The National tribune., 1902-07-17

quoted them, for the knife was the only
weapon Of any kind in the room, and
held it in my hand. l advised them to lie
quietly on their hunks and pretend to be
asleep, saying: 1.-The rebels will not hold
you responsible, for our escape. They
did not appoint any of you as guards over
the rest" This they concluded to do.
God grant that l may never again feel
as l did then. When 1 thought of the
horrors of Andersonville felt more like
ferocious wild beast than like human
being. l was nerved up to such a pitch
that l was ready for anything. l was
ready to face regiment of fixed bayonets
leveled at my breast.
| Then we commenced cutting the wood
from around the screws. We had to
work entirely by the sense of feeling, for
the darkness was impenetrable. We took
turn-about In cutting the wood. We kept
man stationed at the windows, listening
for approaching footsteps. II the guard
| had come to look in again before we had
the hinge off the door we were prepared
to knock him down, put out his lantern,
and we would then have rushed past him
into the darkness and have taken our
chances. We had great difficulty in cut
| ting the wood from around the screws and
under the hinge. We could see nothing,
and had to feel the hinge with one hand
while we cut the wood with the other.
Thus we worked by turns.
| The roar of our artillery had ceased
just after sundown, and all was silent in
that direction. OF the result of the battle
we knew nothing as yet After blstering
our hands and cutting our fingers in sew
eral places, we managed to get all Of the
screws out of the hinge. But the door
did not pry from the post as easily as
we had expected. The bolts and bars on
the outside of The door held it firmly, and
resisted our efforts. Then we brought a
stiff pine board from the bottom of one
of the hunks, and used it as a pry. With
this we widened the space between the
door and the post, but not enough to pass
out. We then brought rough plank
bench. This proved a better purchase.
| We squeezed this In between the door and
the posts and gave desperate heave,
when the end of the great bolt on the
outside of the door few out of its socket
with loud noise and fell rafting across
the boards. My heart flew into my throat.
That noise seemed to me as loud as the
roar Of our field battery. Our comrades
lying on their hunks groaned aloud and
said that we would all be dead men in
the door back into its place, and with
clenched teeth and bounding hearts
awaited the coming of the guard.
| L clutched the old plank bench with
both hands, ready to dash the man with
the lantern to the ground as soon as he
would open the door. We listened for
footsteps, but could hear none. We looked
through the barred windows for the Ian
tern, but could see none. Then we con
cluded that the guard could not have
heard the falling Of the bar.
We then pried the door off as far as
we could and squeezed through, out of the
prison, into the darkness, leaving our
seven unwilling comrades lying on their
hunks: We had used every persuasion to
win their consent to join US, but they
would not move, declaring that it would
be better to take their chances at Ander-
sonyille.
Now the nine Of US crawled on our
hands and knees toward the picket line,
which was between US and a heavy pine
and cypress forest, just north Of the
prison. If we could gain the cover of that
forest then the chances of our escape
would be increased 10 to one The night
the wind was re-echoed from the tops OF
the tall pines as We crawled slowly to,
ward the picket line. At last we distinctly
heard the low, dull tread of pickets.
We could not see them yet. Still VIC
crawled straight ahead. We discovered
that We were crawling straight toward
the center Of the picket line, for now We
ing toward us from the west, while at the
same time we heard the tread Of the one
coming from the east. They Inst, Just
ahead Of US, exchanged q few words
which were inaudible to us, and faced
about, slowly pacing toward the farther
i end Of thoir beats.
We could now see the dim outlines Of
the two men. l was afraid that they
would hear the loud beating Of my heart
and challenge US, for truly 1t sounded to
mo louder than the roar Of cannon. Just
then one OF ny comrades behind ms
head was o6. and waited. ready to sprins