Washington sentinel. [volume] (City of Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1856, 1855-08-02

Pt'"Io i>ouis LoupJ at 4 orr ucIiehfy, the oflcer
Of the day, Lieutenant Charles Griffin, demanded
a court OF inquiry, to examine into all the facts,
so far as he himself was concerned The court
assembled on the Goth instant, and was com
posed of Lieutenant Colonel Francis Taylor,
MAJOR Pinkney Lugenbeel, and Captain John
Brqnnon First Lieutenant, George w. Hazard
acting as recorder. The following is given in the
Patriot sketch of the evidence adduced from
which it appears that Lieutenant Griffin is exone-
rated from all censure:
FAcTs.-At twenty minutes past IL o'clock, on
the night of the 18th, or rather the morning of
the 18th of July, 1855, private Louis Loup, of
Light Company Is, LIST Artillery, while in a state
of intoxication, was, by order of LIST Lieutenant
Amos Beckwick, ofthe LIST Regiment of Artillery,
taken into the interior of Fort McHenry, Mary
land, and directed by Sergeant John Morrow, of
Light Company n, LIST Artillery, then Sergeant
of the Guard, to go to his room and be quiet
until morning or reveille. Loup- went TO his
company quarters, and laid down on the upper
piazza with other men of his company, but in
stead of being quiet continued to talk SO as to be
heard at intervals as far as the guard-house
The sergeant twice cautioned him TO be silent
first while standing on the parade, the second
time going up to where he was lying. Loup still
continued to talk and the sergeant then went to
him again, and ordered Loup to go with him to
the guard-house. After some delay, Loup asked
permission to put away his watch which was
then granted. He then went into the SQUAD
room to his box, almost Immediately took down
a sabre, drew it, assumed menacing position,
and said " now come on sergeant, let me see the
two sons Of bitches that will take me to the
guard-house," or something of the same import
Upon this the sergeant, who was quite I'M
armed, sprang in and seized Loup. He succeeded
in getting Loup down, and attempted to disarm
him, at the same time striking him several blows
in the face with his right hand, to cause the
blood to flow pretty freely from his nose AL
most simultaneously, corporal Patrick Gillen, of
Light Company K, lst Artillery who was in
charge OF the squad room, ntertered, and sue
ceeded in forciby twisting the sabre from Loup's
hand. Corporal Gillen, assisted by the sergeant,
then took Loup to the guard house, and confined
him therein with some difficulty as Lonp re-
sisted all the time in turbulent and dsorderly
manner. Immediately after loup was confined,
the sergeant tried to induce him to be Quiet Int
without success
At this juncture, the officer of the day, First
Lieut.. Charles Griffin, of the Cd Artillery, called
for the sergeant of the guard, in order to learn
what was the disturbance, and being informed
that it was Loup, and that he had drawn his sabre
upon him, the officer of the day expressed hope
that the sergeant had given him a good beating
The officer of the day also directed the sergeant
to have that noise stopped, TO stop that mans
mouth, or to tie him up and gag him if he would
not stop his noise There is some doubt as to the
precise order given to the sergeant of the guard,
as the testimony on this point is very conflicting
As Loup still continued to make noise he was
taken out of the prison room by the sergeant Of
the guard, at quarter past Clock a. m,s and
tied up to the flag staff by his two wrists at five
feet five and quarter inches from the ground
his height being five feet eight inches in his shoes
While the sergeant was tying his wrists, Loup
kicked at him, and the sergeant then tied his legs
TO the bottom of the flag staff.
During this time Loup was very noisy and bois-
ferrous, his words being audible throughout the
entire fort, and the sergeant gagged him twice
with an ordinary wooden gag. Loup succeeded
IN getting each of these out of ais mouth. He
then halloed for the sergeant to 90 for his watch
The sergeant did so; took it to Leup, and then
told him in beseeching manner if he would be
quiet he would unite him in half an hour Not
withstanding this promise of the sergeant, Loup
still continued his noise, whereupon the sergeant
made a third gag, by doubling piece of the flag
halyards and wrapping a part of his blanket
around the middle of this doubled rope. The
blanketed part was about six inches long, and
from one apd quarter to two inches in diameter,
and was secured to the rope by small cord
wound spirally around and tied to each end of
the blanket.
The sergeant then placed this gag in Loup's
mouth, tied the ends of the rope behind his head,
and called the sentinel at the guard house. The
sergeant then directed the sentinel to return his
sabre, take hold of the rope gag and hold on, and
prevent Loup from getting it out of his mouth
IL the gag came out the sentinel was directed TO
replace it. This gag stopped up Loup's mouth
completely, and the only noise he made after it
was put IN was suppressed sound, which could
be heard only short distance from the flagstaff
This last gag was inserted about twenty minutes
before two O'Clock, a. m, and for about half an
hour afterwards the prisoner made violent efforts
to put his head forward and get the gag out by
INST ha far taT
vented by the sentinel pulling strongly and keep
ing Loup's head back. Loup then became quiet,
relaxed little, and brought the weight Of his
body on his wrists. The sentinel supposed he
was asleep.
At half-past two O'Clock, a. m.-The time of
posting the next relief-neither the sergeant nor
the corporal of the guard examined Loup, but
another sentinel took charge Of him and found his
knees very much sunken and the whole weight Of
his body resting on his wrists
Owing to the darkness, the sentinel could not
observe Loup's countenaDce, but he did not per-
ceive that Loup either moved or breathed after
this Towards daybreak-about twenty minutes
before four o'clock, m, the sentinel discovered
that Loup was deadly pale, called for the cor
poral of the guard, and, on examination, they
found Loup dead The officer of the day was then
informed, for the first time, that Loup had been
tied up and gagged.
The body was then removed TO the hospital and
examined superfciaiiy by surgeon Charles Me-
Dougal of the United States Army, the physician
OF the post He was prevented from making
post norfem examination, by the arrival of the
coroner; who took possession Of the corpse From
Surgeon McDougall's examination and his know
ledge of the facts, he was of opinion that Loup
had died from congestion of the brain
The coroners jury requested Dr. Henry w.
Webster, citizen physician, resident of Balt-
more, to make superficial examination of Loups
body. From that examination DIR. Webster con-
cluded that Loup's intoxication and excitement
during the previous night had produced active
congestion Of the brain which resulted in apo
plexy.
The coroner, DR.. George w. Benson, from per-
sonal observation Of the body, thought IL proba-
BILE that the man had died of the congestion of
the brain, and possibly from congestion of the
lungs also. The coroner's jury did not desire a
post norton examination and none was made
IL was attempted on the succeeding day, but de-
composition had proceeded so far as to render il
impossible.
OPISIoN.-In submitting the above facts, the
Court of Inquiry is not authorised by law to ex-
press any opinion on the matter, except as to the
conduct of Iieut Griffin tho ofy,oar anc1;od