USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > The story of Camp Chase; a history of the prison and its cemetery, together with other cemeteries where Confederate prisoners are buried, etc > Part 20
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for any body of men to act as these men had. They were right, according to the laws of nations, in liberating the prisoners at Johnson's Island if they had the power to do so.
The Sandusky Register, in an editorial on December 6, 1864, says:
G. B. Burleigh, who was charged with being in recent acts of piracy on Lake Erie, and was on trial for the same at Toronto, was discharged and immediately arrested on a charge of robbery, preferred by W. O. Ashley, clerk of the Philo Parsons, and awaits trial for that offense.
On the following day the same paper contained the following :
Evidence is still accumulating to prove that the Canadian Rebels had formed an extensive plot, not only to release the prisoners on Johnson's Island, but to prey upon and destroy the commerce of the lakes. The Detroit Tribune, in giving the par- ticulars of the arrest of Burleigh, one of the pirates concerned in the seizure of the Philo Parsons and Island Queen, says :
"As soon as Burleigh's friends became aware of his arrest, they sued out a writ of habeas corpus before the Court of Queen's Bench, which was made returnable on Tuesday at twelve o'clock. As he had previously been committed by an alderman of the city, who had no authority in the premises, his discharge from arrest was a foregone conclusion. Mr. Brown, Assistant United States District Attorney, arrived in Toronto about ten o'clock on Tuesday, and upon learning the turn matters were likely to take, at once had a warrant taken out before the recorder and placed in the hands of an officer.
"Before this could be accomplished, Burleigh had been dis- charged. Fortunately, or unfortunately, as the case may be, his Rebel friends, who were present in large numbers, stood ready to congratulate him on his release, and thus detained him for probably half an hour. This circumstance worked in Mr. Brown's favor, and the regular warrant was served on the Rebel chief ere the echoes of his friends' cheers had died away.
"Instantly signs of disturbance were manifested by the crowd. The game was pronounced a Yankee trick, but Burleigh's counsel prevailed. upon him to quietly submit to the course of the law, and he was taken back to jail, followed by a large concourse of long-visaged Rebels. The Yankee trick did the job. The ex- amination that followed has been fully reported.
"Burleigh is a young man about twenty-four years of age, of thickset, athletic build, apparently of Scotch origin, and boasts of having been an officer in the navy. . He was not the leader of the pirates, but held a secondary command to Bell. He was,
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however, the most officious, malignant, and insulting of the gang ; and if his wishes had been law, he would have been satisfied with nothing less than the destruction of the Philo Parsons and . everything that came in his way. Indeed, Bell was once forced to put him under arrest for insubordination. His friends have- retained for him the best criminal lawyer in Canada, and he will undoubtedly make a desperate fight. They are very confident of his final release, and it is not at all improbable that amid the- technicalities of British law, and with the sympathies of the Canadian people, not to say of the Canadian judges, in his. favor, he may manage to escape.
"The case cannot finally be heard upon its merits until more. witnesses are procured. It was once hoped that he might be brought to Windsor for examination, but there seems to be no law authorizing the transfer.
"When first arrested, Burleigh told the officer that he wished to God his arrest had been postponed one week, as he had an important job on hand. During a conversation with him he- indirectly revealed the fact that he had been engaged in purchas- ing an armament for the propellor Georgian, which steamer recently passed this city on her way to Collingwood. The arma- ment was to have been put on at or near Port Sarnia, but the vigilance of our government officers in making the arrest doubt- less frustrated the movement. It may, however, give the key to- , the combined Rebel plot, and will doubtless be acted on as such."
There was yet another story of the Canadian conspiracy, and this was issued by a Dr. Ayer in pamphlet form. As the story is without doubt long since out of print, the review of the sketch in the editorial columns of the Sandusky Register of May 8, 1865, together with the editorial comment, is here presented :
We have received from the author, I. Winslow Ayer, M.D., a pamphlet bearing the title of "The Great Northwestern Con- spiracy." It takes in the entire plot to burn the Northern cities, release the prisoners from Johnson's Island, Camp Douglas, and other places, as well as the piracy of the lakes and the trial of the conspirators.
After speaking generally of the Rebels in Canada, and the manner of their support, the author proceeds to relate the his- tory of what has been known as the "Lake Erie Conspiracy" and the Philo Parsons raid.
He says that it is given just as he received it from the lips of two Confederate officers who were engaged in the affair, and who commanded detachments on board the Philo Parsons. Although familiar with the transaction, there are some things- .
