The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-09-06

On Saturday, / visited the State peni
Tertiary, which was once the home O.
Aaron Burr, and which is now the resi-
dence of Mr.. Richard Turner, ex-turn
key of Libby Prison. 1t is most di
lapidated establishment; and is sadly il
need of a visit from the friends of prison
reform. On the night of the evacua
ton, Governor Billie-Smith Withdrew
the State guard from the place-needine
them, as his excellency said, as body
guard to give him safe-conduct to the
interior-and the criminals, upon ascer-
tanning this, forced their bars, got bat
tering-rams, and pounded the iron gates
down. They then fired the houses OF
the Superintendent and his assistants,
and smashed things generally. This
added to what the Confederates had
done before, carrying off all the
| window sashes, the anvils and much OF
machinery, including couple OF red
hot stoves, I believe, from the Kitchen
gives the venerable prison the appear
ance of q brick castle in ruins. All that
is needed, is few jackdaws and crows
to make it thing of five hundred years
ago. twill be remembered that all tho
prisoners, with the exception of few
sick men, escaped, and gave vivacity to
society in the city on that memorable
night. The military authorities, how
ever, restored order, captured many of
the convicts, and sent them back to
work out their sins. The prison has
since been turned over to Gov. Pierpoint,
and is now quite crowded. Among the
prisoners are several Baltimore thieves,
who came down to rob. The most illus
trious man in this prison, is Mr.. Rich
ard Turner-better known as "Dick
Turner"--a scoundrel of the Wirz kind.
He served under the dead scamp, John
H. Winder, whose house here could not
be seized because the infamous villain
happened to have been a class-mate of
the officer whose duty it was to have
seized it, and if need be, as a mark of
proper respect to the internal defunct,
filled it with loathsome reptiles. But
since the devil hath Winder, let us
go on. Major Turner, Dicks brother,
heard the slogan early, and fled; some
say to England - and others say to
Brazil. Dick remained in town. He
thought himself safe but the story OF
his having robbed and inflicted every
form of torture upon the unfortunate
prisoners of war committed to his
charge, being still fresh, Gen. Turner
arrested him, and clapped himTin the
lady's wing of the penitentiary. He is
terribly frightened, of course-alltyrants
and DULLES are towards, you know-and
since there is no hope of his escape
sentinels with fixed bayonets pace be-
fore his eyes continually-he cringes
and lies and whimpers, in the fashion
of the Andersonville monkey, who is to
be hanged in Washington after a few
more legal formalities. Nothing def
mite is yet known as to when
or where Dick is to be tried. He
ought to be tried soon, and if found
guilty of fraction of the crimes alleged
against him, he should be executed in
the market place in the presence of all
the lean dogs of the capital. 1t is just
that the " gentleman :" who had charge
of the old tobacco warehouses, known
as Castle Thunder" and Libby Pris-
on" should suffer in turn and in kind.
The national soldiers demand this favor
from the government, and it is not too
much to ask. / think James A. Seldom,
the late Secretary of War of the late con-
federacy, will be tried for some crime
akin to that charged against the jailors
of Georgia and Virginia. Old John
Caphart, famous old scoundrel, died in
time, and his master, Winder, has gone
" tumbling after" What a dirty tribe
engages my attention this morning.
Will you excuse me for dwelling so long
upon offal?
The laughing over 1.-THE great mass
meeting" has not yet subsidized
1t is not sufficient to characterize it
as a fizzle; we must call it fizzle-
fizzle. Even the old-hat party, who
attended it, grin; the ringers y.
grin; and (" I believe" as an old
North Carolinian remarked, "the mules
grim" 1t has long been observed of the
Richmonders, that they think very
highly of themselves. They have al
ways controlled the legislation of the
state, and no section could get anything
,ut of the Capital until the appetite of
Richmond was satiated. 1t was this
,elfishness of the chief town, as much
IS any other one cause, that induced
Virginia to cut away from the
who selfishly gobbled and
the State. OF course you
well remember the struggles that Nor
folk and Portsmouth have had with the
Capital from time to time, and their Sc
we're trials and efforts in order to procure
'ne means to develope the superior nat
urai resources of those towns. You will
also remember that a threat was once
naoe 10 seek the annexation of those
c''ies.with certain territory at the time
nameu and described, including the
Navy fard-to the State of North Car
DINA That effort will be renewed. It
is in CONTEMPLATION In A.