called the north.
The two subjects that engrossed the
minds Of the men were exchange and
escape. Nearly every day the report
spread that the exchange cartel had
been resumed, and thnt the men were
to be sent north under flag Of truce
within "a hours. On such occasions
groups of excited men would rush
through the six divisions OF the
dark, dreary old warehouse. shouting
frantically:
'..Pack up! Pack up! Allcxchangcd!
Hurrah for Gods land"
Constant disappointment failed to
lessen these rumors, nor did it 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 upi" 81 haze nothing 10 pack"
he would say with q grim smile, and
without raising his eyes from the bit
of yellow bone he was trying to carve
into cruciix with broken jackknife.
Plans for escape were daring and in
Vulnerable. Nearly oil were imprac-
teal, yet, unknown to their comrades,
90 men. pledged TO secrecy, were ut this
time digging in the darkness the great
tunnel through which subsequently ITO
men escaped.
"when Iget good md ready I'm going
to light out"
This Kupp would shy to the men UNI
folding their schemes about him. butas
he refused to tell how he proposed get
ting away he was laughed ut and left
TO his bone carving.
Just before Christmas the confed-
crate authorities, who had refused to
receive 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 cont1aband, 30
that oil the clothes that came through
were of the citizen style and material.
Lieut.. Kupp received huge box, full
of hams, sausages. preserves, cheese and
ether good things from the old farm,
but neither the memory of past hunger
nor fear of the future prevented his in
viting the men who had no boxes to help
themselves. OF all the things in the
big box, the one TINT most delighted
Kupp's soul was q suit of butternut
clothes. evidently of home manufac-
ture. even to cloth.
The lieutenant soon ''shucked" his
tlue rags and donned the new suit.
Thus attired. he strobe up and down
the upper Potomac ROOM" a hunk OF
bread in one hand and n chunk OF ham
in the other, while his laughing COM
panions demanded to know when he left
North Caliny."
Hit don't mattah we'en I left" re-
sponded Kupp. with an inimitable
mountaineer drawl; "the thing that's
a-botherin' me now is we'en an how
lie gwine ter git back"
AS old soldiers will remember, the
uniforms of the confederafes were any
thing but uniform Mt about this time.
The citizen clothing put aside at the
beginning of the war was sent to the
front from home, though n gray Int,
gray trousers or a gray coat had been
retained wherever possible. Hundreds
of confederates in "butternuts" passed
the prison along Carey street every day,
and many of the guards about Libby
and those who came in every morning
to count the prisoners were dressed in
the same material.
The prison roll call at this time was
more expeditions than efficient. Every
morning in the gray cold dawn of that
bitterly cold weather the Yankees were
routed from the floors on which they
Law and driven into the upper Potomac
or upper east room-the latter was the
name given it by the confederutes.
Through IN opening in the wall the
men were counted into the upper Chick
amauga, or upper middle room, where
they were free to do as they pleased
within the prescribed limits. The men
OF the head of the line. and they We're
usually the ones who had something TO
cook. made q swift rush to the lower
middle room, where there were four
.old-fashioned rusty kitchen stoves.
When tho count was over and no
Yankee reported missing the guards
fled down to the west ground floor
room. where "Black George the ser
reant, and the prison clerk. Little
RHEUMATISM CURED IN A DAY.
.ts..4;. r,ra,, for Rheumatism and