Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-07-07

was erected during the latter part Of John
Quincy Adams term, and finished In the com.
mencement of Jackson's administrator, tho
first Warden being a Col. Williams, who had
previously been the keeper OF the Maryiapd
penitentiary at Baltimore 1t was first opened
to prisoners in May, 1881, the first prisoner
being one Williams, who was convicted At our
Circuit Court (waich was the only court in
the District) of the larceny of barrel Of -four.
Singularly enough the warden of the penifen-
tiary was of the same name, as was also the
keeper of the Jail, the prosecuting witness, the
foreman of the grand and also the foreman of
The first Warden. Colonel Williams, of Bal
timore. was followed in turn by Isaac Clarke,
John b. Dade, Robert Coltman Q. p. Seng-
stack. Thomas F'itn am, Jonas b. Ellis, Thomas
Thornley,, G. p. Stngstack, "a second term,)
and H. I. King. UP to 1850 the number Oh con.
victs sentenced was over 500, but from tnat
time to the time when the prisoners were
transferred to Albany the number was consid-
erably increased, especially during the nrst
years of the war, when il was made the place
Of confinement for soldiers under sentence 0,
court-martial, and the entire number sentenced
there by the courts may be estimated NJ ABOUT
1,5OO. The accommodations Were for pa pris-
oners, 81 cells being for females; but whiie the
court-martial cases were sent there the total
number raised $50 several times, the chapei as
well as the hospital having TO be put In requi-
sition.
Among the most noted criminals who were
sentenced and commenced their terms here
We're Edward Hall, sentenced in 1888. for three
years, for counterfeiting; John b. Henderson,
the forger, for ten years. the same year;
Harry H. White, sentenced in 1896 for ten years,
for burning the Treasury Departments; Joseph
Allemander, the celebrated silver thief, sem
fenced for ten years in five cases, in 1850, who,
on one 9TH of July, made general descent on
a number of dwellings, and ran off with the
silver plate, and who with Frank Camper,
who wa convicted in the same year of man
slaught and sentenced for eight years, made
his csc pc; Edward Mooney, who robbed the
mail between the Georgetown and Washington
post offices, sentenced for ten years in 1S52s but
pardoned in 1856; Hosea Hildreth Smith, con-
victed of forging land warrants in five cases,
and sentenced to eight years, in 1917; Jacob
Shuster, alias Tom Hand, con victed of stealinP
the diamond snuff box and gold scabbard
sword from the Patent Office, and sentenced to
three years, in 1910; Jack Shepherd, alias
Joseph Fisher, convicted of arson in two cases,
and sentenced to twelve years; and William
Wells, sentenced for life, 1851, for the murder
of young Mundell near the Navy Yard.
The main entrance to the building has here.
tofore been on the west front OF the building,
which is upon the banks of the river.
There are four rooms on floor in this wing
or end of the building. Those on the first floor
were formerly occupied as the inspectors
room, warden's Office, reception roosas DC. The
rooms on the two floors above were occupied
through this wing of the building, at the end
of which is a heavy iron gate, opening into
room intended originally as the dining room,
but which has been mostly used as store
room. This room is about forty feet deep by
the width fifty feet) of the building. and forms
the connecting link with the long apartment
cells. A morbid interest, as elsewhel. .'ctsH
attaches to this gloomy, sparsely lighted, iron
warded storeroom from the fact that popular
report places under the brick flooring of its
southern half all that remains mortal Of the
assassin Booth.
From this room two ponderous iron gates
open into the cell department Immediately
east. In passing through we come first upon
the cells occupied by male prisoners when the
The comb Of these cells as in most prisons,
runs along the center of the long room, with
ample space between the lower cells and the
walls, and with corridors to the upper ranges,
affording access to the cells and walks for the
guards. These cells face north and south, and
are built in four tiers. twenty in range, on
each side, the whole number being 100.
I nose on the upper tier were built originally
for female prisoners, ami with proper courtesy
to- the sex, were made twice the size of these for
the male prisoners. Subsequently separate
department was made for the female prisoners,
and the just mentioned cells were haIved by
partitions into double their number for the use
of male prisoners.
The galleries. which forma complete Giro uit
round the comb of cells, are1eached by a flight
the gallery around the second tier flight OF
stairs Lead into a large room over the store
room, and formerly used rs chapel. From
the fact that this chapel room is spacious and
airy, it was inferred that it would be used as
the courtroom for the trial of the conspira-
tors II is understood, however. that this
room is now so fully packed with arsenal ma
teriaI not convenient to be removed, that it
was thought advisable to select some other
room.
From the third tier of these cell galleries an
other sbort Hight of steps leads inbo what was
the male hospital, ovsr the chapel From this
room the most frequent attempts We've made by
convicts' to escape. they sham
ing illness 30 get into the hospitaFfor that pur-
pose.
I The cells are 1s inches thick, the front being
of stone, Is inches thick, in which. . door of
heavy wrought iron is set The upper portion
Of the cell door is pierced with. agrating, and
there is a small aperture at the bottom of the
veil doors
ia height, and two feet wide, and the cells in
side measure 4 little short of 8 feet deep, feet
wide and feet high, with vauted poofs.
Many of the old penitsrFtiary prisoners deco
rated their cells with such articles as they could
obfain-sometimss with picture set in frames
OF ingenious 0esign mace OF bone, leather and
other unusual material.
The walls OF the room enclosing these cells
aresstrongly built of brick, rs inches thick AT
the end Of the south wuil Of +his room doors
emerge into what wasths' prison. yard, where
were situated the. workshops, enclosed by
brick At on soR Of
walks for guards and sentinelA.
Leaving the male department, Il small iron
door opens into the female department, i'll
which are 81 cells of the same size as those in
the male department., arranged eight in a row
with galleries around them. A. door in the
east end Of the north wall opens into the yard
on the north side, where was formerly situated
the wash yard. In these cells the conSpra-
n 5ors nave 6eem ghey are ns placed
ferent tiers. The wall separating the two de-
partments was removed during the wardenship
of Mr, II. I. King and made so as to include the
cells on the south side in the male department
Formerly there was but one mode of ingress
and egress between the female department to
the quarters used by the Deputy Warden in the
extreme east end Of the buirding, viz: from the
second tier of female cells to the second story
hall OF the dwelling of the Deputy Warden,
which is an exact counterpart of the Warden'S
dwelling at tho opposite end, except that the
third story is not divided by a hall.
Within stones throw Of the trial room
spot celebrated as the locality where a number
of British, soldiers came to 8 sudden andner-
rible end at the time of the capture of Washing
top in 1914. On the day after the captures
party of 200 British soldiers, with Several
officers, were sent down to the Arsenal grounds
to complete the work Of destruction, and while
there one Of the soldiers threw q lighted port
fire into dry well, In which it seems some Of