Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1865-02-10
'Ahl Colonel OuId, l am very glad

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stateliness that was in striking contras
with bis usual frank and cordial manner
and then introduced the officer to US a
Major Turner, Keeper of the Libby
| had heard Of him, and it was with SOM
reluctance that | took bis profered hand
However, | did take it, and at the sam,
time inquired
Are you related TO DR.. Turner, o
Fayetteville 2
No, Sir. Lam of the old Virgins
family Il never met a negro-whippel
nor negro,trader who did not belong tt
that family.) Are you a North Caro-
linian p
No, Sill
Before l could answer another word
the Judge said {:
No, Major; these gentlemen hail from
Georgia. They are strangers here, and
I'd thank you to show them over the
prison.
Certainly, Colonel, most certainly
I'll do it with great pleasure
And the little man hustled about, put
on his cap, gave a few orders to bis sub
ordinates, and then led US through an-
other outside door into the prison. He
was few rods in advance with Colonel
Jacques when Judge Oald said to me:
Your prisoners have belied Turner
You see he is not the hyena they've rep.
resented
I'm not sure ofthat,' Ireplied. These
eringing, mild hammered men are the
worst sort of tyrants when they have the
power
But you don't think him a tyrant?
Il do. He's coward and bully, or
cannot read English. 1t is written all
over his face
The Judge laughed boisterously, and
called out to Turner,
Il say, Major, our friend here is paint
ing your portrait
4 hope he is making handsome man
Of ne, said Turner, in a sycopbantic
way.
No, he isn't He's drawing you to
life-as if he had known you for bali
century,
We had entered room about forty
feet wide and a hundred feet deep, with
brick walls, rough plank floor, and mar
row d,ngy windows, to whose sash only
few broken panes were clinging. A row
of tin wash basins, and wooden trough.
which served as bathng>tub, were at one
cad Of it, and half dozen cheap stools
and hard botomed chairs were Uttered
about the floor, but it had no other fur.
niture. And this room, with five others
Of similar size and appointments, aud two
Easements, hoored with earth and filled
with Debris, compose the famous Libby
Prison, in which, for months together,
thousands of the best and brayest men
that ever went TO battle, have been allow
ed to rot and to starve.
At the date of our visit, not more than
hundred prisoners were in the Libby.
its contents having recently been emptied
into worse sink in Georgia; but al
most constantly since the war began,
twelve and sometimes thirteen hundred
Of our officers have been hived within
those half dozen desolate rooms and filthy
cellars, with a space Of only ten feet by |
two allotted to each for all the purposes
of livingl
Overrun with vermin, perishing with
cold, breathing stifed, tainted atmos-
phere, no space allowed them for rest by
day, and lying down at night 'wormed
and dovetailed together like fish in bas-
daily rations only two ounces
of stale beef, and small lump Of hard
corn bread, and their lives the forfeit, ifI
they caught but one streak Of Gods blue
sky through those filthy windows-they
have endured there all the horrors of a
middle passage. My soul sickened as |
looked on the scene of wretchedness. IF
the liberty we are fighting for were not
worth even so terrible price-if it were
not cheaply purchased even with the
blood and agony of the many brave and
true souls who have gone into that foul
den only to die, or to come out the shad.
ows Of men-living ghosts, condemned to
walk the night and to fade away before
the breaking of the great day that is com
would not cry out for peace,
peace on any terms +?
And when these thoughts were in my
mind, the cringing, foul-mouthed, brutal,
ruffian who had caused all
This misery stood within two PAGES of me
| could have reached out my hand, and