Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-08-22
THURSDAY. AUGUST p, 1861,



eaton Island. from the county of Kings Wn'eh
isone of the counties into which Long ialanu
"a divided all in the State OF Ne" iorA' ouf
ted States of America, and some'nihg me
-, a.znrad miles from the city OF New
VI On the Kings county side OF the Mar
-. tor the purpose, originally, of guard
&c and overseeing the entrance of vessels
into the bay and harbor of New York, ana
Cor the purpose of protecting the city OF New
Work from invasion and destruction by ior-
o;op fleets hostile, the authorities OF the UNI
"a States Government, with money chiefly
aa-ived from the pockets of the Southern
,,.onIe in times gone by, erected two forts.
n close neighborhood-distinguishing one
hv the name of the eminent and pure French
,s,r;ot who assisted the colonies to extrlcate
.ha,,sa,ves from British thraldom in l176-S3,
"a the other by the name of an eminent
nan. who was born in the island OF Nevis,
west Indies, and who is equally celebrated
IN opr Revolutionary annals, as hero, states
man and patriot-the first for General La
.,vrrrr. the other for ALEXANDER HAMILTON
,ha onnosite side of the Narrows, on the
Richmond county side, there was erected, for
I;ts nurposes and with like means, Fort
Tomnkins, named in honor OF political par
.;zsn of that State, who was once, we believe,
=. Governor. and whose children are now
sobt;no-geakly and timidly, We must say,
from personal acquaintance with one OF MS
sons-if fighting at all, against the South and
AGAINST the principles OF civil liberty estao-
Iisbed by the heroic men OF '16.
The two first named of these Forts, which
vsre built by Southern money for the de-
.snca ot the Union and the liberal principles
of the Constitution upon which the Union
vss ereeted-s Union in which, we now are
Glad tn saw. we have none but temporary
coueern-are converted into strongholds tor
the ueruetration of the cruelties of militia
~ despot. Their names have ceased to re-
call the glorious memories which attach TO
them. and discarding all the recollections OF
which thew are the tombstone and the SYM
boI. the rulers of the United Statesmen OF
us-aRe making them second BastIle.
The first Bastile was the State prison OF
France for twenty years more than four cen
tnrias-exteudiug from 1869 to 1889. The
yery year the Union, at the hands of freemen,
went into operation under the Federal Con-
stitution, and under the guidance of WASH
INGToN, the Bastile was destroyed at the
hands of mob The decree of Heaven SEEM
ed to be that the extreme of despOtlsm and
the sublime of liberty should not exist on the
earth at one and the same time. As the one
rose. therefore, the other fell In the vlclssi
tudes of time, the one is about to fall and th'
other AGAIN about to rise-in the United
States. Liberty flies for asylum to the South
while the Bastile rises again in the patrio
names of HAMILTON and LAFAYETTE, confront
ing in oninous strength and sullenness, tn
symbol of Northern political partisanshil
the name of ToMPKINs.
The first Bastile was administered by
"royal intendant,' and garrisoned by 10
men. So soon as prisoner was brought in
he was inFentoried, his clothes, trunks, linel
and rockets were all examined in order Il
discover whether there were any papers re
lating to his arrest. "The newcomer" say
a distinguished inmate of the institution, Isl
as much surprised as alarmed to ind himsel
subjected to the search and personal examin
alton of four men, whose appearance seem
In belle their functions-men claS IN uni
form which leads one to look for a regard tt
decencies, and wearing decorations which
presuppose service which endures no sts,n
These men take from him his money, that b
NAV have no means of corrupting any o
their number; his jewelry, on the same con
sideration; his papers, for fear he should find
come Essnurce against the tedium to which
he is heEsS.orth devoted; and his knives and
scissors. for fear be should commit suicide, OF
assassfnate his jailors. They had cells and
dungeons 60 arranged as to furnish the leas
comfort and secure the greatest misery. Apri
sonsr might be examined at the moment of hi
arrest, or not until after weeks, days, months
or even years. He had no rights, no mean
of even Offering defence, nor of making i
known to his friends where he was, or where
fore he was detained. Sometimes he was ig
norant of both facts himself. He was allow
ed neither books nor papers He could no
communicate, in writing, even with the lieu
tenant of the police, except by especial pei
mission obtained from the crown or the roya
intendsnt through the major Of the Bastile
nor, even on this permission, could he CORE;
pond with his family or friends. eIcep
through the police, who examined all th
correspondence. Visits could be made to th
prisoners only on written order OF the lieu
tenant of police, and that in the presence
some offcer of the prison. All conversation
on the cause of detention, treatment With
the prison, and sill topics of that nature, wei
strictly prohibited. Sleeping or waking, Twin
or dying, the prisoner was never free from th
superyision of spies, who had become, froI
long habit, experts in human character, an
Who observed with the closest scrutiny ever.
word, look, action, motion of the prisoneI
sud endeavored to read his every though
iu order to report them as casting SOM
light, more or less. on bis innocence or gull
of the suspicion-for there were no direc
charges under which he was detained. Fl
rors were often made in putting to death To
wrong man. When the King or any OF hi
co1rtiers demanded life, it had to be forth
coming. But the mistake of man made n
difference. If the innocent were immediate
in place of the guilty, it was only life
more or less and there were lives enough
in France that no caprice of the King shoul,
be disappointed. In short, there was m
measure of cruelty, no degree of wrong an,
oppression that the interior of the Bastile di
nos witness. II figures in history as the sur
aud synonym Of everything cruel, hideou
and despotic.
How differs the second Bastile at the Ell
trance to New York harbor7 All the Stat
prisoners are hurried away by Lincoln's il