The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1880-12-03
OLD LIBBY PRISON.
It is Sold at Auctian Under a Dead ar
Trust


II Is Sold at AuctiNn Under q Deed of /
Trust.
Facts and Stories Connected with n
Most Historic Place
New York Sun.
Libby prison, the historic military iail |
OF the Confederate government. was sold |
at auction under deed of trust, Novem |
Der II. The auctioneer stated that the /
property was now being rented as a to-
bacco factory, at $50 a month. The
building was started at $500, and went |
up by slow degrees to $4,000. The auc-
uoneer said, reproachfully, that it cost |
over half this amount to put down the |
piles upon which the building was |
erected. He then suggested that such |
was the value of the historical associa-
tons Of the building, that if it were pull. |
ed down the bricks could easily be sold |
at the North for 81 apiece, and as there |
were 100000 bricks, the building would |
bring $240,OOO. He would, however, be |
satisfied to sell 1t for less money This
appeal sent the building up to $6,725, |
and 1t was knocked down to Mr.. James
q. Gray, young capitalist of this city. |
The building is now occupied by Mr.. +. |
Nj. Boyken, as tobacco factory. A |
crowd OF negroes looked through the up
- SOY HOh VARS AAtCIC6tcA
of the sale
Libby prison was the most famous of
the confederate military prisons, and by
the confederate government il was rank
ed as the most secure, although the sue
cess of the tunnelIng enterprises of
Streight, Rose and others rather deprecia
ted the idea of its safety, and caused
Maj. Turner to
DOUBLE HIS GUARDS.
AZ -.
| changed little since the war. Even the
sign, although now much weather-stain-
ed and rather indistinct, is there still
Libby Prison" The iron bars have
been taken away from the windows and
| sold as old iron. Soon after the war
| the prison was without tenants, but
| finally northern gentleman rented it
and fitted it up as a sumac warehouse
! Subsequently it was used as a tobacco
steamery, and then as a tobacco factory.
| The building has front of 140 feet and
a depth of 105 feet. When it was used
as a prison it was divided into nine
rooms, each 102 feet long. 45 feet wide.
The partitions have been knocked down.
/ In many places in The walls there can
| still be seen letters and dates carved in
the bricks by federal captives. Scatter
ed about there are designs by those pris-
oners who were artistically inclined and
had a turn for the sculptor's art. Skulls,
cross-bones collins and chains are mixed
up with more ambitious attempts in the
shape of thin-legged ANIMALS, which the
behOider's fancy can take for horses,
COWS or dragons.
Men who we're confined n TIM Libby
are scattered all over the Union, and yet
1t may be doubted whether there is one
in hundred who knows the
HISTORY OF LIBBY PRISON.
1t was built as warehouse by an old
citizen of Richmond, Mr. Libby, and up
to ten years before the war he occupied
the building. When the war began the
sign, Libby s. Sons. Ship Chambers and
| Grocers," was over the entrance, and re-
manned there up to the year 1853. Many
Federal soldier will remember seeing
it. Old Mr.. Libby lived on Church Hill,
IN the lower portion of the city, near the
historic st. Johns church, in whsch
Patrick Henry delivered his immortal
Grafton concluding, "but for me, give me
! liberty OF give me death.' This hill,
; overlooking the river, since the war has
been turned into park, and is known
as Libby Hill park. In his warehouse
Mr.. Libby amassed large fortune.
Libby prison was not the first choice
of the confederate government as mill
tary prison Soon after the commence
; ment of hostilities the authorities began
t to look around for suitable building as
e a prison for Union soldiers. They fixed
upon a large frame building in what is
: known as Lumpkin's alley. This wa!
8 the first military prison in Richmond
{ and perhaps the south, and was called
: Castle Goodwin" 1t had been built anC
: used as '.jail' for the housing ofslaves
}, before they were sold. Lumpkin's alley
8 was filled with these large houses, calleC
: '.jails," and here the slave sales tool
+ place. Castle Goodwin had not been il
: use q year before it was found to be too
= small for the accommodation of tn,
prisoners, and the confederate authori
ties fixed upon the large warehouse o
}. Libby & Sons, ION the dock"
Castle Goodwin was nearly mile from
1 the river and in low and swampy poT
ton of the city. 1t is singular fac
> that none of the Libby prison official
are now in Richmond. There are quit,
y a number of ex-confederates who actet
!, as guards at the prison still living here
u Major Turner, the commandment of tn
u Libby, was one of the youngest officer
in the confederate service, and his ranl
. was owing to the fact that he had beef
at West Point. When the states secede;
e he was cadet there, and al once resign
q ed and came south. He held the pos
| SAOA Va vi 41iODy III
the close of the war when he went {
Mexico and experienced an adventurou
life with Macmillan. Afterward he IT
turned to Mississippi, studied dentistry
- and one of his guards says that he
g now a successful dentist in Memphi
To day, in speaking of the sale of Ii
Libby, Mr.. Joseph Wingfield, an e!
guard, told his experience on a memo
10 able night while standing guard over
THE PRISONERS THERE.
= There were two characters connecte
"a with the Libby prison whose where
10 bouts doubtless many an eX-prisOn'
10 would like TO know-"Old Ben" and ''tf
u General" The former was an old da
8 key who had run of the establishment
and who generally came by sunrise
~ waken the prisoners. He made it b
8 business to get some one outside II
! prison to read him the dispatches frol
! the seat of war, and those he TURNED ov,
2 in his mind until he had managed
- work them up into graphic description
30 of the battle, generally managing to civ
ly the victory to the Union forces. TIL
: keen old fellow had learned that report
8 of Union victories elated the prisonel
to such an extent that they became Iii
I eral and rewarded him for the cheerin
intelligence. He would come in til
AOO4A oo0 SAAS9 Oub a. TIC TYP Ol III
o voice: Look sharp dari Here is wi
de latest telogrifick 'spatches from {
n seat er war" This signal was enoug
IS and the prisoners would crowd aroun
it the willy old darkey while he relate
N de latest 'spatches,'' which often ende
IS with the gratifying intelligence, :'Al
ID Ginrel Lees men dey took an rum" Oh
ID Ben, although he claimed to be
VI A NORTHERN sYMPATHIZER
"a was deeply gr;eved when the war endet
re as it closed the Libby and deprived hiI
e. of his occupation. After the evacustiO
e, he hung around the old place tor a wee
q, or more, and took pride in showing it |
a such Union soldiers as had never seen
lc before. He afterward was engaged wit
a. gangs of negroes cleaning bricks in til
lie burnt district. The old fellow live
st about ten years after the war, and die
n in want
"The General" was younger negr'
who was almost as taciturn as "Old Ben
e was loquacious. He was prison of
y, cisl. his principal occupation being th
I; fumigation of the prison. Every NOR
ID ing he went through each room with
pan of burning tar, to give the plaC
o, what he termed "a good Union smoke
le He left Rich mond soon after the wa
n and went North. With him disappeare
the last of the Libby officials in Ricl
q mond.
b. IT