ed with Captain Fry. He was
confined in a cage in another room. We could not get to see him, but
could entrust little notes, written on the margin of newspapers, to
the more faithful of the outside prisoners, and were always sure of a
reply.

There was one man in the same room with me, but in another cage, in
whom I became especially interested. He was between seventy and eighty
years old, and was awaiting sentence of death. Before his arrest he
had been a Union man, and, of course, a marked object of suspicion to
his secession neighbors. A band of these came one night for the
purpose of robbing him. He endeavored to prevent them, when they
attacked him, drawing revolvers and bowie-knives. They fired several
shots, and pursued him. He dodged around old barrels and other pieces
of furniture in the outhouse where the assault was made, for some
time, until finally he managed to seize a pitch-fork and plunge it
into the foremost of his foes; then breaking away, he escaped for the
time. The robber whom he wounded afterwards died, and the Confederate
government arrested the old man, and confined him in the cage on a
charge of murder! I never heard the result of it, but have no doubt
that he has long since been hung.

We obtained quite a number of papers while here, and were much pleased
to learn of the continued progress of our arms, particularly in the
West. The taking of Fort Pillow, the evacuation of Memphis and
Corinth, with the destruction of the rebel flotilla on the
Mississippi, all came out in one paper; and the editor complained that
he had been restrained from publishing this by the government for more
than two weeks after the intelligence arrived.

One day we received news that sent the blood coursing through our
veins in swifter flow. It was that Andrews and one other of our party
_had escaped from Chattanooga_!

Here, to preserve the unity of the story, I will give a history of the
events that took place at Chattanooga subsequent to our departure.

No unusual event occurred until a week after we had left. Then, one
day, an officer entered the yard, where our boys were enjoying the
shade of the prison, in the cool of the afternoon, and carelessly
handed to Andrews his _death-warrant_! It was a terrible shock, but
was borne bravely. He communicated the startling intelligence to our
comrades as soon as they again assembled in their room. At once they
resolved to carry into immediate execution the long-projecte