Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1919-01-16
Psrsssa "reminiscences II IL 'eka Va
1851 Il 1895. - ):
lBY EN-. PERKINS. 7

For the last six oreight month
Of prison life the absorbing ques.
ti"n with the prisoners wassome.
thing to car. There was a great:
number of whnrf rats in the pris-,
on, AID ONE Of the men canght
rats. coospd ami atp them Ibid
not taste anv Vt tham.hn | saw
them cooking AMI they lhokpd
and smelled good. and those
that ate them said they were
good. The wharf rat is much
! rger thaneonrcountrsrats r. and
tvnn IL 49, i1ir,n I:':Ii,I,i uiAea
u f..~,u-,'t ~ nr- ii1ar--.,nan.
On day there were some visitors
looking over fairgrounds :and a
nice fat looking little dog was
following the party. Some Of the
mon enticed the dog into the bar.
racks, killed and ate him. The
officers heard Off and came a.
round to The barracks and in.
quired about it and the men told
them they cooked and ate him.
They asked why they did, it and
II it was good. The men told
them because they wers hungry.
The officer remarked "I'll feed
you on dog meat then" They
told him alright if he would just,
give them enough OF it. As we'll
a. I remember they did not pun
ish the men but reprimanded
them and warned them not to
do 20 again.
One reason for the rigid disci-
pline We had enforced upon US
was the restlessness OF the pris-
oners, hungry men are always
restless and more or less desper.
ate. There was no hope Of an
exchange OF prisoners, and the
men continuallyplottingan and
planning to get out. OF prison.
There we're a few men lost their
lives attempting to scale the
walls and get out. The most
feasible plan for an attempted es.
ccape was for the. prisoners to
some night arise In, mass, over.
power the guards, take their
guns, then storm and capture
the city arse al, arm themselves
capture a Steam boat and cross
the lake iut0 Canada. This plan
was discussed and l think gener.
ally known among the prisopers,
and l believe il things had. gone
on as they were till warm wealth.
or the plan would have been at
tempted to be carried ont. There
was a small numl,er ofshe gunrds
(perhaps not more than two hun.
dred) and there were about 12,.
600 prisoners, and it looked like
it might have been q success, but
this plan was suddenly thwarted
by an unexpected event which oc.
CURED on the 10th OF Feb. '65,
for on that day Morgan's old
command who had been in pris-
on longest time, were orlered to
form q line in frnt of barracks
and al! mat re>pOm;en sr"'
checked up until they secured the
number wanted. and th-n we un.
derstood We were to be taken
out, we did not know where or
why but expectetj t0 b. exchau-
ged, and would start the next
day. do not remember the
lumber called out but it VAS a
bout a car load. My name was
ont among the fortunate ones
ones. There we're some vel
pleased men and some dissapoin'
ted ones that day. Those who
we're checked up for the triE
made all preparations possible
for travelling and as was natural
there was a great deal OF specu
lation as to where We would &c
and what disposition would bt
made Of US. The nightfollowine
1 was privileged to ride "Mor'
gan's mule" for the first and las
time. The men were not permit
rod to talk aftor tana at NIGH