Show HOW JOHN MORGAN ESCAPED Cavalry Leader and Others Oth rs Managed to Get Out of Ohio Prison by Hole Holo In Floor to Sewer II i I have seen so many absurd s about the escape of John Morgan from Cram the Ohio State penitentiary that 1 I hive have concluded to give you the facts In the case writes C. C W. W Thomas Company F Eighty eighth Ohio of lawn Masen City Ill III In the National Tribune Trib Trib- une une Up to lo the time of Morgans Morgan's escape the duty of guarding the Confederates had been bean divided between the tho regular prison guards giards who were not soldiers and a guard of soldiers detailed from Companies I F and G Eighty eighth I Ohio Th The soldiers w went nt on duty at I seven a a. a m m. and were relieved at six p. p m. m the prisoners being locked in I their cells for the night at that hour I I 4 f y They Made Their Escape There was not a soldier on guard between between between be be- tween those hours and the regular prison guards were stationed inside the walls The captain of the prison guard for Cor the night was an old man by bythe bythe the name of Heavy The soldier guards were in charge of Sergt Jesse Moon known as Big Jesse of Company Company Company Com Com- pany F Eighty Eighty eighth eighth Ohio The pris prIg were confined in a block in the prison irison building which was in turn surrounded surrounded sur sur- rounded by a wall 22 feet in height Each block was seven or eight cells long ong six or seven tiers high in regulation regu regu- lation prison style St le the prison being Capable of accommodations for about For six weeks prior to General MOPan's Morgans Morgan's Morgans Morgan's Mor- Mor gans gan's an's ans escape I was stationed as guard at it the southwest corner The story current at the time of Morgans Morgan's escape was about as follows follows follows fol fol- fol- fol lows The prisoners complained to Captain Heavy that their cells were damp amp The Tho captain replied that they could not be so on account of the sewer sewer sew- sew er underneath but from seven a. a m. m until six p. p m. m he allowed them the freedom of the corridors While the prIsoners we were e marching up and down the he corridors a few of them would step tep in their cell and be gone for awhile and as it afterwards developed devel- devel ped were engaged In cutting a hole through the c cement ment floor Into the sew sew- er The brick and cement were dropped into the sewer and the hole covered with an old carpet sack the work probably taking several weeks we ks to o complete I cannot recall the names of all wh who escaped but among the number were General Morgan Captain Hines and Captain Taylor The night of tho escape escape escape es es- es- es cape Sergt Jesse Moon was sergeant of the guard and locked the prisoners prison prIson- ers in their cells Dick M Morgan a brother of General Morgan was confined confined confined con con- fined in one of the ground-floor ground cells and during the up locking process had managed to exchange places with his brother who occupied a cell on one of the upper tiers The soldier guards marched to their quarters which was wasa a SIbley tent to lo remain till morning After Arter everything had quieted down the Johnnies let themselves through the hole In the thc floor and followed the sewer to the wall of the m main ln prison building and came up through a hole they had provided near a large pile of coal close close- to the female prison but still Inside the outside wall FollowIng Following Follow Follow- ing the wall around to the southeast corner they tame to t tie the e gates There were were two of these gates one opening rom rom the top of the wall by the guard with a rope and pulley and the he other from rom the Inside by the trust trusty The Tho Inside gate was made of flanks lanks The escaping prisoners limbed this gate te and were then on op op of the foot 22 wall Tying their theli together which they had tied o the iron railings they made their theli escape Sergt Sergt- Jesse Moon lived the last I J new of him at Kelso Cowlitz coun coue v v. Washington |