Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1883-09-04
McCARTHY'S CONFESSION.
A "REMINISCENCES OF LIBBY PRISON.
WAKING THE WHOLE REBEL ARMY.

As all the world kno VS., Libby Prisol
was and is great tobacco warehouse
several stories high. At one end broat
well stretched from the roof to the celia
floor through all the intermediate stories
In times Of peace the great hanks o
brown and yellow tobacco passed up ant
down this well in ceaseless procession all
day long. At night the spiders had il
all to themselves. During the war, how
ever, when Federal prisoners crowded gu,
the tobacco and spiders, the well was
chiefly used at night. II economical il
Elimination. A lantern at its foot die
something to give each floor glimmer.
1t economical guards, One at the foot
covered with his two eyes, and especially
his two ears, a good deal Of territory.
1t is not difficult to imagine quite an i'm
pressive scene in the old tobacco ware
house. Floors packed with men, as
boxes are packed with "sardinesn on the
coast of Maine, a lantern burning dimly
6ere and there, and a long stream of
light flowing up from the well, and
breaking in ciroies ia tae RRee;led raf-
tiers. Imagine the stiffness, the sad
ness, and the loneliness Of that crowded
old box
One night, Major Mccarthy Chat was
not his name, but never mind, a tall,
oad-shouldered, red faced Irishman,
with big heart and jolly soul. whom
everybody loved despite his jokes and
tricks, whose sleeping place was half
way down the great room in the top-stoiy,
found himself unable to sleep. His
hands were always idle those days, so
that when he was awake he went from
one piece of mischief to another, and no.
body begrudged him the run that 80 few
could share. 1t helped to keep hope
alive and the devil out. 1t was the most
natural thing in the world. therefore, as
the Major lay there wide.awake, looking
at the ripples of light floating up the cur
rent from the lantern far below, for some
tricky idea to take possession of his mind.
1t prompted him with irresistible prompt
ings to rouse his next neighbor, happy
go-lucky fellow like himself, and take
him down the long room to the well.
Noiselessly the Majors friend awoke, and
noiselessly the two men glided down the
heavy floor, which could not vibrate be-
meath their tread, to the bright spot al
the end of the room.
The Major had no well defined pur-
pose in mind-nothing more than de-
sire to look down forbidden well. i
was forbidden; wasn't that enough
1t certainly was for the Major and his
friend. But upon looking down they
saw the poor fellow at the bottom-a
half-fed, half-clad, white-haired country
boy,-fast asleep. his tired head rolling
on his thin left shoulder, his hands clasped
on his gun. so that he kept it in place
between his legs and over his right shoul-
der as he sat on his little bench nodding
st the lantern on the ground before him.
A demon Of fun entered into them cast
ing out their fears and scruples. With
out word they turned together to the
swill-barrel. noiselessly raised it and
poised it on the edge Of the we'll. Zone,
two. three-now counted the Major,
slowly. As he said "now," the barrel
slowly descended to the next floor, then
faster to the next, and so on until it
reached the bottom Of the well. As it
fell, the Major and his friend skunk back
to their sleeping places, choking with
laughter that could not be uttered.
The sleeping guard below, warned by
some occult premonition, awoke just as
the barrel started downward. When it
reached the bottom he had rolled deity
off his bench into the corner, and had his
gun in his hand. But it struck the Ian
tern squarely with a crash that awoke
nearly everybody in the building as the
stream of light suddenly ceased to flow
up the well.
Everything was still for a moment. for
no one dared to speak or stir, and the
guard, having found the well again, fired
through it at the roof. His gun awoke
the next guard, his the next, and 30 on,
until the alarm had gone the grand
rounds of the city and the forts, and then
the feet in James River, and as the Ma
ior afterwards said, the crash Of that
barrel was heard at the other end Of the
Army of Northern Virginia" The shiv-
ering prisoners heard every shot, and the
baying of the dogs and the rumble of the
cannon just outside the prison wall made
them tremble.
In very short time the captain Of the
guard came tumbling in with lights and
bayonets. Every floor was examined, and
Ala Ill xyos ballad in every rOOun