The National tribune., 1900-08-09

can, the Captain Of the coOk-houSe, on TO
the fact, and he coniiscated 1t.
| AGAIN IN PRISON.
"On the 5th of September, 1854, five of
US who were in the cook house ran off from
Andersonville, but on the fourth day. in
the evening, about 4 o'clock, we were re-
| captured by lot of old soldiers who had
been at the front and had been wounded.
They were jolly good fellows, and sent a
man ahead to Lumpkins, the County seat
of Stewart County, Ca, and ordered sup
per for US at an old planters. 1t was the
best supper / ever ate. We had butter.
/ milk, cornbread, honey and meat, and 1
for it with. and so expressed myself to
the old planter. But he said, Boys, never
| mind; have a boy in northern prison,
and if you come across him just treat him
as l have treated you and it will be all
| right
"At Lumpkins' our guards turned US
| over to the Sheriff, who was also jailer,
| which exempted him from service in the
| army. He was also a saloon keeper. We
were visited by several parties, who found
out l was Mason, and we were given
| good supper and treated so literally that
| we were feeling pretty rich for prisoners
| Of war. Some of the friends we made at
| Lumpkins' tried to get the Sheriff to leave
the Jail unlocked so we might escape, but
| the jailer was afraid Of losing his job and
| be compelled to go into the army. We
| had fine treatment here. One old farmer
came to see Us and talk with us, and
| brought us bucket full Of nice hot bis
| cult. These were the only biscuit we
tasted while in the Confederaey.
"An old German shoemaker came to the
| Jail and told the Sheriff to let him take
US awhile; that he would be responsible
| for us, and the Sheriff placed us in his
| care. and he took US to his shop and gave
each of Us good new pair Of shoes. We
| were all barefooted at the time and ap-
preciated this gift very much. From
Lumpkins we were marched to Columbia.
Ca, camping on the way for one night on
the bank Of the Chattahoochie River. This
| was an awful trip, marching on the hot
sand. On this trip we stopped once for
rest and the guards all set down their
guns in the fence-corpers and climbed over
in field to get corn for their horses. They
were completely in our power, and i
begged the other boys to join with me in
seizing the guns and march our guard
awhile, but they said it would do no good
and would only make it worse for US in
the long run. On arriving at Columbia
we were placed in jail and kept about two
weeks. and from there we were sent to
the stockade in the old Fair Ground at
Macon, where we remained about six
weeks.
"One of the first persons / met here
was our detective at AndersonviIle, Pat
O'Conner. l told him he had come to a
good place to get paid for some of his
meanness, but he declined to talk to me
and passed on. After we had been here
4 short time the rebels took six of us who
were carpenters out Of the stockade, and
put US to work upon some barracks they
were building for their guards. Here the
rebels made an offer to all prisoners who
would take the oath of allegiance to the
Southern Confederacy protection under
the laws of the State and transportation
to their own country of such foreigners as
were prisoners. l did not accept the offer,
but remained. and had severe attack of
intermittent fever and was sent to the
hospital After my return from the hos
pital Pat OConner, the member of the
11th Regs, who had become regular spy
on his own comrades, undertook to thrash
me one day while he was drunk. With n
three-f0ot piece of scantling L put him in
shape to go to the hospital for the remain
der Of the time we were in Macon. He
reported me to the Quartermaster in
charge of us, but after he had investigated
the affair told O'Conner / had served him
right. Our carpenter work did not last
long, as Fitzpatrick made raid in the di-
rcction of Macon and burned the mill that
furnished us lumber, and we were taken
to Columbus, Ga, and put to work build
ing platform for the freight depot there.
We had good time there. and saw the
gunboat the rebels had built and could not
launch.
WITHIN THE MACON SToCKADE.
while here we learned that Mr. Cru
Der wanted 500 cords of wood cut and was
willing to pay wages and furnish provision
for the men who would cut it. Our crowd
undertook the job, but we had only been
at it Il few days when Dr. Johnson came
TO US and wanted to know if there were
any blacksmiths among rs. We informed
him that two of us were backsmiths He
said he wanted buggy repaired, and to
come over to his house next morning and
so to work.
Il and another prisoner who was a
blacksmith took the job. repaired the doc
tors buggy and did lots of other work, had
good time, and got all the Confederate |
money We wanted to buy sweet potatoes |
with when we were ordered back to the |
stockade III Macon. On our return to Ma |
con there was rumor that there was to
re a general exchange Of prisoners, but |
as we saw no mention of this in the pa
pers that we received every day, did not |
believe it, especially as the report came
that we were to be returnd to Anderson
vile. Upon this report Frank Twist, II. |
g. Knowles and / started to run off again |
and Travelled part of one night, but the |
weather was terribly wet and we had no |
rations, so we went back, and | went to |
the home OF 4 widow lady, who had Of |
fered to conceal me in Macon once before, |
and Twist and Knowles stayed at Hart !
well A. Lovett's place, SO we were all pro- |
yded for.
FORGED PASSES.
'At this time / forged passes for us, |
signing the Generals and Adjutant-Gen- |
erals names to it, and with these in our |
possession we passed the militia and went |
out and worked on the job of wood cutting |
referred to. While on this job we learned |
that there was indeed to be a general ex-
change of prisoners. A prisoner named |
Sands and | went to Gen. Pillow, who /
then commanded at Macon, and told him
We had been working as paroled prisoners
of war. and it worked like a charm. He |
offered to do anything for us, but advised |
lis to remain there, for he said if we went |
home we would have to go back in the /
army again, and if we remained there we
would not be subject to do military duty.
He, however, gave us three days rations |
and transportation to Andersonville, where
sou Of US were exchanged. While on the
way TO AnderSonville we got the word
that Gen. Lee had surrendered to Gen.
Grant.
Il left Andersonville at noon on Thrus.
day, and on Friday night was back at
Macon. While concealed by the widow
lady at Macon, and where | stayed while
cutting cordwood, | became acquainted