The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-09-27
Amusements Of the Prisoners at Rich
mond,

Tho following entertaining story is from
lottor to tho Charleston Courier, dated
Richmond, August 10. 1861:
Tho quarters of tho lankoo prisoners still
continue to DO tho picturo-gallery of the
town. You may always fed there a crowd
OF idlers. staring at tho guard windows on
oithor side of tho street, studying human
nature, aud specuating Rudibly as to tho
various incidents of tho hour Some of tho
fellows hayo no change of lincD, and neces.
sarily must go shiriless whio that useful
article undergoos tho drying process after
wash. Those who have tho means arc al.
lowed tho privilege of remodying this want.
Those who have not, have, in some instances,
boon voluntarily provided from the ward.
robe Of our own mon. Tho officers occupy
an opartmen by themselves, and fare, per.
hnps, moro comfortably. Congressman Ely,
they say, grows fat upon his dict. Tho
others are in good health. Among their
amusomonts arc those of card playing,
psaIm.singing, cursing and debating. The
latter is almost nightly tho occupation of
tho officers. Ely acts as tho moderator of
tho meeting, or occasionally takes hand
himself lluson, his Congressional com.
| petitor--a jolly, good-natnred soul, by the
way, fat, funny, intorosting-is tho leading
speaker, and the smaller guns prodominato
in tho intellectual battery according to their
various calibres. The subjects are anything
and everything you can Imagine, ranging on
tho gamut from tho solemn to the ridiculous.
Their subject last evening was derived from
the following simple incident:
A nows-boy who had been in the habit of
selling his newspapers at three, suddenly
ran his price up to five cents, and on making
his accustomed sale in tho morning to ono
| of tho prisoners, the latter first refused 10
como down." The young vendor was
equally inexorablc. and finally carried his
point, and received tho amount of bis do
mand. This rise in stocks was reported to
the Yankee conclarc. whcrcupon tho ques-
ton was raised whether it was right for tho
man to jew the boy, or the boy TO jew tho
man. Tho discussion thus commenced in
tho social circle, was carried into the de.
batiug society, and after tho usual pros and
cons, it was finally decided by tho Honorable
Speaker Ely, that tho boy boing the solo
aud undisputod ownor of the property, and
the said property not being contraband of
war, aud no concatenation OF circumstances
having arisen to obstruct tho right thereby
vested in the original possesor OF the afore.
said vehicle of information, tho right was
undoubtedly inherent in tho adolescent
merchant to determine for himself the in
cipicnt value of his goods, and to charge for
the Same accordingly, ad vulorem duties to
the contrary Notwithstanding. Exception
was taken TO the ruling of the chair, and
Mr.. Huson proceeded to quote Shakespeare
I and Byron, and Tom Moore. in support Of
bis position. Others followed in the Sena-
! torinl builcsque quoting. amid shouts Of
laughter, scraps OF Latin, Fronch and Irish,
telling stories and oven singing songs, until
bed timo arrived, when the party rotired TO
their blankets. There's sweet for every
bitter" tho poet says, and tho prisoners arc
doing all thoy can to extract it.