It would be difficult for him to mako his way down into Virginia from the North as the whole line of frontier there was occupied by troops, and patrols were on the watch night and day to prevent persons from going through the lines.He therefore determined to go west to St.Louis, and from there work his way down through Missouri.After two days' railway traveling they reached St.Louis, a city having a large trade with the South, and containing many sympathizers with the Confederate cause.Vincent, having now no fear of detection, went at once to an hotel, and taking up the newspaper, one of the first paragraphs that mat his eye was headed:
"Escape of three Confederate officers from Elmira.Great excitement was caused on Wednesday at Elmira by the discovery that three Confederate officers had, during the night, effected their escape from prison.One of the bars of the window of the ward on the first floor in which they were, with fifteen other Confederate officers, confined, had been removed; the screws having been taken out by a large screw-driver which they left behind them.
They had lowered themselves to the yard, and climbed over the wall by means of a rope which was found in position in the morning.The rest of the prisoners professed an entire ignorance of the affair, and declare that until they found the beds unoccupied in the morning they knew nothing of the occurrence.
"This is as it may be, but it is certain they must have been aided by traitors outside the prison, for the rope hung loose on the outside of the wall, and must have been held by some one there as they climbed it.The inside end was fastened to a stone seat, and they were thus enabled to slide down it on the other side.Their uniforms were found lying at the foot of the wall, and their accomplice had doubtless disguises ready for them.The authorities of the prison are unable to account for the manner in which the turn-screw and rope were passed in to them, or how they communicated with their friends outside."Then followed the personal description of each of the fugitives, and a request that all loyal citizens would be on the look-out for them, and would at once arrest any suspicious character unable to give a satisfactory account of himself.As Vincent sat smoking in the hall of the hotel he heard several present discussing the escape of the prisoners.
"It does not matter about them one way or the other," one of the speakers said."They seem to be mere lads, and whether they escape or not will not make any difference to any one.The serious thing is that there must be some traitors among the prison officials, and that next time.perhaps two or three generals may escape, and that would be a really serious misfortune.""We need not reckon that out at present," another smoker said.
"We haven't got three of the rebel generals yet, and as far as things seem to be going on, we may have to wait some time before we have.They are pretty well able to take care of themselves, Ireckon.""They are good men, some of them, I don't deny," the first speaker said; "but they might as well give up the game.In the spring we shall have an army big enough to eat them up.""So I have heard two or three times before.Scott was going to eat them up, McClellan was going to eat them up, then Pope was going to make an end of 'em altogether.Now McClellan is having a try again, but somehow or other the eating up hasn't come off yet.
It looks to me rather the other way."
There was an angry growl from two or three of those sitting round, while others uttered a cordial "That's so.""It seems to me, by the way you put it, that you don't wish to see this business come to an end.""That's where you are wrong now.I do wish to see it come to an end.I don't want to see tens of thousands of men losing their lives because one portion of these States wants to ride roughshod over the other.The sooner the North looks this affair squarely in the face and sees that it has taken up a bigger job than it can carry through, and agrees to let those who wish to leave it go if they like, the better for all parties.That's what I think about it.""I don't call that Union talk," the other said angrily.
