Connecticut western news., 1885-12-02
FROM BULL RUN TO LIBBY.
A Reniniscence Of the Noted
 Confederate Prison.
What it Cost Congressman to See the
 First Fight of the War.

First Fight of the War.
 "It was happy morning for Alfred Ely when Charles J. Faulkner walked into our office at Libby" said Captain Warner, the former Quartermaster at Libby Prison, to a Chicago Herald correspondent at Centralia, ILL "Ely had exhausted the vast resources of an inventive mind to have his govern ment get him out of the predicament which had befallen him by reason of his venturesome trip to see the first battle of Bull Run. The Lincoln Ad- minstration, while anxious and willing to return him to his people, could not make general exchange of prisoner Ga consummation repeatedly sought for by Ely without recognizing the seeding states a belligerent power, and, along with other men who had met a similar fate, he was forced to remain our prisoner. '1 well remem- Der the morning Faulkner arrived at Richmond. He, as you know, had been Minister to the Court of St. James's, and when the war broke out he came home and was arrested and cast into Northern prison. He was afterward allowed to proceed on his parole to the South for the purpose of bringing about his exchange with Ely. The people in Richmond received him with open arms. He was exceedingly popular and when he made known the terms of his exchange the authorities said they would give half dozen Elys for him. He came to the prison of fee and in the absence of General Winder l received him, and he at once made known his business. I was much pleased, not only because of Fauikner's return. but because l was glad to see Ely return to his home. I at once went to hunt Ely, and finding him, 1 said: Ely, your redeemer has come took him into the office and there introduced them. Of course the meeting was mutually agreeable. Some | Northern people had intrusted to Faulkner a sum of money ($200) in gold dollars to be distributed. among the most needy prisoners. The money Captain Gibbs, the prison commander, turned over to Ely, who, in company with Lieutenant Booker, officer of the day, went among the men and faith fully discharged their duty. It so happened that a certain Carpenter thought Ely had not dealt fairly with him in the distribution of the money, and he got even with him in a manner which l shall now relate. Ely had done great deal of writing while a prisoner, and he wanted to take all of his papers along with him should he ever be released. He therefore asked me to allow the carpenter to make him a trunk in which to pack his effects. I did so, but Ely imagined that we would not allow him to take all, so he prevailed on the carpenter to construct a secret receptacle in the bottom of the box. Afterward he found out that there would be no trouble in his taking anything he wanted, and, for fear we would dis cover his trick, he tore out the fixture without telling the carpenter what he 1 had done. After Faulkner came and Ely was exchanged the carpenter blowed the whole business to an officer, and a man was sent out in hot haste to capture both Ely and his trunk. He went aboard the truce boat and bored a big hole in the bottom of the box. but of course it was false alarm and the distinguished ex-prisoner was allowed to proceed on his way reioic- ing" Captain Warner, who related the above, now resides here. He is favorably mentioned in Ely's book on Libby Prison as being kind to Union prisoners. Ely. as all remember, was the Congressman from the Rochester, N. r., district, who went down to see the sights at Bull Run fight and was taken prisoner and taken to Libby He is now residing at Rochester, Y