CELLAR LIFE.
My home and company--Great alarm--Still safe--The work
renewed--Success--The last night in Libby--Words on leaving.
The cellar was now my home. I was fed by my companions, who nightly
brought me down a portion of their own scanty fare. Had I been
discovered by the authorities of the prison it would have gone hard
with me; and knowing this, the greatest sympathy was manifested by
my associates, who felt that this danger was incurred not less for
their advantage than my own.
Every thing moved on as well as could be expected. I had plenty
of company--little of it, however, agreeable, as it consisted
of rebels, rats, and other vermin. With the former I had no
communication whatever; whenever they made their appearance I
leaped quickly into a hole I had prepared in the straw, and pulled
the hole in after me, or nearly so, at least, by drawing the straw
over me so thickly that I could scarcely breathe. The rats gave me
no annoyance, save when making more noise than usual, they startled
me by making the impression that my two-legged enemies were near;
the remaining nuisance, which shall be nameless, was one which all
prisoners will ever remember with loathing, and from which there
was neither respite nor escape.
The night of the seventh of February came, and it was thought that
our tunnel was long enough to reach the inside of a tobacco-shed on
the opposite side of the street, under which it passed. We made our
calculation in the following manner: Captain Gallagher had obtained
permission to go to a building across the street, where the boxes
sent from the North to the prisoners were stored, to obtain some of
the perishable articles; and while crossing the street he measured
the distance, as accurately as possible, by stepping it both ways,
and came to the conclusion that fifty-two or fifty-three feet would
bring us to the shed. On measuring the tunnel it was found to be
fifty-three feet long, and we fondly hoped that our labors were
ended, with the exception of a few feet upward to the light. So
confident were we that the work could be completed in an hour or
two, that we had our rations already prepared in our haversacks,
fully expecting to begin going out at nine o'clock--nay, we even
went so far as to communicate the success of our plan to many
who had not been partakers in the labor or the secret of the
undertaking, but whom we invited to become the companions of
our flight. When all were thus expectant, all thinking that the
long-wished-for hour had come, Capt. Randall, of the Second Ohio,
was appointed to open up the way to light and liberty.
It was agreed that the mining party, who had labored so faithfully,
should go out first, and that our friends should follow; and we
stood anxiously awaiting the return of Capt. Randell, with the news
that the way was open. There are times when minutes seem lengthened
into hours--this was one of them. The suspense began to be painful;
it seemed as if we could hear the beatings of each other's hearts,
as well as feel the throbbings of our own, and the unspoken
question on every lip was, Will he succeed? At length he emerged
from the tunnel, and, in answer to the question, "What success?" in
an excited tone and manner he replied, "All is lost!" We gathered
round him, and when he became somewhat calmer he spoke as follows:
"I have made an opening, but a large stone which lay on the surface
fell into the tunnel, making considerable noise; the hole, too, was
on the outside of the shed, and within a few feet of the sentinel
who was on guard; he heard the noise, and called the attention of
the other sentinel to it; the light from the hospital shone upon
the side of the shed; I could see both the guards walking toward
the spot; I have no doubt they have discovered the tunnel, and
perhaps will soon be in here to arrest us."
Imagine, if you can, our feelings; our bright hopes so suddenly
crushed, and every one in expectation that the guard would soon be
upon us. Great excitement prevailed, yet no one was able to suggest
how to act in this sudden and unexpected emergency.
Amid all the excitement, however, incident to such an occasion,
there was much sympathy felt in my behalf. I had been missing
for some time, and was supposed to have made my escape; to be
discovered now, as seemed inevitable, would be proof that I had
much to do with the attempt to escape, and would subject me, at
the very least, to the dungeon and handcuffs. In a few moments the
cellar was nearly cleared, most of the party returning to their
quarters in the different rooms above; but Maj. M'Donald and Capt.
Hamilton remained with me, determined, if they could not aid me, at
least to share the same fate. Noble, self-sacrificing men! their
conduct proved that disinterested friendship and high, chivalrous
feeling have not yet departed.
After all was quiet the Major determined to go up stairs and make
what discoveries he could. He soon returned, saying he had been up
to the upper east room, from which he could see the sentinels very
distinctly; and, from all appearances, he concluded that they had
not discovered the hole. I advised him to go into the tunnel and
examine the breach, and stop it up if possible, as it was not at
the right place to render our escape at all likely, being outside
of the shed instead of inside, as was intended, and within a few
feet of the guard. If the hole could not be stopped, of course it
exposed us to certain discovery in the morning; and I proposed to
go in and enlarge it, and, great as was the risk, try to make my
escape at all hazards; for if I should fail, I would rather be
caught in the attempt than wait to be found in the cellar or my
quarters. When the Major returned he reported favorably, saying
that the breach might be repaired. An old pair of pantaloons were
procured and stuffed full of earth; some dirt, too, was put on the
outside of them, so that the cloth could not be seen, and thus
excite suspicion. These were forced into the aperture, and earth
pressed in beneath; and he returned greatly elated with the hope
that all danger was past, and that in one or two more nights our
labors would be crowned with success.
After a few minutes' consultation it was agreed that I should
remain in the cellar till the next night. All the next day a close
watch was kept, by some of our number in the east room, on the
guards who were stationed near the place where our tunnel ended.
