Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-04-29
CASTLE THUNDER.
THE FAMOUS RICHMOND PRISON AND
ITS FOUNDER.
"A Terror to Evil Doen'-A Reminiscencs
of the war-Its Early History
Class Of Prisoners Con-
fined There

II mas been nearly twenty years sizcs ia
tocsin Of war sounded and the north and the
south were arrayed in battle against sack
other. Those were stirring times, ana Us
men that participated in the struggle are
rapidly passing the meridian OF life SGms
have already passed that PERIOD a.id are
now quietly moving along under thu seight
Of years Dow and then inci' snts ar,ss
which make the thoughts Of the veterans Of
:he downfallen Confederacy and thoss
Of the Union army wander back
to those days that tried men's
souls, when jy and sorrow alternately
>ilen the days of Libby prison, Of Castls
Thunder and CT Andersonville come vividiy
Before the minis Of those who experiences
tnose hard hips, and war life in the nortA
anu south is similarly recalled
MIR Robert D. Ward, of this CITY, VINO wAs
AN officer at Castle Thunder during the war.
in course Of a recent conversation with a 70
porter, related the following:
Ti. peDpie of Richmond who were nsre
during tie war must well recoliect Capt.
= exIId-r, who was a conspicuous character
fioio the day lie first put his foot in the city.
Every BODY had heard Of the then recent
Il. Ithre 81 the steamboat ST Nicholas.
tu- i'otoma III which he had taken promi-
ne-.: part, and his unique outre style OF dress
mo. rim conspicuous when he appeared on
tie stresta The y. Nicholas was on its way
from Washington to Norfolk, laden with
valuable commodities, and at one OK the
landings il was entered by Col. Zsrvona
Thomas, Capt. Alexander, and picked set
o. men passengers. all IN disguise, some OF
item in women's apparel, and at a concerted
moment the party threw oil their Disguise
n A.
the vessel TO Fredericksburg, wher,
its contents were sold. Capt. Alexander,
shortly afterwaris, was captured by
the Federal forces in Maryland, and
incarcerated in Fort McHenry. near Balti-
more. After some months suffering in that
Federal fort he made his escape in a manner
which greatly attracted public attention
and aroused sympathy. He happened &c
have that ..reatsst blessing that God ever
vo,lcu-snfe, 70 mana true, noble, courage
Gus little wife who visited him in his prison,
ana conveyed to him under her dress a suit
Of r. eral uniform. She prevailed Jpn,
HIM Ia don t1is suit and make his ESCAPE,
ste re-. ;I4ils prisoner in his stead, tc
meer Whatever fate Federal hate might as
sign ner. He escaped, jumped over the
wall OF the fort AMI swan to Baltimore,
and rnen came on To Richmond. Here he
was received with great cordially by Gov
emo. i-etcaer. who gave him n commission
il the VigS:nian forces and soon after he
was al pointed provost marshal and super1n
tencunt OF prisons hy Gen Winder.
The eclat of these adventures made him
known 10 our people and no man OF Rich
mond Of that time caa nave forgotten him,
as he often appeared on the streets in nj
ulsnt-iittiny suit OF black trousers, buckle1
at the knees, his black stockings, and black,
loose shirt, relieved only by u white coiiai.
with his long black wbiskers flowing in the
w;Lu as lie rode Oh his black horse at a full
a'i.=7p through the city.
~, tie Thunder WAS namsi by Capt. Alex
ouler because, as he said, he desire 1 its very
nH,..- ga be u terror 10 evil-doers.' The
JvI.aIng was an old tobacco factory. In
wnlch tn. late John H. Greanor hal manu-
fac.urei many thousand dollar worth OF
.ooacco lie ore the war 1t occupied one
hal, OF the qnars between Eighteenth AMI
An,e,eentl street. s.th ats froae on Cary
>'.'sr, facing the do-k AMI the river, RAJ
ni-. mex u an alley in the rear divi1
H. ne square The building was
l.. ga : ape of parallelogram, three lie
i'-sn occupied by connecting house,, and
the whole inclosed by a high wall, the In;--
rior spsce forming a large yard. in which
Tns prisoners. were allowed TO take daily eI-
,rrrse 1t had the capacity 10 hold about
AZ prisoner, and it averaged daily from
LOS T. Lon. The books of the Prison viii
,-'a~ that its whole number of prisoners was
..l,ouu iJ.o9O. 1t was divided into compart
,n,nis into which soldiers who bad commit |
different grades of military o.feuses were
go p-.5ively confined: and also into rooms al
l1.,i to disloyal persons and civilians she
wr'e captured As attaches of tn. Fed |
.rI army, and all others not prisoners OF
wer. these latter being always confined If
Ij'bv prison.