Elizabeth daily monitor. [volume] (Elizabeth, N.J.) 1868-1880, 1868-11-07

who had been successful in this city,
after disposng of their goods entered
our prisons and disposed of several
hundred Thousand dollars in Confeder-
crate scrip in the same manner. |
know several who received $1,000 and
$40, 600 each. The blockade runners
were recognized, but they insisted on
their not being from New York. At all
events these TRAITS were given to one
Of our officers at the time of exchange
with orders to deliver them at acertaiu
brokers' in New York, but unfortu
mattel y for the blockade runners, as
the steamer approached the narrows.
the package by some means fell over
board and was lost--a fitting end to a
nefarious speculation.
But to return. During our first night
in the Jail yard our slumbers were
peaceful and unbroken, owing to the dis
continuance Of the firing. Next morn
ing however, at daybreak, while doing
it soundly with Lieut.. George Peters,
directly under the gallows, pleasant
place for one who has an imaginative
turn of mind, in the rear or east side of
the yard we were startled by hearing
terrible kissing sound, as if all the de-
mons of pandemonium, Tor the sunny
south, as you prefer, had been un-
loosed, and were roaming the earth at
will. Partly awakened as we were,
from deep sleep, and person in such
place cannot attain that pleasure till
the camp is somewhat quieted, some
times after midnight--we could not,
for the moment, account for the strange
unearthly noise, which continued more
terrible, like the kissing of thousand
fiery reptiles. Directly, far above our
heads, where our eyes had been in
stinctiyely drawn, we observed quick,
bright flash, followed by sudden ex-
plosion, and the ting, ling, ting, ling,
s-s-ping, ling, ting of the broken parts,
as they fell through the air to the
ground. It was the first. shell thrown
into the city for three days, and was
speedily followed by another, and at
regular intervals of II minutes the sui
len booming of 200 pound parrots, sue
ceeded by the ''shrieking tormentors,"
announced in loud accents that the
war for the subjugation of traitors was
still being prosecuted with remorseless
and untiIing vigor.
Fires were of daily occurrence, caus-
ed by explosive shells. But inasmuch
as attending fire was accompanied
with manifold difficulties and dangers,
few turned out, the Smelling at such
times being more rapid than usual
Two days after our arrival, Gen. Fos-
ter, commanding our batteries on Nor
ris Island, being perfectly familiar
with the locality of the city, having
passed many years in Fort Sumter,
sent couple of shells which fell crash
ing through a block of stately resi-
dences, within two hundred yards of
our prison pen. In few minutes a
heavy column of black smoke ascend
ed Heavenward. This served our adj
mirable artillerists with beautiful
point of range, which they i'm medi-
ately took advantage of, as shells came
over thick and fast As hopeless and
deplorable as was our condition, yet so
great was our interest and zeal in wit
Messing the destruction, that our suffer
ings for that afternoon were almost to-
tally forgotten. An engine, drawn by
colored men, was struck by she'll Inear
our Jail yard, and completely squashed
as Rebel sergeant informed me.
The darkies, in common with the
''white trash" had a peculiar horror of
our shells, which they called ''rotten
shot,, never feeling safe from their un-
ceremonious visits-the ruthless death
dealing invader entering the mansion
of the rich as well as the cabin of the
poor.
Our bill Of fare while here, was not
attractive to an epioure, our only food
being an exceedingly limited quantity
of poor rice and black maggoty beans,
with now and then little salt and mo-
iasses, which were highly relished. =
Lieut. Peters still lives to testify that
we soaked quantity of these beans for