that no
one of the auditors was ever known to leave the house while they were
in progress! The witnesses, too, were very slippery, and it was
sometimes quite difficult to reconcile their testimony. There were
always some nullifiers present who would attempt to resist the
enforcement of the laws, and the infliction of the penalties adjudged;
but in these cases the _personal weight_ of the judge decided the
matter. This resistance would give rise to new arrests and trials, and
thus the work became interminable.

Another and more refined enjoyment was singing. There were several
good singers in the party, and, by practicing together, they soon
acquired great proficiency. Most of the songs were of a tender and
melancholy cast; such as the "Carrier Dove," "Do They Miss Me at
Home," "Nettie More," "Twenty Years Ago," &c. Our time for singing was
when twilight began to fall. Then in the gathering darkness the voice
of song would ring out, as glad and free as if it was not strained
through prison bars. The guards liked very much to hear us sing, and
frequently citizens of the town would gather round outside to listen
to the caged Yankees.

There is one man in the Confederacy whom I must praise. Amid the
worthless and boastful aristocrats who have monopolized for themselves
the name of "chivalry," I found _one_ gentleman. This was Colonel
Claiborne, at that time Provost-Marshal of Chattanooga. When he first
visited us, he said boldly that it was a shame to keep men in such a
condition, and tried in vain to get permission from General
Leadbetter, to remove our irons; he then ordered us to be brought into
the yard to breathe the fresh air every afternoon. This was an
inexpressible relief, for it was now intensely hot in our room; and
simply to be in the open air a short time was a luxury above all
price. This he did on his own responsibility, and some weeks afterward
was dismissed from his post on account of his humanity to us!

While here, the idea of escape frequently presented itself. It is true
that our guards outnumbered us, and always used the cautions I have
described above; but the very fear this argued would have been our
best help. We often discussed the subject among ourselves.

All were anxious to go but Ross and Wilson, who thought the
proposition premature, as they, relying on what the officers in charge
of us said, believed that there was some hope of our exchange. But
others of us were impatient to make one bo