Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1865-05-10
THE SCENE OF THE TRIALS


whether he will serve in the case.
THE SCENE OF THE TRIALS.
The building in which the prisoners have
been confined since they were removed from the
monitors Saugns and Montauk, and IN which
they are TO be tried, is the old PenitentIary
building, now included in the Arsenal grounds
1t is of brick, little over three hun fred feet
Ions, and fifty feet wide, and three stories in
height. 1t was erected during the latter part
OF John Y uincy Adams term, and dnlshed in
the commencement of Jackson's admfnistra.
ton, the first Warden being q Col. Williams,
who had previously been the keeper of the
Maryland Penitentiary at Baltimore The
main entrance has heretofore been on the west
front OF the building, which Is upon the banks
Of the river.
There are tour rooms on q 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 room, &C. The
rooms on the two floors above We're occupied
by the wardens' families. A large hall passes
through this wing OF the building, at the end
Of which is heavy IRON gate, opening into
room intended originally as the dining room,
but which has been mostly used as q 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
which forms the shell for the central ranges of
cells. A morbid interest attaches to this
gloomy, sparseiy lighted, iron. VI arded store.
room from the fact that popular report places
under the brick flooring OF its southern hale
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
building was used tor penitentiary purposes.
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 tho
walls and with corridors to the upper ranges,
aTording access to the cells and walks for the
guards. These cells taee north and south and
are built il four tiers, twenty in range on
each side. the whole NUMBER being 100.
Those On the upper tier were built orig nal!y
for female prisoners, and with proper cour-
tesy 70 the sex, were made twice the size of
those tor the male prisoners. SubseQ ueatly q
separate department was made for the female
prisoners, and the just mentioned cells were
halved by partitions nto double their number
for the use Of male prisoners.
The galleries. which form complete circuit
round the comb of cells, are reached by flight
OF steps at the west end of the range. From the
gallery around the second tier a flight OF stairs
lead into large room over the store room, and
formerly used as a chapel. From the fact that
this chapel. room is spacious and airy, il was
inferred that It would be used as the court
room for the trial OF the ccnspirators. It is
understood, however. that this room is now so
fully packed with arsenal material not conye-
nient to be reno we'd that it was thought ad.
visable to select some other room.
From the third tier of these cell galleries an.
other short flight OF steps leads into what was
the male hospital. over the chapel From this
room the most frequent attempts were made
by penitentiary convicts to escape, they sham.
ming illness to get into the nc spital tor that
purpose.
The cells are IS inches thick, the iron. being
of stone, Is inches thick. in which a door Of
heavy wrought iron is set. The upper portion
Of the cell door is pierced with z grating, and
there IS small aperture at the bottom Of the
cell door for drainage. The doors are SIX feet
in height, and two feet wide. and the cells in
side measure little short of feet deep. feet
wide, and feet high, with vauAed roofs.
Many OF the old penitentiary prisoners deco
rated their cells with such articles they could
obtair.-sometimes with pictures set in frames
OF ingenious design, made of bone, leather and
ctner unusual material.
The walls of the room enclosing these cells
are strongly built of brick, 1e inches tniok. At
emerge into what was the prison yard, where
were situated the workshops, enclosed by
strong brick walls, on the top of which sentry
boxes are located at intervals. between which
are walks for guards and sentinels.
Leaving the male department.. small iron
door opens into the female department, in
which are 81 cells of the same size as those 10
the male department. arranged eight in row
with galleries around them. A door in the
east end OF the Forth wall opens into the ward
on the north side, where was formerly situated
the wash house. In these cells # Is under.
stood that the conspirators have been confined.
They are not placed near each other, but scat
tered through the different tiers. The wall
separating the two departments was removed
during the wardeaship of Mr. H. l. King and
placed so as to include the cells on the south
side in the male department. Formerly thero
was but one mode of ingress and eeress bet wsen
The female department to the quarters used by
the Deputy Warden in the extreme east end Of
the building. viz: from the secoad tier of fs-
male cells to the second story hall OF the dwell
ing Of the Deputy Warden, which is an exact
counterpart of the Warden's dwelling at the
opposite end, except that the third story is not
divided by hall.
The room on the north side OF this east wing
30 feet by 40, and this is the room selected
for the trial-room. 1t has been furnished with
carpets, chairs, tables, &c. In the partition
wall between the dwelling and the female
depsrtment-celis dcorways have been cut 80
that the prisoners may be readily taken, TO
and from the court room. The main stair-