Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-05-30
THE DRY TORTUGAS,
Interesting Facts About a Noted Mill
tory Prison.

Interesting Facts About a Noted Mill
tary Prison.
w. r. Prentice, an old New York
soldier, recalls the following interest.
ing "reminiscences of the old military
prison, in letter to the San Francisco
Bulletin: 1t happened to benny fortune
also to be sent to the Dry Tortugas,
soon after DR., Mudd, though | had the
good fortune to be relieved from duty
somewhat sooner. The place is queer
one, and has seldom been described
The Dry Tortugas (the word, believe
means turtles) embrace a group of sew
eral small coral islands, or keys, lying
in the gulf of Mexico, 120 miles west
from the southern point of Florida
The largest embraces only few acres;
they are destitute of fresh water, and
barren, with the exception of a few
small mangrove and cedar trees. They
were a part Of the Florida purchased
and fort was commenced on Garden
Key, one of the larger, by the Spaniards.
1t is now firSt-class brick fort, with
two tiers of easements, and mounts
more than three hundred guns. During
the war it was used as military
prison, and many poor fellow, after a
court-martial, heard the words: "Sen-
fenced to the Dry Tortugas for life"
These had accumulated till, in the
autumn of 1868 more than 600 men of
all nationalities and all colors were
gathered there and for all crimes from
some hasty word, most likely true, said
to a subaltcran officer, up to robbery
and attempted murder.
Our guard consisted of only about
two hundred men, and there was plenty
Of work for us to do. The records had
been but imperfectly kept and the term
o sentence of some prisoners had long
before expired. These were hunted
out and sent home first. Then 100 or
more of the better men were recon-
mended for pardon, which was freely
granted by President johnson, for he
was in a pardoning mood at that time
But the main interest centered around
the four conspirators, Mudd, Arnold
Spangler and OLoughlin. They were
supposed to be terrible fellows, ready
to cut all our Threats any time on
moments notice. DR.. Mudd was the
central figure. He was Il fair-haircd
man of good size and rather proposes
sing appearance. His one all-absorb-
ing thought was that he was the victim
of great injustice, and whenever he
could gain a listening ear, into it he
always poured his griefs. He was de-
tailed as general nurse in the hospita
and did good service there, till in an !
evil day he attempted to escape by Sc
creting himself on board a steamer. |
OF course he was found, sent back in |
disgrace, and afterward kept in solitary |
confinement. Arnold was Young
man, not more than twenty-four or
twenty-five, handsome, highly educated,
refined and retiring in his manners
lie said little, never complained, but |
felt his disgrace most keenly. lie was
kept as a clerk in the provost marsharS
office, and many a descriptive or MUS
ter-roll in his beautiful handwriting
went to Washington. He had the
ability, and ought to-day to be taking
good care of himself somewhere.
Spangler, the stage carpenter at Ford's
theater, was jolly German, and, to all
appearances, as happy there as mortal
Illtll tN Vi To- iION W Cii 1 ltlIltulDCl lllS
portly form. bustling about at his work,
the happiest looking man in the fort
Lastly was poor O'Loughlin, an Irish
man, | think Il shoemaker by trade. lie
had left family in Washington, and
could not bear up under his punish
ment. He dropped from the day he
reached the place, and died soon after
left. have to-day letter from Mudd
and one from Arnold, written after |
had left the service, asking my aid in
procuring some mitigation of their pun
ishment. While I did not pity them as
| did the more than $50 soldiers sent
there for the most trihing breaches of
law, l can still see how they
were all, perhaps, more unfortunate
than criminal