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relating to the affair that are new to us, and some that are devoid of truth, and which do great injustice to certain parties spoken of.
The plot was matured, if not originated, at the Chicago Demo- cratic Convention, at which point they were to release the pris- oners at Camp Douglas, and at the same time of the assault on Camp Douglas a simultaneous effort was to be made to cap- ture the United States war steamer Michigan, carrying eighteen guns, and at that time anchored in Sandusky Bay. The prisoners of these camps being released, and the steamer Michigan in their hands, they expected to inaugurate an army that would terrify the Northern people and really overturn the government at Washington.
With the steamer Michigan they expected to destroy the commerce of the lakes, effectually closing their ports, and laying all the large towns and cities under contribution, exacting large sums of money through fear of bombardment. Here we shall make a few quotations from the book, using its exact language :
"The plan of the conspirators to get possession of the Michi- gan was by bribery and surprise.
"Mr. Thompson, in his efforts to seize the vessel, secured the services of a man named Cole, of Sandusky, Ohio, who had been a citizen of Virginia, and who still retained his sympathies for the rebellion and took an active part in aiding it whenever he had an opportunity, and a woman, said to have been his paramour, who carried dispatches backward and forward between the par- ties. This man Cole seems to have been the most wily con- spirator of them all, and played his infamous part with most adroit shrewdness. The defeat of the whole scheme was not owing to any blunder of his, but rather the blunder of those who employed and furnished him the means.
"Having been well supplied with money by Mr. Thompson, and no limit put to his expenses, he began his work with a will. He seems to have begun by getting generally well acquainted with the affairs of the vessel, by feasting the officers and now and then lending them money, or accommodating them in some other way, until he had won the confidence of all those in com- mand of the steamer, as well as those in charge of Johnson's Island. After a time he found out those who were most vul- nerable on the money question, and those whom he did not dare approach upon the subject. Of the latter class, there is one mentioned in particular by the Rebels, whose suspicions they did not dare to arouse, and which they made every attempt to lull. This was an officer named Eddy, from Massachusetts. He then bribed the chief engineer, who they said had agreed for twenty thousand dollars in gold to get the machinery out of order and otherwise aid in the vessel's capture, and one or two others.
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"Of the remainder of the officers of the Michigan, they thought their well-known Democratic faith and sympathy with the rebel- lion would prevent them from seeing or knowing too much until too late to avoid the disaster. Of these last the conspirators did not seem to entertain the least fear, some of them being Southern men by birth, and at most but passive in their fidelity ` to the government. As the writer has stated before, the attempt on the steamer Michigan was to be simultaneous with that at Chicago, and while the Rebels and their friends were assembling in Chicago they were also gathering in Sandusky City for the capture of the Michigan. The actual number of conspirators in Sandusky at that time was not known to the writer, nor the details of their plans; but let it suffice to say that they were there armed and ready.
"When the time for action arrived, however, the engineer and his accomplices were not to be found; and after waiting for nearly two days the Rebel portion of the conspirators, with the exception of Captain Beall, returned to Canada. On their return they said that the prisoners whom they had bribed were afraid to carry out their infamous and hazardous part of the contract.
"The Rebels were in great fear lest something had happened that would put an end forever to their hopes in regard to the steamer, but in a few days after this the nonappearance of the engineer and friends was duly explained, and the alarm caused by it quieted. And another time was set for the attempt.
"The day being set once more, preparations were again made to capture the vessel, and this time occurred what was called the 'Lake Erie piracy.' Nearly everything connected with this event was so disgraceful to the United States service that, although the government hastened to remove all the reprehensible officers and retain those who deserved well of their country, yet seem to have endeavored to keep some of the facts connected with it from being made public.
"About one week before the time for the second attempt arrived, Captain Beall returned from Sandusky to Windsor, Can- ada, and announced that all was ready for the capture, and immediately telegraphed to Jacob Thompson, who was at the Queen's Hotel, in Toronto. Thompson at once answered that he would come to Windsor that night, and desired not to be recognized. That evening he arrived at Windsor, and, without apparently being known, got into a carriage waiting and was taken to the residence of Colonel Steele, where he was expected. During this week all the men who were to participate in the affair were notified, and this time the services of some of the men who had been to Chicago during the convention were called into requisition. The Confederate officers could be seen
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running about here and there to the different boarding houses where the men were stopping, carrying ominous-looking carpet- bags, distributing from them pistols, ammunition, and other things deemed necessary for the undertaking, which was to be made on the night of the following Monday.
