Printed statement of officers of the Ohio penitentiary.

OFFICE OHIO PENITENTIARY, Columbus, December 4, 1863.

EDITORS OHIO STATE JOURNAL:

The officers of this institution have been blamed for the escape of John Morgan and six of his confederates. Justice requires of us the following statement:

On the 2nd or 3rd of November General John S. Mason and the directors and warden had a conference on the propriety of placing the prisoners of war under military government. It was then agreed that General John S. Mason should continue the military guard and also appoint a surgeon, who should attend to the sick, and a camp steward, who should see that the cells were examined and cleaned and attend to all the wants of the prisoners.

In pursuance of this agreement General Mason immediately appointed a surgeon and steward, and the warden paid to him the money belonging to the prisoners of war in his hands. From this time the officers of the prison did not examine the cells, nor did they consider it their duty to do so.

We do not say the prisoners would not have escaped had they continued under our charge, but we do say that they could not have escaped in the manner they did had they continued in our charge, for the reason that while in our charge every cell was examined daily.

N. MERION,

Warden.

THOS. SPARROW,

J. J. WOOD,

Directors.

$5,000 reward.

HEADQUARTERS U. S. FORCES, Columbus, Ohio, December 3, 1863.

Additional reward for the arrest of John H. Morgan.

I am authorized by the Governor of Ohio to increase the reward for the apprehension and delivery to the U. S. military authorities of the rebel General John H. Morgan to $5,000, which sum will be promptly paid upon his delivery as above.

WM. WALLACE,
Colonel Fifteenth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Commanding.

Printed letter of Governor Tod to warden of the Ohio penitentiary.

THE STATE OF OHIO, EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT, Columbus, December 11, 1863.

N. MERION, Esq., Warden of Penitentiary:

DEAR SIR: Deeply chagrined and mortified as I was to hear of the escape of John Morgan and six other Confederate prisoner, I am glad to know from the report of Messrs. Wright and Hoffman, just handed to me, that there is not the slightest evidence to be found of fraud or corruption on the part of the officers, either civil or military, concerned in their custody, nor on the part of any individual or citizen without or within the prison; but that the sole reason for their escape is to be