Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-04-07
PRISON LIFE.
A Con,edcrate,s Visit to the Scene OF
His Captivity During the
Dark Days OF War.
Southern Women Within the Grim walls
belle Boyd.

Correspondence OF the Gazette
Washington, March 1.-The old cal
ito prison, famous In The annals oil III
interstate war, was the tehlporu
capitol. used as such for few yeal
after the British, in the. war ISL, ma
burned the federal building
in Washington. The structur
il now the residence, ate
undergoing thorough Transformation
of an admirable army officer, Gen
Dunn, now believe ON the retired list
Your correspondent went thither TO
day with Mai. Joe III. Stewart of Aus
tin. Texas, who tells the appended
story. given in his precise words. Bell
Boyd to whom reference Is made, Il
now the wife of citizen Of Texas, liv
ing, / believe, in Waco. The newspa
per man designated Is of the stall o
the Houston Post.
STEWARDS STORY.
To day Mai. Joe II. Stewart visited
the former "old capitol prison" He
was taken prisoner on the 9Th of March
1862. the day Gen. Joe Johnston evac
uated Manassas, In a picket fight al
Langster's station, near Manassas. and
I0uTItpu HIS wa tlC FiiSt
Maryland regiment, Were captured
with him. The little band of pickets
made n desperate fight and two
were killed and three wounded among
the latter Maj. Stewart, who was shot
Ia the face. Five OF the squadron of
federal cavalry that charged them
were killed and q number wounded.
Mai Stewart, then lieutenant, was
hurried to Washington aud carried
before The cabinet In session at o'clock
in the morning at the war depart
ment. Stewart was closely questioned
about Johnstons army, and promised
parole If he disclosed all he knew,
He refused TO divulge, and at > o. clock
In the morning, sM!r. Stanton. then
secreta..-y, Of war. said TO the guard
having him In charge, "take him to
The old capitol lie remained
there four months and was sent
TO Fort Delaware on the 4th of
July. He was first confined In the
front and northwest corner room of
the old capitol prison. He visited this
and other rooms in which he was con
fined for four months. Mrs. Gen
Damn was very courteous showing him
through the apartments, now trans
formed with paint, paper, costly furni-
ture and exquisite paintings. All
traces of prison life had disappeared
except the general shape of the rooms.
He showed Mrs. Dunn the room thAt
Capt. Pliny Bryan, Capt. Rossin and
Lieut.. Harry Stuart, all Marylanders,
occupied Harry Stuart was shot here
by a sentinel. These four brlbed
lntinpl n it'll Sim IL. .,nI.I a. Il.
them 10 escape, dropping il down to
MN Tied up In n rag The soldier
look the money. and the four Confed-
crates drew straws to determine WHO
should go hrst, second, &C. IL fell 10
Harry stuart to take the lead, and
Maj Stewart was the second. Blankets
were tied together and as poor Harry
from the window at > o'clock
n the morning the tIeacherouS senti-
mel fired upon and shot him through
The leg, cutting the main artery. He
was drawn into the ro0nl his leg was
amputated and he died the next night.
After that Lieutenant Wharton of
was shot and killed by
sentinel while in the same room with
Maj. Stewart. While Mai Stewart
Was here Mrs. Green0ugh, afterwards
the financial agent OF the Confederacy
IN London, her little daughter Rose.
Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Baxter. all held
as spies, occupied the room above him
IA the third story. With the Indies
lney had communication through n
hole In the floor cut with pocket
knife. by Mrs. Greenough. Captain
Wood, then psrintendent of Wash
ington prisons, brought three Boston
ladies' to Stewards room. Hearing
tilat they We're coming. Watson Of
leNas, now q newspaper man in Hous-
ton adjusted two pieces Of wood In his
long red hair. They looked like veri
table horns. As the ladies came into
me room, one seeing the horned
Texan, screamed and tainted, and TO
this day those ladies swear that TeNans,
men and frogs, are hoJned. Mrs.
General Dunn was well entertained by
the pathetic story of the ex-Confeder-
a1es, lie then visited the Carroll
prison, fronting the dome of the caui-
toll where he was kept in solitary
confinement from March to October.
iso5, having again been captured after
his exchange in lsB2.
This building has not been trans.
formed like the old capitol. and he
readily recognized his quarters In the
ihird story of the grim prison OF
twenty-five years ago. 1t was in this
building That Belle Boyd, then IA
nous confederate spy and charming
g,rl OF eighteen, was incarcerated
Her room adjoined that of Mai. Stew.
ar. Soon after his incarceration here
he stole knife from the lin nlata in
which his meals We're served and will
u cut hole through the sixieen-inch
brick wall separating the two rooms
lie concealed the pieces OF brick md
mortar taken out In his bed and bnna
his coat over the hole. Miss Rail-
hung silk dress over II from the
OTHER side. This hole was large
enough to press the arm,
through, and when the hand
81 the charming girl was
thrust Through the aperture Major
stewart would cover II with ferveut
Kisses, This communication was Ken,
Up fer several months, much 10 X,
delight OF the lonely captiyes. An,
Capt, Wood, The superintendent
neafd OF the fun, and consigned Stew
ar, 70 a dark cell for ten DAYS ~"
ms % to-day was Stewards t,rst
visitto this historic spot since III In In,
car1em!ion. lie, strangely enourh