long pole he went into the room below and punched at the loose boards,
which immediately yielded, and then he brought in another carpenter, and
personally superintended stopping up the aperture, which was done by
spiking pieces of joist, against the floor joists, completely closing it
up.

As I said, we had cut a hole through the partition, so that we could
communicate with our neighbors in the next room. We made up a plot with
them to seize the Sergeant when he came in at night to empty their slop
pail, lock him in the room, take the keys and unlock our door, and we
would all leave at once. We had bribed one of the guard to let us disarm
him, and then we would be free to go out. When we got outside we would
encounter another guard, but with one gun we could easily overpower and
disarm him, and then trust to the two guns and our agility to gain the
woods, which were close by.

It was all arranged that the large, powerful negro should seize the
Sergeant from behind and hold him, while his companions secured his pistol
and the keys. That night when the Sergeant came up, he brought one armed
guard to the head of the stairs, and proceeded to unlock the door. As he
entered, the negro, who stood behind the door, caught him from behind,
securely pinioning his arms, and the keys and revolver were taken from him
and all passed out except the negro, who was holding the Sergeant as
securely as though he was in a vice.

When they had all got out the Sergeant was pushed into the cell and the
door locked. The guard at the head of the stairs shouted, loud enough for
the Sergeant to hear him: "Go back, or I'll shoot! go back!" all the time
expecting they would rush up and disarm him; but the cowards, fearing he
was in earnest, fell back and unlocked the door, released the Sergeant,
and gave him back his pistol without unlocking the door to our room.

Not knowing that the prisoners in our room were in the plot, the Sergeant
paid no attention to us, but calling the officer of the guard, told him
what had occurred.

They took the negro out into the hall, and bringing up a plank, proceeded
to lash him securely to it, with his face down, after having stripped him.

They then took a strap something like a tug to a single harness, and gave
him one hundred lashes with it upon his bare back, the blood flowing at
every blow.

We had cut slits in the door, and through them watched this brutal
transaction. I watched the operation of bindin