The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1861-10-24
FORT LAFAYETTE.
Sketch of Prison Life by n Late Inmate
OF the Fort-List Of Prisoners Consigned
There, &c.
. EDITOR OF THE HERALD.

~ IHE EDITOR OF THE HERALD.
The statements that have from tino 30 time appeared
IN the daily rarcrs regarding the privileges and treat
ment of the prisoners confined Fort Lafayette are of
such aggravated have conveyed tho idea
to outsiders and the friends OF tho inmates that they werc
waking iat on the ibcraty Of tho government and
WERE in fact, enjoying tho retreat of some clysium IN
justice, therefore to those still incarceratcd you viii
confer favor by giving the following an insertion in
Your paper which latter s largely contributed for by the
inmates.
Tho history Of your arrest and arrival is as follows
AS soon as you arrive at Fort Hamilton you delivered
by the officer charge to Colonel Burke with the accom-
panying details:He (he CconeD then sends you with
his aid and guard Of soldiers by boat to Lieutenant
Wood commanding at Fort Lafayette On yonr arrival
receipt given for you You then requested to give
up all weapons and moneys in your possession As tho
weapons generally taken by the United States Mar
shas in the first instance compliance is Of COURSE out
Of the question, unless in paroxysm Of unabridged
patriotism you should consider your specaces included
in the category. Your trunk valisc carpet bag is
then examined, and il all is receipt is given
you for the amount obtained The sergeant then takes
you in charge and shows You your quarters You
then surrounded by anxious eyes scanning your
person, and inquiries after your 'heath in general
with "what brought you here" propounded before
your wrctccd feelings have sufficiently collected
is another rebel" another will dwell on the casne
and tho lardcr and il near dinner will yell out "Dnner
Is rea6y at the United States Hotel" &c. The next
step you PROV dcd with bed, either straw
mattress iron bedstead two s!ects blanket and
pillow with basin and pitcher which last thecspi
ta Of Joint stock operation Of smc five eight In tho
morning yoG arise and after going through the necessary
abluoas in salt watcr-or fresh if you got t-bsea-
ss announced This consists OF pint coffee sw Get
enel in bulk at times Transparent and incapable of pro
ducng any delccrous effect on the system; by
qua ttve analysis the componen,s would range ne arly
AZ rolowswater o. saccharinc matter a. chicory IS
coffee %. piece Of fat pork whose superficial Goa
tents ranged from FIVE TO seven inches, and good
honest slice OF bread5y honest mean thick-.his and
nothing more constitutes breakfast Before Marshal
Murray sont down 1.-The large stovo tho pork served
up to Is actually as it came out Of the barrel raw
nearly 50. decline in brisIcs prevented rs from med
ding with it, appetzing as it After breakfast
(cght, occasionally bcfore) we allowed hour
for proenadng square Of earth seventy five feet by
eighty. Then the daily papers, the perusal of
which, and comments the last anticipated attack oc
cuped hours after that event tho writing to
friends, receiving letters when any camel games of
chess, whist, &C., discussing past events and
deayorny 10 ascertain II the potatoc had become
the 10th July served to while away the tme
until the momeEtous hour Of dinner.
This meal which many pride themselves on as tho
best, certainly our best. Three entrees 7ndSss
rice or bean soup-astonshngy ihin-bread and pork
beef. From actual experiments with unmitigated
labor for the space Of three minutes assisted by pair or
"Pkes dollar spcctacies have succeeded after tedi-
operation in fishing one bean from my pint SOUP
and have been at tho discovery that with
instructive reverence for the propagaor of tina, bean
have universally uncovered my head during the process
OF mastication-same being uncookcd For supper we
again had pint of coffee, revised and corrected by an
excess of water, with slice Of dry bread
The crockcry not purchased at Haughwouts
consisting, as IL did, of tin cups, tin plates,
quality Of the provisions good enough hut cooks tax
from the ranks ''seht by the dewitt II Marsha
Murray would send good plain clean cook Fort afay-
cite he certainly could add greater comfort or bless
ing 10 those who borders 1T the United States HOTEL
CT course all the inmates did not avail themselves Of tho
prodigal lberaiy that aboundcd in the eating depart.
mcnt but preferred such bills Of fare they in some
had been accustomed TO- Hence the formation of
sundry messcs Mt cost u from thirty one dol.
lar per diem for each person, at his expense At
period water was scarce that we put on allow
ancc-alowcd only for drinking purposes until at the
eleventh. hour received three thousand gallons Crotch
with not half the body Of the old stock. We never
permitted TO outside the fort unless accompanied by
soldier with musket and bayonct, and confined TO
the cascmat there going on the root walking
10 see the sink behind the Jersey hills as some
the ground oor and there kept thirty seven Of
/ US in one room with four mounted thrty.twos
| night all that saved Us from asphyxa was Brother
D-s celebrations. At six z. NJ. we were lock.
cd up, with two candles until the next morning.
at quarter past nine r NJ the signal extngu lights
was made ours survived that period which they never
did complied Evcfy letter that goes out or enters
the fort read by the officer If they contain any obIoc
tionable matter they returned ohe respects com
muncaton aud raplity in the Transmission of letters
with the outsiders is excellent have been only ten
days IN receiving letter from city only nine miles from
New York and where there two daily mails spent
nearly six weeks in The fort-chieay suppose, for my
| hellth-and during that period | experienced no
/ serious inconvenience in sleeping every night in
tho pair Of sheets; and friend Of mjne who has
been ,nned (or his healthy since July 20, clngs with
fraterna tenacy to his No better society the world
be found than in tina, spot, as general thing for
association OF gentlemen, mixed with many Chris