Year: 1876

oOtC1d1 Va WIZ NNOAAON@
friends called to see him during the
day, and I was convinced that he
had some very warm friends. He
was still complaining in the evening
and all through the night. The
next morning, after we had eaten
our breakfasts, some half dozen OF
his comrades applied for admittance
to see the sick man. After parley
and showing passes, they were ad-
mitted and collected around his cot.
They stayed about ten minutes and
went out, and with them went No. l,
the doomed man. AS it happened,
nobody missed the poor fellow for
an hour, and then his escape was dis
covered by one of the guards. The
blankets had been left in such a
shape that we still thought the man
was under them.


On examination, it appeared that
his irons had been fled off and the
man was gone. We Yankee boys
were accused of assisting in the es-
cape. An officer came into the room
and questioned our boys, but each
and all denied knowing anything
about it. The guards also denied
knowing anything.


The officer went out and returned
shortly, and said that Gen. Lee was
not satisfied with the investigation,
and that the General had ordered
him to conduct three of the Yankee
prisoners to his headquarters and he
would have them shot in retaliation.
The three selected were Billy Painter,
Baker and myself. We were march
ed to headquarters and halted in a
yard opposite window that was
open, and in the room were seated
half dozen Confederate officers in
full uniform, and amongst them
Gen. Lee.


Painter was young, good look
ing boy, curly-headed, with frank,
open countenance, very prepossessing
in his appearance, and about eighteen
yers old. The officers took a. search
ing lcok at us and commenced ques-
tioning Painter in about this style:


"Well, my little fellow, who of you
assisted our man to escape p


Answer: "None of us, General"


'Now, tell the truth II you
didn't, 1 want you to tell who did do
it. You may save your life by con-
Tossing what you know"


Answer:


81 don't want to save my life bad
enough to tell or try to tell what I
don't know.


After the officers had interviewed
Billy all they wanted to, Baker and
myself underwent a similar investi-
cation, which resulted in nothing
that would convict us, yet the
chances were against US, as the
guards had insinuated as much as
they could against US, in order to
clear themselves.


While the officers were trying to
extract enough evidence from us to
Justify them in shooting us, an in
vestigation was going on in another
direction, and it was discovered that
the prisoners own friends had snug
gled him out of the room, and his
sickness was O ruse to enable him to
file off his chains by covering up
with his blanket, and while we were
making racket he could work.
When his half-dozen comrades got
admitted in the morning, that was a
put-up job, as the guards didn't
count them, and six came in and
seven went out, and the difference
was not noticed.


This discovery was conveyed to
Gen. Lee, and as it acquitted us we
were sent back to our prison. We
received the congratulations of our
friends on our escape, and if there
had been a mill stone taken from
around my neck couldn't have felt
any more relieved. Painter and
Baker ditto.


This would perhaps be q good
time to comment on the spirit of re
taliation, but 1 will refrain from g
wearisome depression, and merely
relate one circumstance, as told tc
me while o prisoner by one of the
parties very nearly concerned.


There were five Union soldiers
taken prisoners by band of guerril
las in the State of Mississippi. They
belonged to Gen. Sherman com
mand, and were captured during his
march from Vicksburg to Meridian
The guerrillas bad lost three men
who they supposed had been shot by
Union soldiers, and the officer IL
command gave orders to shoot three
of the five, in order to retaliate. The
guards laid hold of the three nearest
ones, and took them about twenty
steps and shot them. I will leave
the reader to reflect on the justice
or injustice of retaliation, and pro
ceed with my narrative.


All the prisoners used tobacco il
in some shape, either chewing Oh
smoking, and while we had oul