Huntsville gazette., 1883-02-24
Mrs. McDousan's Letters.
From Richmond, Va.
LIBBY PRISON.

mansion, the White House of the Confed-
eracv 1t is used as the Model School now
and it is pleasant to see the great atten-
dance of children. Even the stables are
tnrned into class-r rooms, and chubby faces
are to be seen everywhere. The pupils in
are white exclusively. The Eext point Of
interest is Libby Prison, an immense dingy
red brick building 1t is three stories
high. 1t is now used to store away some
kind of phosphate which is prepared and
| mixed as fertilizer. The clerk in charge
most obligingly takes US all over. under
low massive beams past piled. up heaps and
bags of this not inodorous compound,
through rows of stout pillars of timber, up
a wide step-ladder to the next story where
all the vastness of the old building brea ks
upon us. The front range OF fifteen barred
drearily out, with longing eyes that saw far
away homes iusteadof the rows OF tents and
lnal oe wing s6ltliers below forty folr win
lows to this one story. will give some idea
!. its VA t.ees Ii l., dina IL spite of he
siAloas. J he importing pillows, tie
/ doers, ami side. posts are covered slth
carv. d names cut vIeiously deep into tn
ioo.
There is another lady waking round
/ looking 81 ,verytAig. She Las made u
pilsrinlrge here because her husband was
1
a weary month Size has hi. letter With
! i, r. ANA shar.s with Us lemimsceuee
| scauty ratious of amin .tel miles desh %
tLiu soup ana homeopathic doses lt cOrl
caie; aGrcdotes Vi un.es wnen, altnou gu
JIeglst prevented him eating his scaltA
ritlou. ire thought sus,, ,sted that hunger
| .e b. II ui.der AIS boots, that r. lis
| ;.il v. TO iiul the bolI lie mr. u 1t0lel.
| |. u. ! i'll nF0ug ihe ai.At ID ol- sAose
.uager VAS iii greater th N his All tuIs
i ! ie. d, ;.l.d is not. Libby Prison is a
Iaiue 81 uurror wherever tie English Ian
.ua-e is kAo~u, Out il is only "A vast store
end. We come down and write our names
in the visitors book.
Our next point of interest is an old-fash-
ioned stone house, like comfortable farm
house, a story and half high, with dor
mer windows 1t looks as if it had seen
hard times This is Wastlla 5ton Head
l II
perplexed consultation was held there.
| The Richmond Headquarters match well
with the tin plates, shabby stewpans. and
tiny gridiron of the camp equipage at
Washington
coLoRED SCHOOLS ON NAVY HILL
| There are $50 colored children in these
schools 1t is recess time, and they are
able to MAKE as much noise as healthy
white children. We see among the teach
ers. one young gentleman | should never
suppose to be colored. You see fair-skin-
ned, li9h.-haired people, hair as straight
as yard-stick, and yet you are told they
are colered. One of the girl gradutes is as
!
yet she Was not the farest. | could not
| detect any trace of color in her sweet
| young face. One, who was decidedly col
ored, wac so nice in manner, had such gen
tie, winning dignity that / thought her
very delightful The Normal School real
| Iy has something to show for its labors in
these young teachers. look over room
after room Of scholars, black as midnight,
brown yellow, pale white, with crisp hair ,
straight hair, AID wavy hair crimping oven
the head like black sewing silk. see ev
ery type OF face 6ith which | am familiar
reproduced in these children. The Man
dipgo type, however, is something | never
saw before 1t impresseS me strangely.
There is a mysterious sense of power il
the faces Of this race that awes one | am
sure had been a slave-owner Of slave OF
this race, he would have been, Joseph lik I,
the ruler over all had. Went 10 tue Ia
dustrial School at Moorr's Church. There
is a little printing Office connected with
this school at which small igious paper
is printed, called the Industrial Herald.
The school proper was flled with children
most 0. them very yonng children VI the
poorer classes. The dress of one was
patched in most artistic fashion, the patel :
es as thick as spots on calico, but no rags
to be seen here or anywhere. The prihol-
pal transgression Of colored scholars Is
laughing; their sense of the ridiculous is
so keen, and they can mike faces--as the
children say-in marvellous manner, but
when they get over the risible aye they
show gravity and dignity. In this Indus
trial School there are sewing IN tchines and
4 lad, is said to teach them fer certain
hours on certa.ia days. /, this Montr al or
Richmond l exclailn, as | come on groups
of children coasting down the hills. Rich
mond is favorable for coasting; the ci. y
climbs up hills and runs down iuto hol,
lows.
From high place in Chimboraza Park
our guide points far away by the river