STORY LXXXVI.

QUEER ADVENTURE AND NARROW ESCAPE.

LIEUTENANT MCINTIRE of the 9th Illinois Cavalry, relates that just as the fight near Summerville, West Tennessee, commenced, he arrived on the ground with a dispatch from General Grierson to Colonel Prince.

Finding himself surrounded and unable to escape, he sprang from his horse and crawled under a house; but fearing that this might not be a safe place, he crept to a cotton gin a short distance off.

In the gin he found a large heap of cotton-seed. Jumping into the heap he covered himself with the seed, so as leave only his head out, over which he pulled a basket.

Here the Lieutenant was feeling comparatively safe, an officer of the 7th sprang in the door, with a dozen Rebels at his heels. The officer ran up stairs and hid under some loose boards in the floor. The Rebels put a guard around the house and began a vigorous search.

Up stairs and down they went, several times, and every hiding place but the right one was examined. They knew that the officer was there, in some place, and they were determined to have him.

Presently the heap of cotton-seed caught their attention, and forthwith they commenced plunging their sabers into it. The heap was probed in all directions, but providentially without touching the Lieutenant's body.

At last, one of the Rebs, exasperated beyond endurance, at their ill-success, vented his anger on the basket

over the Lieutenant's head, by striking it a furious blow with his sword.

Had the Lieutenant not kept a vigorous hold to the handle, the basket would have been knocked a rod. Just then some occurrence outside caused them to hurry away, and both officers escaped.

STORY LXXXVII.

ESCAPE OF DR. RUCKER FROM A REBEL PRISON AND HIS
SUBSEQUENT ADVENTURES AND FINAL SAFETY.

DR. WILLIAM T. RUCKER, a well-known Union leader of West Virginia, who was captured at the surrender of Summerville, in Nicholas county, Va., in July, 1862, arrived in Washington in November, 1863, having escaped from the Rebel Penitentiary in Pittsylvania, Va. The story of his treatment and escape is full of interesting and instructive incident.

The Doctor was first sent, with other prisoners, to Sulphur Springs, where he was put in irons and otherwise harshly treated. He was afterward sent to Lynchburg, where, being well known, his active loyalty induced even greater severity. He was put in double irons, with the cuffs firmly riveted about his arms and legs.

In August he was sent to Richmond, and closely confined in Castle Thunder, with a special guard over him, to prevent his escape. While at Richmond he saw two Union prisoners shot at Libby, and one at Castle Thunder, on the most trivial provocations.

Governor Letcher represented to the Rebel Secretary of War, that Rucker was a notorious character, guilty

of treason to the State of Virginia, and, therefore, he should of right be surrendered to the State authorities. for trial. After considerable correspondence on the subject, the Confederate authorities consented, and turned over the prisoner to be tried for crimes alleged to have been committed against the State of Virginia. He was accordingly taken from the prison at Richmond, sent to Allegheny county, and confined in a jail to await his trial.

Ten separate indictments were brought against him -one for murder, one for treason, one for arson, three for horse-stealing, one for wagon-stealing, and one for bridge-burning. Dr. Rucker believes that he escaped being indicted for several other crimes, simply because they did not occur to the minds of the Grand Jury.

On the charge of murder, the prisoner pleaded a change of venue, which was sustained, and the case was sent to Botetourt county. On all the other charges he pleaded alien enemy, but being a citizen of Western Virginia, he was held to be a citizen of Virginia, and hence the plea was disallowed. The trial was several times continued, and often deferred, though the prisoner vigorously urged a trial, knowing that the sooner his case was brought to a crisis, the better it would be for him. He was forced to employ four different counsel at $2,000 each, and these were threatened with mobviolence if once they appeared in the defence.

When nearly a year had passed in a fruitless effort to procure a trial, during which time Dr. Rucker was held in close confinement, the United States Government determined to hold one Dr. Greene, an AssistantSurgeon in the Rebel army as a hostage for his return.

In June, 1863, he was removed to the prison in Pitt

sylvania, the strongest and most secure prison in the State. It was now evident to his friends that escape was impossible, and he was given over as lost: friends were not allowed to visit him, but bitter enemies had full privilege to taunt and insult him through the prison bars. The Union people were permitted to send him provisions but not to see him. The Rebels told him that the Confederate Government would starve the Union prisoners, until the Yankee Government would consent to their terms of exchange, and leave such men as himself, Colonel Straight, and officers of negro regiments in their hands to be properly punished.

By careful observation, Dr. Rucker ascertained that the jailor's son, not twenty months old, at times had the key to the debtor's room, which was directly opposite his cell, to play with; he at once determined to secure the key and effect his escape. At a favorable moment he bribed the child with chestnuts and fruits, and thus gained possession of the much coveted key.

On the night of the 18th of October, 1863, soon after dark, he carefully turned the key, slid back the bolts, and almost in a moment was free. He passed out of the village of Pittsylvania on the Raleigh road, having determined to reach the Union troops on the North Carolina coast. When a short distance on the road he discovered that he had left behind papers that would betray his route through North Carolina, he changed his course, retraced his steps through the village, traveled all night as rapidly as possible, (having secured a horse not far from the village,) and was at daylight in a town far to the northward, where he was received by a trusty friend and concealed till the 27th.

During this time he was visited by many old ac

quaintances, who gave him proper assistance, and among other things, a blooded horse, valued at $1,000, provided especially for the occasion. On the night of the 27th, with this animal he traveled sixty-five miles. During the next day he slept soundly at the house of a loyal friend, his horse being concealed in a corn-shuck pen. Early at night he resumed his jour ney, and at two o'clock next morning passed through Covington, Allegheny county. In this village he called at the house of a supposed friend, to make some inquiry, and immediately proceeded on his

way.

When a few miles from Covington he found his strength so rapidly failing, that he determined to stop in a thicket near the road and rest. Soon after daylight, judging from the noise and confusion along the road, he believed himself betrayed by his Covington friend, and afterward learned that the wife of the gentleman, of whom he made inquiry, had published the fact of his passage through the village. He determined to abandon his horse and equipments, and flee to the mountains. He remained two days and nights in the Alleghenies without food, and only once found water.

On the evening of the 31st of October, pressed with hunger, and perishing with cold, he descended to the foot of the mountains. When night set in, a heavy rain commenced falling, and the night was dark and stormy. It was a question of life or death: scouts thirsting for his blood were on every side, and every road: twice they had passed close to his retreat in the mountains, and he knew not what moment he might fall into their hands. He, however, determined to come out into the valley, and seek relief. The first house he passed he knew to be the residence of a notorious Rebel.