Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1861-12-07
Tae BLACK Hole Of WashinEIon.

AAN GAl141N0n = GNlbAOnt
p. The Black Hole Of WaihinEton.
Hitherto il has been g crime in Washing
ton to have been slave, and the unfortu-
nate negro who walked the streets Of that
city one minute, was liable tae next 10 be
thrast inte one of the foulesi and vilest holes
that ever disgraoed a civiHsed country,
and which is known ss the Washington
jail Il is good to know that Secretary
Seward has prohibited this in future.
Senator Wilson, in introducing . resO-
luton for the discharge Of ell oOlOred per-
sons in the jail whose only offence vas that
Of being under no owners eye, reported
the condition of the jail as horrible, not
81 for even beasts to be kept in, and yet
here oolored men and women we're oonfned,
for no other reason under heaven than
that they were or had been slaves. A
more damning outrage was never commit
ted by 3 nation protesting to be Christian.
The character Of the place is graphically set
forth in the following Washington letter to
the Chicago Tribune, whose correspondent
accompanied the officers making the inves-
tigation;
WAsHIEaFoE, Dec. 2, 1861.
In company with Senator Grimes, Of
lOWs, Chairman Of the Committee Oh the
District Of Columbia, visited Washington
jsil q day or two since, and spent the most
disagreesble half hour l have known in
many years. Imagine dingy three story
building, Of the prison architecture Of
1890, Of abcat the dimensions Of the North
Market building in Chicago, with 2lS per-
sons, black, white, and mixed, packed into
il like hsrrings, olose, foul, without venti-
lation or any apparent drainage, and yon
can form some faint idea Of the atmosphere
which saluted our nostrils as We passed
the jailor's Wsrd-room into the prisoners
apartments. A heap Of lime lay Stacking
and fuming on the lower floor for the pur-
pose evidently Of disinfeoing the air in
the main passages. The fumes did not
reach the prisoners quarters, or If they did,
they were driven back by the superior
strength Of the exhalstions there engsn-
dersd.
The first candidate We met was an insane
solder The jailor told US that though
quite harmless, he was IS crazy as 8 loon.
His looks fully confirmed the testimony.
his clothes we're stringy and baggy and
matched, with more straw than Edgar was
bedeckei with when be met King Lear in
the forest His hair also vas plentifully
adorned with the same trimming. "Its
no use doing anything for him, said the
jsilorD "No," replied the unfortunste,
no use doing nothing for ma" and he
trotted away to his pile Of short dirty
straw, where he dropped down on all fours,
and rooted in il like pig. The jailoF ex-
plained to Us that he had belonged to the
regular army; when his alterations we're
first noticed he was sent here; that he (the
jsilor) had sent for the brigade surgeon TO
examine him and remove him to the asy-
lum; that the surgeon had examined him
and pronounced him insane, and promised
to have him taken care of. This was long
enough ego to have removed the asylum to
the lunatic, but here be was still, roofing
in his straw heap, and presenting his va
cant, piteous, unWsshed face TO stray visit
ors like ourselves.
We next turned into a corridor from which
half dozen cells opened. The prisoners,
sb5ut twenty in number, were standing on
the brick floor, with very little elbow room,
and with no aperture for the admission o.
fresh air, except the grating Of the iron door
Ne ssssyed to enter, but the odor which met
rs was intolerable. It was useless to hole
our handkercheifs to our noses-the palpahlt
stencil came into our eyes, mouth and ears
We retreated in good order, however, anC
held 8 brief conversation at the entrance witt
the inmates. One OF them was q private II
Company E, Col. Brosdhead Michigan caEal
"; said be had been sent to jail for getting y
Iittle drunk" and falling out Of line. Prob
ably be fell out of line long distance, bu
according to the commitment book he haC
done nothing worthy of confinement in sucl
a hole as this. (Senator Grimes sent word t
Lieutenant of Company E, stating thes
facts. who has promised to look into the mat
ter and get the man back into daylight ant
into line Another one was private In %
F, 23d Pennsylvania regiment, sent to jail 70
drunkenness. There were others In the col
ridor who wore United States uniforms an
who were there for the same offence Thea
things would not be worth noticing but TO
the obvious TACT that when a man gets int
Washington jail for any less crime than mul
der or grand larceny, the world outside fol
gets him as though be was in his grave.
soldier might grow to old age there, Il itw
not for the villainous atmosphere Of the plac
and finally die with an account of drunker
ness unsettled against him.
We then went TO the negro quarters, fema
department. If the sight of an insane soldi'
had been a surprise to rs, the first object tn
We now encountered was something NOR
HWho are you-what are you here for
asked the Senator from Iowa, addressing
mulstto girl who sat on the floor sewing h'
apron.
"You know who Mary Hall isl b'lonl
to Mary Hal" i" she replied.
"What are you here for p was the ne
query.
sFor safe keep'n, l spOse."
We turned to the jailer foran eXplsnstio
BE told as it was true. The Womsn was Il
slave Of Mary Hall, who had sent her 10 Il
jail for safe keeping. Mary herself keeps d
largest house Of ill-fame in Washington, a
the Government keeps a boarding house
her negroes.
An intelligent and comparatively ne
looking colored woman next attracted Q
attention, when the following conTersati
ensued;
Q.-What aIe you here fOr1
A.-Don't know.
Q-Who sent you here
An officer.
Q-Arey youa fugitive2 Did you run awe
A.-Eot 'Eactly. Ny master lived n
Alexandria. When the soldiers come
wanted to move to the Junction and SC
came aRay-me and my little boy-he's
stairs.
Q-Wbat was your masters nsme2
A-Triplett
Q.-Whst are yeu here forl
A-Don't know. When the man took
wanted to 90 and see Gen. Mansfield,
said he would take me to Gen. Mansfield
be brought me here. haVnt seen Z
Mansfield yet NOR n six months.
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