The Springdale news., 1905-03-24
STEALING
 ..d C A R.
fOriginal. l

veteran. but my runnin' away with box car in North Carolina has never been put in type"
 Half dozen pipes were withdrawn from as many mouths. and the smok Ing comrades pricked up their ears.
 Never heard O that raid." remark ed one of them.
 Let's have it." said another.
 "Me and my friend Bill Acres tun- neled out O Andersonville prison pen and made a successful escape-that is, we escaped from the prison and had the whole south to roam in. Gettin' into northern territory was far diff ferent matter found dead Coufed- crate that hadn't been buried and ap propriated his clothes. There wasn't much uniform about 'em, but they had the southern cut, and the coat at least was gray. with c. s. A. on the buttons
 Well. Bill and l concluded to sepa- rate. We wouldn't be of use to each other. and it might give me away as a Confederate to be seen associatin' with a miserable escaped Yankee prisoner. So when we came to a fork in the road I didn't see anything of Bill for two weeks, and in the meantime I'd gone over a good deal of ground. When did see him it was this way:
 "One night-I always travelled nights and hid in daytime-I struck a rail- road. 1 was pretty near worn out and determined to follow the track till reached a station and try to beat my way on a train goin' north, relyin' on my cheek and Confederate uniform for protection. Fact is, l was so des- perate that 1 was even willin' to run the risk of bein' taken in for spy. I walked on the ties for an hour. when l came to q sleepy little station. \ freight train stood on side track with a locomotive headed south. 1 walked along till 1 came to the rear car, box car, and heard voices inside of 1t. l listened and soon learned from what
  ion prisoners of war on their way to Andersonvile But what startled me most was hearin Bill Acres voice among the rest There was no guard about. which surprised me. and. call in for Bill, I made myself known to him. He told me of his capture and said that the prisoners had all given xhoi fn ho rA fn on condition that they be furnished with first class meal the next day. Then the guard had gone off to dance in barn. There wasn't much use takin' the prisoners parole. for they couldn't git out nohow.
 While we was talkin l heard puffin' below and knew there was train comin up from the south. l made up my mind to play a desperate game told the boys in the car to keep still. Seein a lantern on the station platform, I swung it and stop ped the comin' train. a freight.
 "'What d'y' wantT asked the con ductor, gittin' out O the caboose ear in the rear and comin' forward with lantern.
 .I want that ear coupled on to your train
 "'Got an order?'
 "'Not railroad order. The army can't wait for railroad red tape. That's what brought it down here when it's wanted farther north. It's full of ammunition
 This settled the matter. and t''e man gave the necessary orders. 1 had learn ed from the men in the car that we were between Raleigh, N. C.. on the south and Lynchburg. Va. on the north I told the conductor that wanted the car pulled to Lynchburg. When 1t was coupled on behind the ca boose and we had started. the conduct or invited me to ride in the car with him. but l told him that l wouldn't leave the ammunition out of my sight for a moment. had my plans all form ed. My intention was when we reached a convenient point to uncouple the car. i break open the door, free the prisoners and all make tracks for the Blue Ridge.
 '.Of course the nearer we could get to the mountains the better. but of course 
 all the time we stayed with the train we were at great risk and under terri ble suspense. As soon as we got into Virginia l began to think of droppin' away from the train. Luckily at station where we stopped l was able to steal a crowbar for openln' the car and laid it on the roof. Since all was goin' well. I kept with the train till we reached a point ten or a dozen miles from Lynchburg and as many from the mountains; then 1 went to the couplin'. i The door of the caboose was right up against the coupled end of the prison car, but the caboose door was shut, and all the risk took was of its bein' sud denly opened. couldn't pull the coup l lin pin. so I got my erowbar, and this helped me out. After drawin' the pin I waited while the car fell slowly back, not darin to make a sound with the brake. tell you I watched that caboose door with terror till my car