The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1910-07-24
ANNALS OF IOWA.

ANNALS VT ~ ~ ~
The Annals of Iowa for April con-
tains a number of attractive features,
among them a review of the character
and life-work of AFRO Benjamin Frank
lin Hildreth, who founded the Charles
/ city Inteiligencer in 1856 and pub
lished it until 1870, when he disposed
/ OF ii 10 Dyke and Rowel. The subject
of the sketch was of the type OF wnlcn
the best of pioneers in northern Iowa
were made and he exerted wide III
] fiuence in determining the course OF
events in the state in his day Inc
/ article is in Mr.. Perkins best vein and
lis interesting and instructive through
out. A portrait of Mr.. Perkins accom-
panies the sketch.
Another article worthy OF general
perusal was contributed by Capt. w
4 A. Duckworth of Keosauqua. 1t Is
entitled Escape from Confederate
Prison" and tells of tie experiences OF
seven men in getting away from
prisoners camp near Shreveport, La,
in February, 1864 Six of the men were
members OF company II, Nineteenth
Iowa viz: Sergeant ". w. Byers,
afterward a lieutenant, now residing
at Chautauqua, Kans.; Corporal j. +.
/ Daugherty, still residing at Keosauqua,
I Iowa; Privates: E. P. Taylor, living
now at Greenfield, Mo-; j. Il. Paxton,
iresiding at Milton, Iowa; Jonathan
Nixon, who died at Keosauqua. Iowa,
and Simon Bodkin, now living at Well
ington, Kans. The seventh man was
/ Serg cant ]. S. Ragsdale, now living at
Birmingham, Iowa, who was after
wards promoted to first lieutenant OF
company /, Nineteenth Iowa.
The break for liberty was made on
the evening of the 25th of February
1854, few minutes prior to 6 o'clock
In walking their beats the guards
met at ravine where they
turned and walked back to the mex
post The attention of one of the
guards was attracted and he was held
in conversation with his back to the
lravine until the other guard hat
reached the ravine and turned, so tina
the guards were back to back. At thi.
Ijuncture, at the signal of cough from
some OF the men who remained at tn,
camp and were in the secret that tn,
conditions were favorable, the part,
OF seven marched In single file safel,
out of the camp. The first part of thei
journey was made by yawl down tn
Red river IN three nights the
Hnatod dou,r .ba zfroop, bidiro - ~,
timber back Of plantations in the VI
land during the day and conceaiin
; their boat by sinking 1t in some SAT
place. After floating part of tn
, fourth night they decided to abando
the boat and strike across countr,
/ Navigation had grown more hazardou
for various reasons, but chiefly on a
\ count of the increasing frequency {
Confederate craft on the river. AS b,
/ fore, the men travelled by night, bein
guided in clear weather by the mort
star and in cloudy weather By th
were crossed with the aid OF raft
8 which were made b. binding togeths
fence rails and pieces Of drift VOC
i by means OF vines. The food and clotl
ting were put aboard the raft, some !
/ the men swimming behind and pusliz
it across and the others holding o.
i After many yicissitudes they reache
land. which transferred them to q
n other boat the next day, which IN tur
landed them at yicksburg late Il
Il next evening. They arrived at Il
the Mississippi river and the prote
il ton Of a Yankee gunboat, the Switze
bank Of the Mississippi On the 18th
March. 1854. after an eighteen day
perilous journey. They were In co
slant danger all this time and endur.
great suffering. Accompanying Il
: article are photographs of CAPITA
6 Duckworth, Robert Forbes, Jr.. E.
Taylor. Jonathan Nixon, J. r. Paxto
e ]. S. Ragsdale W " Byers, Sfmt
D. Bodkin and ]. F. Daugherty.