Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1861-09-04

The quarters of the Yankee prisoners still
continue 10 be the picture gallery Of the town.
You may always find there crowd of iders
staring at the grated windows on either side of
the street, studying human nature, and specu-
lating audlbly as TO the various incidents of
the hour. Some of the fellows have no change
OF linen, and necessarily must go shrtess
while that useful article undergOes the drying
process after wash. Those who have the
means are allowed the privilege of Temedying
this want. Those who have not, have in some
instances, been provided from the wardrobe
of our own men. The officers occupy an apart
ment by themselves, and fare, perhaps, more
comfortably. Congressman Ely, they say,
grows fat upon his diet. The others are in
good health. Among their amusements are
those of card playing, psalm singing, cursiDg,
and debating. The latter is almost nightly the
occupation of the officcrs--Ely acts as the
moderator of the meeting or occasionally
takes hand himself. Huson, his congress.
sional competitions jolly, good natured soul
by the way, fat, funny, interesling-is the
leading speaker, and the smaller guns predom-
mate in the intellectual battery according to
their various cabers. The subjects are any
thing and everything you can imagine rang
ing on the gamut from the solemn to the ridc
ulOus. Their subject last evening was derived
from the following simple incident -
a newsboy who had been in the habit of
selling his papers at three, suddenly ran up
his price to five cents, and on making his ac
custOmed sale in the morning to one of the
prisoners, the latter first refused TO come
down" The young vender was equally mex
orable and finally carried his point, and re-
ceived the amount of his demand This rise
in stocks was reported to tie Yankee con
claye, whereupon the question was raised
whether it was right ior the man 10 jew the
boy or the boy to jew the man.. The discus
sion thus commenced in the social circle was
carried into the debating society, and after
the usual pros and cons, it was finally decided
by the honorable speaker, Ely that the boy
being the sole aud undisputed owner of the
property and the said property not being
contraband Of war, and no concatenation
of circumstances having arisen to OBJ.
struct the right thereby vested in the orgi-
nal possessOr of the aforesaid vehicle Of nfor-
nation, tie right was undoubtedly inherent in
the adolescent merchant to determine TOR him
self the incident value OF his goods, and to
charge Tor the same accordingly, ad vaorem
dnties 10 the contrary notwithstanding. EX~
ceptiOn was taken to the ruling of the chair,
and Mr.. Huson proceeded to quote Shaks.
peare, and Byron and Tom Moore, in sup
port of his position. Others followed in the
senatorial burlesque, quoting, amid shouts of
laughter, scraps vi Ldtil, FRENCH, anu ITlSH,
telling stories and even singing songs until
bedtime arrived, when the party retired to
their blankets. "There's sweet for every
bitter" the poet says, and the prisoners are
doing all they can to extract it.
have observed number Of them at large
on the street. One of these was New York
Zouave, sporting large lie his freman's
badge, and drinking at one of the public bars
with all the gusto of new tiedged freeman to
the success of the Southern Confederacy.
Some gentleman a,ked him how he came
there =? "OhP' was the reply, "my friends
have some influence with Gen. Winder, and
am allowed privileges the others don't enjoy"
So it seemed.
Another of these worthless at large is named
Connelly-a sergeant. His father, fortunate.
ly, has made half a million or more out of the
Richmond people, and on this account he is sui
fered the freedom of the city, while the poor
civilians who were taken after the battle are
closely ensconced. You see that there is yet
a good deal of truth in the homely adage, that
''mOney makes the mare GO"