Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1869-08-24
a Renaissance of Libby Prison
Drawing Lots for Death

Col. Henry w. Sawyer, who has
lately been appointed of the life
saving apparatus on tho New Jersey
coast, once passed through a very
perllous adventure He was amopg
the Federals in Libby Prison at.the
time when tle Confederate Govern
ment determined to retaliate in kind
the execution Of two Rebel officers
by one of our Western Generals
Mr.. Sawyer was at that time Cap
tain in the First New Jersey cavaI-
ny, and was Of the grade OF officers
from whom selections were to be
made for the victims to Confederate
vengeance. The officer who was in
charge of the prisoners at the time,
was kind hearted and agreeable
man, and was regarded by them
with feelings OF gratitude and alice
ton. On the morning in question
this officer entered the room where
the prisoners were confined, and
told all the officers to walk out into
another room. This order was obey.
cd with particular alacrity, as the
prisoners were daily expecting to be
exchanged, and it was supposed that
the order had arrived, and that they
were about to exchange their prison
quarters for homo and freedom.-
After they had all gathered in the
room, their countenances lighted up
with this agreeable hope, the officer
came in among them. and with
very grave face took a paper out of
his pocket and told them that he had
very melancholy duty to perform,
the purport of which would be bet
ter understood by the reading of the
order he held in his hand, which he
had just received from the War De-
partment. He then proceeded to
read to the Mortified group an order
for the immediate execution of two
of their number, in retaliation for
the hanging of two Confederate of
ficers. As the reader ceased, the
men looked at each other with blanch-
ed faces, and silence like death pre-.
vailed for some minutes in the room.
l. LtC SOlllSQGl GttS OluCGI bDCti
gested that perhaps the better way
to place number of slips OF paper
equal to the whole number of officers
from whom the victims were to be
selected, in a box, with the word
''death" written on two of them, and
the rest blank-the two who drew
fatal slips to be doomed men. This
plan was adopted, and a chaplain
was appointed to prepare TIE slips.
The drawing then commenced, the
men advancing and taking out slip,
and if it proved to be blank, taking
their places in another part of the
room. The drawing had proceeded
for some time, and fully thiId of
the officers had exchanged gloomy
looks of apprehension for relieved
| aspect they could not avoid showing,
after escape from such a terrible per,
il, before single death slip had been
drawn. At the end Of about this
time, however, the first slip was
drawn, and the name OF "Captain
Henry w. Sawyer, of the First New
Jersey cavalry was called out as
the unfortunate man. The captain
was of course deeply agitated, but
did not lose his self>possession. He
Immediately began revolving in his
mind some plan for averting, or at
least postponing the immediate car
rying out Of the sanguinary edict of
the rebel government, and by the
time he was Joined by his companion
in misfortune, who turned out to be
% Captain Flynn, of an Indiana reg
iment, he had resolved upon his
course The officer in command, as
as soon as the drawing was complet-
ed, ordered the two men to be taken
out and Immediately executed. Capt.
Sawyer, however, demanded, as a
request that no civilized nation could
refused under such circumstances,
that he should have permission to
write to his wife to inform her of
the terrible fate that awaited him,
and to have her come on and bid him
an eternal farewell. Respite for
day or two was thus obtained, and
Sawyer subsequently obtained an
interview with the rebel Secretary
Of War, and secured permission to
write to his wife, which he did. His
| object in writing to her was princi>
pally for our government to be made
acquainted with the. predicament in
which the officers were placed, and
to secure hostages and threaten
l FOL ,ot LAnl1 81 4L
rebels be carried out 1t turned out
precisely as Sawyer hoped and sx-
pected. Our government was ins
formed of the condition OF affairs,
and promptly seized a son of Gen.
Lee and one of some other promin.
ent rebel, and threatened to hang
them if the Union officers were ex-
ecuted. BY this means the lives of
two doomed men We're saved, as
the Confederate government did
not dare to carry out their threats.
After a few months more confne,
ment, Captain Sawyer was exchang.
ed. Captain Flynn, his companion
in misfortune, came out of the orr
deal with his hair as white as snow;
turned gray by the mental suffer-
ings he endured. Captain Sawyer
IN week or two was as "good as
new," and served through the war.
Trenton Gazette.
sea-A man has appeared in a
country district of Poland who pre-
tends to be Our Savior, come again
for the sally atm of the 1uncId lie