There was no token, however, that any discovery had been made, and
the next night the mining operations were resumed, and between two
and three o'clock in the morning an opening was made to the free
air, this time inside of the shed, at the very point we desired,
at a distance of fifty-seven feet from the point of starting. The
tunnel was about two feet wide by two feet and a half deep; it was
arched above; and Lieut. Davy, who is a practical miner, declared
that it was done in a workmanlike manner. We found a very hard,
compact sand all along the route; the loose earth was disposed of
as I have before stated, till within about ten feet of the end,
when it was strewn along the entire length, thus reducing very
considerably the size of the passage. Near the terminus it was
rather a close fit for a large man, and when I was passing through
I stuck fast, and had to call on Maj. Fitzsimmons to pull me out of
a very tight place.
The principal tool used in this work was a chisel, which was found
among some rubbish in the cellar, a handle for which was made from
a piece of stove-wood.
When the surface was reached there was too little of the night
remaining to effect our escape; two of our number, however, passed
out and explored the lot, and planned the course to be taken after
emerging from the tunnel. The shed in which our labors terminated
fronted the canal; between them was a brick building, through
the center of which there was a passage into the lot, closed by
a gate; and the route fixed upon was through this passage. The
question then arose, who shall go out first? Some thought that I
was entitled to that honor, as I had been confined so long in the
cellar, and had incurred more risk than the rest. Others thought
that, though to go out first might be esteemed the post of honor,
it was also the post of danger, as the first would run more risk
than those who should follow. It was finally agreed that I should
be the fifth to pass out, and that Lieut. Fislar should be my
partner in flight. Then arose the question, how the aperture
through the surface should be concealed till the next night;
for should any one go into the shed during the day, as was most
probable, our plan might yet be frustrated. A piece of plank was
found, and Capt. Hamilton dispatched with it to the outer end of
the tunnel, over which he placed it, being careful, however, to
bury it just below the surface, and to cover it with dry earth. He
soon returned, having successfully accomplished his task; and all
retired to their quarters, leaving me in the cellar to cover up all
traces of their work--cheered by the thought that with night would
come liberty.
The ninth of February was a long day, and long to be remembered;
never was my anxiety so great as for the setting of that day's
sun; and more than once during its long, dreary hours I feared
that the cup of happiness, now so near our lips, would be rudely
dashed away. Business often brought those connected with the
prison into the cellar, as it contained articles constantly needed;
but on that day it was visited much oftener than usual. One party
brought a dog in with them, and hissed him after the rats; and
in his search after them he passed over and around me, and every
moment I expected to be drawn from my place of concealment; but
I was too large game for him, and I escaped. Soon after a rebel
sergeant came in, with some negroes, after some empty barrels that
were stowed in the back part of the cellar. In one of the barrels
they found a haversack full of provisions, left there by one of our
party the preceding night. This I thought would certainly awaken
suspicion, and give rise to a strict search; the negroes, however,
took the food and ate it, without the question being raised how it
came there. But the danger had not yet passed; for, in carrying
out the barrels, one of the negroes stepped over my feet, almost
touching them. Night came at length, and never was sunlight hailed
more gladly than darkness, for it brought an end to our fears and
captivity.
The path to freedom is now open; but pardon me, kind reader,
if I delay a moment on the threshold, as it were, of a prison
that I trust soon to leave forever, to look over the sad hours
spent in its walls, and the methods taken by its inmates to make
the hours seem less weary. Much of my own time, and that of my
fellow-laborers, was so taken up with our project, that we suffered
less than the great body of prisoners, whose time and thoughts
were not thus occupied. To them the routine of prison life became
intolerably oppressive, and every device was employed to pass away
the long, long hours. Books and fragments of books were eagerly
devoured; newspapers were read till they would scarcely hold
together. At times shouts of uproarious laughter would be heard;
and a casual observer would have thought that a more careless,
light-hearted band could not be found; but, alas! much of the
laughter rang above a sad heart; and to those who knew the thoughts
of those so outwardly gay, there was something in that laughter
sadder far than tears. Many were anxiously exercised upon the
questions, what shall we eat? what shall we drink? and wherewithal
shall we be clothed? but their solicitude never led them to a
satisfactory conclusion. Others would go through the forms of
fashionable life, and invitations to parties, and to dine, were
frequent; but the rich viands and sparkling wines, like those of
the banquet recorded in the Arabian Nights, existed only in the
imagination of the guests.
Wealth is only a relative term at last. He was well-off in Libby
who had two pewter spoons, an extra tin cup or plate; rich who
possessed a ham and a box of crackers--a millionaire if, in
addition to these, he had a pound or two of tobacco. The silver
ware in our wealthiest mansions is never looked after as carefully
as were the extra spoons, forks, or plates, which a man or mess
claimed; and when they disappeared, as they sometimes would, as
much skill and craft would be employed to recover them as a corps
of detectives would display when a bank has been robbed, or a
palace plundered. Many pined away with melancholy, and the history
of the hearts which have been crushed would be a sad one; many left
us during my stay for the hospital--from thence it was not far to
the grave. There were, however, stout hearts which would not yield
to discouragement--men who never for a moment yielded to despair;
they had faith in their Government, in the justice of the cause for
which they were suffering, and, best of all, some of them had faith
in God.