"Most active in these efforts to incite these men to deeds of desperation were Colonel Steele and Jake Thompson, or, when he used his assumed name, Colonel Carson.
"Cole was to give a champagne supper on board the Michigan that evening to the officers, and was to be there himself with a party of Confederates, who had also become well acquainted with the officers, and who were invited, at the request of Cole, to join in the festivities of the occasion. It was intended for the Philo Parsons to reach hailing distance of the Michigan about eleven or twelve o'clock that night, in order that by this time as many of the crew as possible, through the champagne, would be incapable of rendering any assistance. When the Par- sons was hailed by the watch on board the steamer, Cole and his associates were at once to take possession of a gun, which would sweep the whole decks and prevent that portion of the crew who were not rendered incapable by drink from attempting any effectual resistance to the conspirators boarding her from the Parsons.
"Once in possession of this vessel of war, the prisoners on the island were to be immediately released, landed at Sandusky, when the 'Sons of Liberty' and other secret societies were to seize the opportunity of rising up and asserting their peculiar doctrines, under protection of this powerful man-of-war. The same general plan was to be pursued at Cleveland and other places along the coast, where their secret societies were in full blast.
"The conspirators expected to exact enormous tribute of the loyal portions of these communities to save their property front the dangers of bombardment. This expected tribute of ten mil- lions of dollars-to be divided equally among them-from the border cities was the greatest inducement held out to their asso- ciates by the Rebel leaders before leaving Canada, in order to excite their cupidity and zeal and to influence their minds to such a pitch that they would render a strict obedience to their officers, and hesitate at no act of violence."
The whole of the programme was carried out, even to the chartering of the little Scotia. But on arriving at Kelley's Island, and receiving no message from Cole, the conspirators were in a dilemma. The suspicions of the passengers had be- come aroused, and a remark which fell from a passenger, that he would have them all arrested at Sandusky, created great conster-
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nation among the conspirators. They at once resolved to take possession of the boat, go back to Put-in-Bay, get a supply of wood, and put off the passengers-all of which was accomplished. After dark that night they ran down into Sandusky Bay; but, failing to see the signals agreed upon, and after waiting a short time, again returned to the open lake, convinced by this time that something had happened to their friends at Sandusky.
Captain Beall, seeing his project had failed, determined to .cruise on the lake as long as possible, burning and destroying -all he could. His men feared the consequences, and insisted upon going back to Canada. Beall said that if it had not been for the mutinous scoundrels composing his crew he could have run the lakes for two weeks, burning and destroying all the vessels he met with, before the Yankees could have made him land.
The first attempt spoken of, and the band of desperate men who were among us for some days, is news to all the loyal portion of this city, and that they were feasted and toasted by any por- tion of our loyal Union inhabitants, of whom most of our business men are made up, we do not believe for a moment. We have no doubt that Captain Beall and his conspirators were here, and probably feasted and toasted, but not by our prominent citizens and business men.
The editorial was as follows:
When the people of the Confederate States inaugurated their rebellion against the Union, they counted to a certainty upon the alliance of Great Britain. All the testimony we have confirms this fact. It was no use arguing with them; no use trying to persuade them that England would not join in the mêlée. They had but one answer: "Cotton is king." There were no "ifs" about it; she must go to war; she had no other resources. Bit- terly disappointed have they been, we all know. With the pros- pect that the Confederacy will soon be numbered amongst the things that were, they are ready to adopt any means, however desperate, at all likely to better their situation. In this condition the hopes they once indulged in revive again. They counted on the alliance of England; can they not force it? The prize is worth a struggle, much sacrifice, even obloquy and shame.
"Necessity knows no law;" they must get some aid or perish. These considerations have doubtless caused the Confederate Gov- erment to instigate and to authorize the raids made from Canada upon the United States. The captors of the Chesapeake pleaded their commission. The plunderers of St. Albans made the same excuse. The man Burleigh, accused of robbery on board the Philo Parsons, follows suit. Munitions of war, too, have been purchased in this province, and at least one attempt made to
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export them, evidently for the purpose of supplying Rebel ma- rauders with means of offense.
Doubtless, too, had these men been arrested, they would have pleaded Richmond-given authority. Upon these facts, then, if they stood alone, should we not be warranted in saying that the government was seeking to involve Britain and the United States in war?
