The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-05-27


Galveston, Texas.
corsicana, Texas. May 1s.-Dear Sir:
In response TO your general invitation 70
ex- Confedsrates to send you an account {
OF anything OF interest that came within I
their knowledge during the war. here
with send you an account OF escapes from
two Northern prisons--the first of which
came within my personal knowledge.
was member of company c. FortleIh
Alabama Infantry. and. with others Of my
regiment, was captured on Lockout noun
tain, Tennessee. November 1855, and car
ried to Rock Island prison, where, with
about 10000 other prisoners. | remained
until General Lee on east side had sur I
rendered. when was exchanged with 1000
others for Yankee prisoners on the west
side OF the Mississippi river. In June.
1864, the prison gates opened to receive a |
lot OF Morgan's men. who were captured On |
his last raid into Kentucky, among whom
was Henry G. Damon, a boy OF is, from
Tallahassee, Fla, who is now resident
OF this town, Corsicana, Texas.
II is a fact, about which there Is not
OF the strongest prisons in the North
Although probably at least $4,000 Con-
federates were from first 10 last confined
there during the last two years OF the
war, II is believed that not more than ten
ever escaped. Among them were two
others, one another Florida boy, G. e.
Heming, now banker in Gainesville,
Texas, who walked out in broad daylight,
clad in q Federal soldiers uniform. The
9th i,h bnt Lab, H.
lnnis OF Sumter county, Alabama who
also walked out with Federal uniform
on. while the Federals were returning 20
their quarters one evening after roll call
in the prison He Is very prominent
citizen now in Eastern Mississippi and
1 think his postofhce Is Meridian.
The prison was a rectangular lnclosurc
covering about twenty acres, surrounded
by whitewashed fence twelve feet high
Guards were stationed on a platform at
tached to the fence on the outside three
feet below the top. The dead llne was a
ditch about twenty feet from the fence
and from four TO eight feet deep. In most
places dug down 10 the solid rock. The
prisoners had to stop on their side OF the
ditch on penalty OF being shot. Various
plans OF escape were concocted. nearly AL
VI which came to grief. Tunnelipg for
awhile was the faGorito method, but that
always ended In failure. for the reason
that the tunnel had TO be not less than
sixty feet long and extend under the
ditch which as above stated. was nearly
everywhere dug down to the solid rock,
charge might have been successfully
attempted, but getting off the island was
the great trouble. After duly conslder-
ing all the chances, Damon concluded he
would try the simplest plan. which was
10 get 10 the fence and dig a hole under
n. This plan bad GlNNhe charms of nov
city, for out OF that host Of prisoners up
10 that time no one had ever made their
escape that way except into eternity. He
chose for his attempt a point near tho
south gate, about fifteen feet from a larga
rejecting lamp that threw bright light
an around This seemed 20 make tho
attempt more hazardous. II possible, but
Damon had in his favor the tact that the
guards on the fence had longer beats near
the gate than elsewhere. One evening IN
September whilo the prisoners were walk
ing In the twilight about the prison yard,
Damon with few friends strolled 20 the
edge OF the ditch opposite the point he
had selected and sat down. The janitor a
few minutes before had finished lighting
his lamps and gone out, No other blue
uniformed man would enter the gate be-
eCre the next morning,
Not long after they had taken their
seats--the guard going east and the one
going west started from the gate at the
same time, OF course their backs were
turned 10 each other. This was what Da-
mon was waiting for. When they had
nearly reached the other end Of their
beats Damon jumped into the ditch, which
here was about six feet deep. and hugged
the opposite banks There he dug some
holss with his oase-knlfe 10 facilitate
climbing out, and awnited the signal whict
ons OF his comrades was to make. ~
soon as II came he sprang out OF the ditct
and made a rush 70 the fence. There was
whselbarrow near the fence and Damon
thought he could lie under il and dig, IL
his CONSERVATION he found II too low To-
such . purpose. so while the guard wa!
aboya him. Ike an ostrich he concealed
his hsad and shoulders under the wheel
barrow and when the guard Was ht tn
far cnd Of the beat he came out and dug
IN about half an hour the hole was larg
enough and then be disappeared from Tn
View Of tho friends who were watehin
him. The next morning. when from IN
prisoners side o. the dead line I saw "a
hole that Damon had crawled througf
around which we're gathered sayeIal Hsn
kee officers and privates, I wondered no
Il was possible for man 10 squeez
through go small an opening. I,atterwar
ascerta4ned that the mSn was boy OF Y
fye feet four inches high whose weigt
had been reduced by sickness TO ninei
pounds
After I met Comrade Damon in Coz
sicana he told me that on the outside u
4 danger seemed to have only fairly beeul
He found himself fifty feet from the guar
house in front OF which was large lam
and not more than ten steps away so
diers were passing. who. II they hi
glanced In HIS direction. could easily ha'
seen him against the whitewashed fenc
Hastily crawling down the fence he So
came TO large bush. behind which
crouched until the beating OF tattoo. Tn
was the signal for all soldiers to get
their quarters. and then he breathed mo
easily. The next problem was 10 (
away from the fence The moon was at
full. and walking the platform above HI
WAS sentinel. whose slow, measur
steps soon brought him 10 the end OF
beat. Then he was joined BY the sentir
on the next heat The two cxchapg
greetings and then started back WI
they seemed to have gone sufficiently
Damon stole away from the fence. o
az them however. heard him, and. turni
round and seeing man walking /,
brought his gun down and cooked H.
Fortunately did not carry out HIS iute
fIon 10 shoot Damon. pretending not
notice him. ieIsurely pursued his way, a
had the satisfaction OF seeing the seniin
after irresoluteiy pausing few senpn