The National tribune., 1909-04-22

Tower floor of this building cut hole
thru the floor and dug tunnel thru
the wall and out beyond the tight board
fence that surrounded the prison be-
yond the guard line. Next morning the
Johnnies. were about So short in their
count They then crowded all the pris-
orers on the upper floors of the build
ing, and kept guards on the lower moor
70 see that there was no lettering there
1 in passing TO and from the rear rms
crowded the upper floors SO that they
allowed the prisoners to occupy small
room on the second floor at the extreme
end of the ell of the building think
there were about 20 of US in that small
room, and / don't think We were there
"a hours before the question OF making
our escape was the uppermost IN our
minds, as there we could close the door
and conduct our operations in secret
The first move was to organize society
of those in the room, together with
such comrades as we could trust from
outside of the little room, in all ABOUT
40, who were all sworn to secresy. The
next move was the election or oincers'
as follows: President, George w De
Huff; Chief Engineer, Paul tsome-
body): Assistant Engineers, John Obrei-
ter and your humble servant, together
with a committee of five as Council
of Administration. We cut thru the
floor of the small room we were in (ilt-
ting the boards back nicely and always
keeping that part of the floor well COW
cred with blankets when the rebels
were around) into the small room be-
stored, thence thru the lower floor to
terra firTna- The joists of the lower
floor were from six to IL inches from
the ground. which, with an old well
we found under there, gave US ample
room to deposit the dirt accrued from
Z faalf vii u q
and about one foot deep thruout the
whole length of the building to the
mouth of the tunnel heretofore naraed
the outside of which had been filled VI
by the. REBELS.
Before reaching the mouth of thu
old tunnel We had to dig thru the foun-
dation walls of stone or brick az leas'
four times. then left the old tunnel as
soon as we were outside the walls o.
the prison to take q new direction
The surface cf the ground was .
gentle upward slope from our building
and by running out on level we Soor
got into solid clay, in which there was
no danger of a cave-in.
I ! The two assistant engineers would 81
for hours at a time at an upper-stor!
window to get the proper angle ant
distance to or beyond an outbCHding
not then occupied, about so feet from
where we left the building. The t"'
assistant engineers did all the digging
with such help as they needed to hau
back and remove the dirt. The Chic
Engineer occasionally came down Il
inspect the work, until certain um'
after he had emerged from his tour o.
inspection ne reported to the Presiden
and Council that we were going til.
wrong direction. and that we must de
fleet to the left almost to right angle
which we were ordered to do. Tn
I anpfnpefc VrnfpGtad and in
formed the President that the chief
Instructions, IL obeyed, would take u
back under the main prison building
We gained our point. and for three Ion;
weeks as soon as the count was mad
in the morning one of the assistants
with his helper. would descend into tn
small room below. there turn thei
clothes inside out and dig like a mol
until noon, when the second relic
would take their place.
When we thought we were ia
enough the President handed me a
iron rod, shaped at one end like roc
drill, and told me 20 drill thru and Sc
what / could see. To my great deligf
] saw the joists of the building we aime
for above
/. The next few days were occupied
preparing our wardrobe and haversac
for an outing, after which the Presider
told me a short time after dark to 6
! uONn anu SIeD~Oul, 30 Out anu IeCoI
noiter. then return and report. / di
SO. and reported that the egress wa
under the small building, that we coul
crawl out on the lower side of it an
emerge thru an alley to the next stree
About midnight the exodus commenced
AS soon as seven of us were out W
marched down the alley. and heard tn
Joyful sound Post No. and airs well
In cur rear
The rebels, I was afterwards told b
our prisoners, were shy 12G of thei
boarders next morning. The. squad
was with got within eight miles of ou
lines at suffolk, Va, and were taken (
Lihbey Prison dungeon. afterwards 1
. btaie Island. and about the Ist of Jun
were taken TO Andersonyille