Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 08.djvu/75

Rh people, including the prisoners, officers and citizens of Sandusky, Ohio, who eagerly embraced the opportunity to be present. So apprehensive were the prison officials that the game was gotten up for the purpose of covering an attempt to break out, that they had the slides of the port holes drawn back and the guns prepared for action. The Sandusky Register published a long and eulogistic account of the game, which was won by the Southerns, and it was made the subject of severe comment by the bitter Radical press of the North, who immediately demanded the removal of the commanding officer, for allowing the Rebels so much liberty. Their malicious efforts were successful, the commander was removed, and the amusement of the unhappy prisoners, for the time being, cut off.

In all the prison sports, Lieutenant Charlie Pierce was regarded as the leader. His versatile talent, genial humor, sterling manhood and undoubted bravery, together with his kindness of heart, endeared him to all, and even commanded the respect of his captors. But his notoriety and popularity proved disastrous to his future operations, as he was known and constantly watched by the prison spies.

Johnson's Island, it will be remembered, is three miles from Sandusky, Ohio, and about thirty miles from the Canada shore. There is, however, a strip of land twelve miles from the prison, leading to a swamp or woods on the Canada side.

The severity of the wintry season being past, the minds of many of the prisoners naturally reverted to attempts to escape, and no one was more bent on it than the heroic and daring Charlie Pierce. A tunnel had been commenced from Block 8, but the project was deemed abortive, owing to its long distance from the dead-line, and abandoned. Charlie then transferred his operations to Block 1, where he soon organized a working party, who succeeded, by incessant labor, in completing a tunnel to the extreme end of the works. But, alas! for human expectations, when the attempt was made to pass out, they were pounced upon by a guard, and their hopes blasted. Thus ended the first attempt.

On a less active and vigorous mind, such a signal failure would have had a paralysing effect. But it only aroused the ambition of our hero to succeed at all hazards, and his thoughts were instantly turned to some plan for the future.

An opportunity soon presented itself, which he eagerly seized. One morning the offal cart was driven in by a soldier under the