The Washington herald., 1911-03-12

desperate men and were armed with re-
voIvers So they passed on but came
back Just before dark re-enforced in num-
her. \ dozen or fifteen loaded muskets
were stuck into our faces and we sur
rendered.
That night we were kept under guard.
The next day We were marched into
Richmond. The streets were crowded with
women and children to see the return
of the. Yankees. all dangerous men. it
was said. OF the 100 prisoners who crept
through the tunnel, fifty We're recaptured.
Moran. Watson, and l were put into a
cell underground. Inside of two hours
we were in communication with the
prisoners above by means of a quickly
bored hole in the ceiling. Notes were
sent back and forth aRd all the news
of the prison was thus passed from cellar
to garret One day a guard came TO
the door and said: Six men out
was near at hand. Watson, back in the
cell. came to the front with a rush. Life
in the dungeon with us was over.
Three months later. We set off for
the prison at Macon, Ga. We Travelled
in box cars, sixteen to the train. Guards
were inside the cars and on top. Much
time was spent on side tracks and at
stations waiting for orders. Prisoners
accumulate a good deal of junk. Having
nOtll0g DUI what Is Oh IUtlT bdIhS dlll
very little of that. the smallest thing
they can pick up is OF value. rusty
nail becomes of large prospective i'm
portance. Carving all we had onto the
cars, we looked like a caravan OF beg
gers. Before the train was fairly out OF
Richmond some of us were slowly dig
ging a hole through the bottom of the
car, while our associates sat on the floor
near the guards and played cards to
conceal our operations. In the meantime
holes were being made in every other car
of the train.
Slipped Through Hole.
when we stopped, late one night, at
Milan Junction in Georgia, I went
through the hole. A thrill passed up and
down my body as my feet touched free
ground 1 kept under the edge Of the
car, bending over and going toward the
engine as fast as possible, on the theory
that if 1 could get to the head OF the
train before il sarted and lie down on
the ends of the ties. as near to the
rail as was safe, 1 would not be dis
covered when the last car passed the
spot where I was hiding. The theory
worked out perfectly.
After the tram had disappeared in the
darkness, 1 got up and looked around.
Nobody was in sight In a few minutes,
however, 1 met two other prisoners.
Strange as it may seem, have forgotten
their names. I didn't investigate any
| further. Three were enough in that sort
of an adventure. One night, we walked
| forty miles. We hurried ourselves in
the woods during the daytime. Once,
! followed by dogs and men on horseback
we reached deep, swift river.
I'VE were often compelled to wade
creeks for considerable distances to fool
the dogs that were following US The
| food we ate was obtained from negroes
At o'clock one night 1 left my COM
panions in the woods and went to a
cluster of cabins on a large plantation.
1 secreted myself near a door, BY and
by a colored man came out into the
open His name was Horace He pro.
missed 10 get US something to eat and ]
foolishly agreed to meet him in a corner
| of a field, instead of the timber where
We belonged and should have remained
j The negro had to be careful and we lay
on the ground for a long while waiting
Presently somebody appeared, but ht
was another slave and not our friend
Horace. While we were talking to him
and explaining we heard some one say
Surrender
Looking around, we saw a man cover
/ ing us with an army revolver. The
negro ran away. We argued with the
man for some time. He had beer
slightly wounded and sent home. and
being a miller. was grinding corn fol
! the Confederate army. Hearing us talk