CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1903-09-17
|OUT OF AND[RSONY|LN


At that time the 'dend line" was
close in to the stockade itself. and the
Confederate sentinels on the elevated
platforms on the outside OF the pen
wore satisfied with calling out TO
man vio approached too nenr. Tents
were allowed within three feet of the
furrow which represented the dead
hne.
A tunnel from twenty to twenty-five
feet long would clear everything.
Four Of us set up tent, and that
very day we began our tunnel The ex-
cavation was made at the br =, end Of
the tent and blanket kept at hand TO
cover up all evidences.
We worked only at night. brc ;ure
the dirt had to be carried down to the
creek to be disposed of. and the only
tools we had were an old case knife.
tin plate and piece Of board sharp
ened for a spade.
II was sixty three days from the date
Of beginp'n ng the tunnel before we esti
mated that we were twenty feet be-
yond the line. The moon was now full
and the evenings as light as day. While
vsttine for favorable niEhr0slv third
man. a member Of an Ohio regiment.
was taken III. We cared for him as
best we could for a couple Of dsys.
when he was taken outside to the hos
pital We agreed to postpone our rs
cape for ten days. II he did not re-
up as dead.
II was long after the war before as
certnined what happened him. He
meuded so rapidly that he would have
returned to us on the seventh day. but
was unfortunately included in n draft
Of prisoners for exchange. He had no
way to send us word. and we hnd no
list Of names. and for many years I be-
lieved he was one Of the thousa nds bur.
led at Andersonville.
During our wait Of ten days the Con
federateS came in twice to probe and
search for tunnels. but fortunately
missed us both times. As many as
eight or ten others were discovered.
Yet our greatest danger was from
our fellow prisoners. A man named
Sharon. who belonged to New Eng
land regiment. In some way got sus-
picion that we had a tunnel and one
day entered our tent and announced
| that X he was not allowed TO escape
with US he would stop our going. We
attempted to blur him OF when he
| made straight course for the gate.
presumably to fulnll his threat.
He was not permitted to go far be-
| fore being overtnken and charged with
attempted robbery. II would have
gone hard with him had we pressed
the charge. but We dropped II win the
| ta ah
mouth shut regarding us. From that
hour he was kept under surveillance
| by two men hired by us and was not
permitted to 20 near the gate. Per
haps he would not have carried out his
threat. but n prison pen bring. out the
baseness in human naturr very fully.
II was three days after the trouble
with Sharon before the weather be-
came favorable. and we had not taken
any body into our confidence. Never.
theless. we argued. as we had done be-
| fore. that II a dozen or more got out
the chances OF escape would be in.
creased. We waited until we saw that
the night was TO be dark and drizxly.
and then we passed around among
such acqualntances as we felt could be
trusted and invited them to call At our
tent at o O'Clock. Each thought he was
the only one invited. and each believed
he was to be let into a plot to over.
power the guards and free all prisoners.
At exactly g o'clock my chum crcpt
into the tunnel. and I followed. Not
more than ten minutes later we
emerged from the hole outside Of the
stockade and set of into the darkness.
b< a uA Ixaa
cool and cautious ms we all would have
gone well with them. but an incident
occurred to unnerve them. Six others
had wriggied their way through the
hole when the relief guard came march
ing along so close that one of the pris-
oners cried out and brought detection
TO all. or course an alarm was raised.
the tunnel discovered and all further
escape cut on.
The escape Of the six greatly favored
MS. however. as they scattered in differ
ent directions. and none OF them was
recaptured for two days. while one
went ms far south as Albany.
At o'clock In the morning the man
Sharon heard OF the tunnel and sneaked
away and gave information at the
gates.
II wns at FIRST believed that over 200
prisoners had escaped. and the widest
excitement prevailed inside and out
1t was not until z O'Clock in the morn
ing that the true number wns discov-
cred. and then the Confederate force
at hand was too small for 4 vigorous
pursuit. OF all.
My chum afterward told me thst his
trail was followed for some miles BY
bloodhound and that twice he caught
sight Of pursuers ON horseback. 80
ny the time the six who came out
after us had been recaptured We wers