The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-16
HAS REMARKABLE RELIC.
IoWan Saves Hole Through Which
He Left Prison During War.
tChica go ChrOnlcle.)
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Many queer things have been shipped
from one part of the country to another,
but ii has remained for an old soldier of
Iowa to break the record of having
shipped to him from South Carolina the
hole through which he made his escape
from prison during the civil war On a
recent visit to the south Major S. H. NJ.
Byers. who is the hero of the tale. Wis
tied the old prison at Columbia, S. c.,
where for fourteen long months he was
kept a captive. The old building had
been remodeled but a carpenter was OBJ
tanned, and there, under a layer Of fresh
new boards. the major was overiOyed to
find the identical hole which he had
through which he made the thrilling es-
cape, which to this day has puzzled some
of the confederate guards. The hole was
cut out and presented to the major. who
had IL shipped north, and it now OCCu-
pies a conspicuous place in his elegant
drawing ROOM along with costly curios
from abroad.
Mr.. Byers has had an interesting ca
reer, has travelled extensively abroad
and enjoys considerable distinction In his
native state, being a poet of note; but
there is nothing over which he grows
more eloquently reminiscent than over his
experiences in war times, and ii is the
vein of poetry in his nature which in
flict which played so thrilling a part IN
his youth. He is now engaged in writ
ing play called "Allatoona," a war play,
which is woven round the hole through
which he made his exciting escape.
Probably no more thrilling escape fig
ured in the great civil war than that of
Major 9. II. NJ. Byers, the Iowa poet.
Saving their way out with blunt case
knife, he and a comrade, Lieutenant De-
vine of Philadelphia regiment, seCreted
themselves for two nights and day in
dark, Sitting cubby hole over a porch,
where they remained without water or
food until they thought the soldiers had
all been removed from the fort. Sur
rounded by waiting guards as soon as
they emerged from their hiding places,
they made desperate dash for the gate
amid rain of bullets, and in the dark
ness made their escape Major Byers is
known to old soldiers all over the cOun-
try, having written the song 'Sherman's
March to the Sea- while he was i'm pris-
on. This was later taken up by the entire
army, the song being carried through the
lines in the artificial leg of union sol
dior
1t was when Major Byers was a youth
of "A and adjutant of the Fifth Iowa reg
iment that he found himself, with 500
comrades. shut up in the old prison at
Columbia. S. c, It had formerly been
used as an insane hospital, and consisted
of a number of frame buildings sur
rounded by high stone wall. As there
were always guards on top of the wall,
il was not deemed necessary TO place
them in the various buildings, and 1T was
to this fact that the major owed his es-
cape. His cot was placed in a frame
building in the center OF the inclosure
Eager to secure news from the outside
Major ByerS bribed a negro who was al
lowed OF come into the camp to sell bread
and send him each morning in a loaf of
bread a daily newspaper. In this way he
learned that Sherman's army, returning
from its march to the sea. was now COM
ing north. In view of this fact he felt
sure the confederates would remove all
their prisoners 10 some other point out of
Sherman's way.
day or two before Sherman's army
was to reach the prison where he was a