Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-29


was ever mined or not. The following testimony
of two of the late officials of the prison, given
in the proceedings of the great trial in Washing.
ton, d. c., will set the matter at rest:
TESTIMONY oFE. W. ROSS.
By Judge Advocate Holt.-Q. State whether or
not you have been in the service of the Rebel
Government A. never was in the army; was
a clerk at Libby Prison.
Q. Were you clerk there in the month of
March 1851 A. Yes sir; about that time Gen.
eral Fitzpatrick was making raid in the vicinity
of Richmond
=. State what knowledge, if any, you had of
Libby Prison having at that time been mined by
the Confederate authorities. A. ! never saw the
powder, but saw the place where they said the
powder was buried / was away one night about
that time, and when | came back in the morning
one OF the colored men at the prison told me that
some powder had been put into the building
when went to roll call one of the officers asked
me whether the powder was there, and told him
/ did not know certainly, saw the fuse in the
Office.
Q. Did you ever see the place where the powder
was buried : A. Yes, sir, frequently two senti.
nels were placed over it to keep persons from ap.
preaching the place.
@ Was the fuse kept in the Office A. Yes,
sir, Major Turner had it in charge il was an
eight second fuse.
Q. Did he state to you that the powder was
there? A. Yes, sir, and also said that this fuse
was 10 set II OIL.
Q. In what event was this explosion to take
place2 A. In case the raiders got into the city,
they would set it of.
Q. And blow up the prison and the prisoners
A. That must have been their intention.
O. How long did that powder remain there
A. In May they took it out secretly.
Q. Do you know whether the fact of its reno.
val was kept secret from the prisoners them.
selvesl A. / do net.
By the Court.-Q. Did you understand By whose
authority the powder was put there A. Ii was
done while WndeT was Secretary of War;
2. State whether or not Major Tlrner, the
keeper of the prison, did not seem TO be Gctng
under the authority of the War Department.
A. He never told me that he was acting under
any orders in the matter, or even that the powder
was there.
Q. Was he not subordinate to the War De-
partmentl A. Yes, sir.
TESTIMONY OF JOHN LA ToUcHE.
By Judge Holt.-Q. State whether or not Won
have been In the service Of the rebels A, Yes
sir was in the Confederate States Army.
9. State whether or not you were on duty at
LIBBY Prison in March, 1864? A. | had been de-
tailed there and was on duty at that place at that
time.
that time by the Confederate authorities ? A.
Major Turner the keeper of the prison, told me
one day that he was going to see General Winder
about a guard / believe we had no relief that
day when he returned he told me that General
Winder himself had been to see the Secretary Of
War; and that they were going TO put powder in
the building; in the evening OF the same day the
powder came there; 1t was in twenty five pound
kegs, which were contained in boxes, and alto
gether amounted to, | suppose one hundred
pounds; q hole was dug in the centre of the mid
die basement, and the powder was pat down
therein; the ground was then covered over with
gravel; took one of the sentries from the out.
side of the building and placed him over this
powder, so that no accident might occur; next
day Major Turner showed US the fuse in the
office il was a long fuse, and was made of gutta
percha; the powder remained there until, think,
some time in May,when the prisoners were all re-
moved from the prison. General Winder then
sent note TO the Office with directions to take
up the powder as secretly as possible; do not
remember the exact word.
o. State whether you heard in what event this
powder was to be set offl A. / did not hear at
,he time; heard him say afterwards that in
would blow up the place.
Q. Meaning the prison building and the prison.
ers in it A. suppose so.
We have been informed by citizen who pro.
fesses knowledge of the facts narrated, that
the prison was mined contrary to the advice, and
against the wish, OF Major Turner, the command
ant Our informant says that he character
lied the proceeding then as barbarous, and cal.
culated to bring the Southern cause into disre-
pute, but his superiors insisted upon the execul
ton Of the order,