But they do not stand alone. Yesterday the telegraph stated that a raid was apprehended on Detroit. Perhaps most readers passed it over as a mere invention. Such, we are sorry to say, is not the case. We do not know that Detroit is more menaced than any other lake port; but that a plot is on foot to make an attack on our neighbors of larger proportion than has hitherto been attempted, there is little doubt. Information has been re- ceived by our government to the effect that a regiment of Con- federate soldiers have been detailed to find their way to Canada as best they may. Temporarily disbanded, they are to reach here by ones and twos; but they will know where and how to unite, and if the chance be given them they will strike a blow somewhere on the frontier.
Fortunately, having received timely warning, our government will make their task more difficult than they perhaps apprehend ; but still the amount of success which has attended previous at- tempts is sufficient to show that their project is far from being in- practicable. It is abundantly time that we were thoroughly upon our guard. The American people-and no one can be surprised at it-are much exercised at the depredations already committed.
They are armed and prepared. If an attack be made on any lake city, the probability is that the people will follow the ma- rauders across the frontier, and the consequences that will ensue it is easy to conceive. The wish of the South for war between England and the North would, it is feared, be realized speedily. It is not to be expected that, under such circumstances, the pur- suing force would conduct itself with the calmness of a judge on the bench. Wrongs would be committed on our fellow-subjects. Resistance would certainly be made, mutual recrimination and bitter feelings would arise, both parties would refuse redress, and war would follow. At any rate, we defy any one to imagine circumstances better calculated to bring about such a consum- mation.
It is currently reported, too, in the larger cities that these Southerners count upon the aid of the Fenians, both here and in the States. What truth there is in this we do not profess to know : but, at any rate, the object of both parties is identical. The Fenians see in war between the Republic and Great Britain a chance for what they call the "regeneration of Ireland." In
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other words, they think they would be able to convert the "Gem of the Sea" into a huge Donnybrook fair. The Southerner sees in such a war an assurance of the independence of his own country.
Their interests being identical, there is no reason why they should not coalesce. We do not know that people generally are aware of the length to which the law of nations allows a country to go for the purpose of self-preservation. If these raids con- tinue, we shall not only render it probable that Canada may be invaded by United States troops, but we shall actually give the United States a right so to do. It is to no purpose, we may allege, that we have done all we can to stop the raids. Should they be made, the fact will be proof either that we had not done all we might or that we are incapable of preserving our neutral- ity-either way giving the United States a very good plea to justify pursuit of their foes into our territory .- Toronto Globe.
CHAPTER XVII.
A THRILLING ESCAPE.
Prisoners Plan to Escape-Maj. Winston, of North Carolina, Maj. Stokes, of Virginia, Capt. McConnell, of Kentucky, and Capts. Robinson, Davis, and Stokes, of Virginia, Scale the Wall-The Thermometer Thirty- Three Degrees below Zero and the Wind Blowing a Gale-Capt. Stokes Recaptured-Making a Raid on a Farmer's Stable-A Troubled Dutchman-No Sleep for Sixty Hours-Going through Toledo, Ohio -- Breaking through the Ice-Safe under the British Flag.
THERE was told in the Southern Magasine for October, 1872, the story of a daring escape from Johnson's Island that, from its intense interest and the long time since it was first related, is here reproduced. The author was permitted to get this story through the courtesy of Capt. James Dinkins, of New Orleans. The story, corroborated by the Sandusky Register of January 5, 1864, announced an escape of a few Confederate prisoners, and that the men would soon be caught, as they could be easily run dowit during the intensely cold weather that prevailed.
There were a few beautiful days during the latter part of December, 1863, but on the 30th it began to rain and was warm. On the 31st a gale quickly veered from south to west, and then to the north. It rained, sleeted, and snowed all within an hour or two. Then it grew too cold to snow; but the bitter north wind continued, and on the Ist day of January, 1864, the thermometer in Ohio ranged from twenty-five to thirty-five degrees below zero.
A guard at Camp Dennison, Ohio, was found frozen, and then the guards were relieved. In Tennessee men froze to death. How the guards endured such a night on Johnson's Island, with that terrible north wind howling down the lake, is inconceivable. The prisoners in the shanties or barracks, with blankets, nearly froze to death.
It was on this awful night that six desperate men scaled the fence and crossed over to the mainland. The story by one of the survivors is as follows :
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Various efforts to bribe or persuade the sentinels were made, and some promised success; but not a prisoner had ever made his escape in this way. On one occasion, indeed, a gallant briga- dier and four or five other officers did bribe a sentinel to let them over the walls; but after they had handed over the gold . watch and stipulated sum of money a line of armed soldiers rose up around them and marched them back to prison, too poor to attempt bribing again. A great variety of plans to escape was suggested and attempted. Probably the one most assiduously followed was that of tunneling, or "gophering," out. Five or six men would form a party to escape. After selecting a "block" as near to the wall as possible, they went to work under the floors, digging with case or pocket knives, and any other instrument that came to hand. As but one man could work at a time, this took many days. Several parties escaped from the prison, but were invariably captured on the Island, as they had no means of crossing the water.
Such was the vigilance of the garrison and the nature of the difficulties to be overcome that every attempt at escape had failed up to January 1, 1864, except in the case of one young officer ( from Baltimore, I think he was), who, with others, was sent into the hold of the island steamer after straw for bunks, and instead of returning went to the bottom of the straw, and that night, when the boat was lying at the wharf at Sandusky City, he cautiously crept forth and, unperceived, went away.
New Year's day, 1864, was extremely cold, as stated, and that night the mercury fell to thirty degrees below zero. As the cold north winds beat with cruel violence against the thin weather- boarding, the shivering prisoners, whose blood was unused to such rigorous climate, felt peculiarly sad. "If we could only get out of prison, we could leave the island on the ice; but it is too cold to live through the night in the open air." So thought many of the prisoners; but Major Stokes and Captains Stokes, Robin- son, and Davis, of Virginia, Captain McConnell, of Kentucky, and Major Winston, of North Carolina, determined to risk a desperate attempt that night. They came to the conclusion that the boldest was the best way to get out of prison-viz., by scaling the wall. So a rude ladder was extemporized by tying with clotheslines the legs of a bench across a board at intervals of about three feet. to answer for steps. Of course this was all done after dark to prevent suspicion. Our means of escape ready, we made such preparations as we could to protect ourselves against the cold weather. Our chums were exceedingly kind in furnishing all the citizens' clothing they had. The next thing was, who should go first. The lot fell to Major Winston.
"The time has come: an affectionate good-by, kind. friends." said Captain Davis and Major Winston, and promptly left the
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room, each placing himself flat on the frozen ground at his end of the ladder. Thus they dragged the ladder up the sewer to the corner of the building, thence across toward the "dead line." "Hold, Davis, lie low. Don't breathe; the new relief is coming," said some one. They double-quick on the wall and relieve the sentinel just above us, and double-quick on, the new sentinel walking slowly to and fro on his beat. . With great caution we crawl on over the "dead line;" reaching the wall, we stand our ladder against it. Davis holds while Winston mounts. Davis screams in whispers and jerks at the feet of Winston, who, fearing they were discovered, stooped down and asked, "What is the matter?" "Get off my thumb!" The lad- der proved to be about four feet too short. It was no place to be making a noise climbing over, for the sentinel would be sure to detect it. However, Major Winston succeeded in pulling him- self over on the parapet as silently as possible; and after looking . to see if he was seen by either sentinel on his right or left, he let himself down, first on a brace that supported the wall and then on a large stump, to the ground. Evading this line of sentinels (for there was one on the wall and one on the ground on the outside), he sat behind a large oak some fifteen steps from the wall. Captain Davis soon joined him; then came Captain Rob- inson; next came Captain McConnell, who very nearly lighted on the head of the man on the ground, but fortunately was not discovered. Finally this sentinel on the ground saw Captain Stokes, but not until he had reached the ground, and took him to be a Federal soldier returning from a henroost expedition, and so failed to fire on him when he refused to halt. I forgot to mention that Captain Stokes, failing to get a sufficiency of clothing, declined to leave. So our party was all out, and to prevent discovery Captain White very kindly took the ladder back to the dining room. Captain Stokes never got with the balance of the party, but ran acros the island and. after great exposure and suffering, crossed the ice to the Ohio shore and remained for several days in the neighborhood, when he was betrayed and taken back to prison and committed to a dungeon for refusing to tell who had escaped with him. His feet and hands were badly frosted; several of his fingers he lost. When the sentinel ordered Stokes to halt, the other four behind the tree ran across the island and, finding the ice firm, ventured on it. It was about one mile to Ottawa County, Ohio. About half- way across we found a large air hole, and in our heedless hurry came near being ingulfed ; but fortunately that night a thin snow whitened the ice, while the water appeared black. After an exciting run, slipping, sliding, and tumbling, we reached the shore almost breathless. It was half-past ten o'clock, and we could hear the soldiers on the distant walls calling out the numbers of
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