Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-12-24


There is a Christmas story buried In the piles o
bricks and mortar where the workmen tearing
down the Old buildings on the library site.
More than 20 years ago, when the walls OF Car
roll row were strong and the bars at the window.
and the guards were strOng,-when the strength
OF mighty army propped them up and cementet
the bricks together,-men who were guilty of trea
son 20 the government, and men who were merely
suspects, were imprisoned there. 1t was, properly
Speaking. only annex 70 the "Old Capito
prison. but IL was all popularity known under thu
one name OF "Od Capitol" Everybody knows
about this, but they do not know OF the Christ
mas story that lies buried there. Towards the
latter part OF the war, when Lees army was starv
Ing about Richmond and frantic Efforts wert
being made TO get supplies TO sustain the men
through one last struggle for what they believed
TO be their liberty, the federal authorities at
Washington had TO be very cautious. and were
quick TO arrest and send TO the cold Capitolv any
one sispected or giving ..aid or comfort 10 The
enemy Many innocent ones, doubtless, endured
hardshipS OF this sort; but these things cannot
srs were arrant rebels, who abused the govern
ment, Congress and the President, and tainted the
north or the south, but were thinking OF their
wives and little ones at home, who might be suffer
.nx, and
NO ONE TO CARE FOR THEM
Among those brought in early In the winter OF
'64 was a man who was distinguished from the
manner-a man in dress and appearance OF south
ern birth, and OF that dashing, daredevil type
which has given its stamp TO all southern charac-
Voice wSch would tns m for Sns si'h
che dark his voice would have passed him through
the picket lines; in daylight he had been captured
He was kept apart from the other prisoners and
the guards looked upon him with mingled cur1os-
eious tinge which taints their feeling Tor crafty
eneIny. The officers held whispered consultations,
and be who was first in command questioned the
prisoner closely. But with his yankee" voice and
his bravado he bafied their closest
Ing. He was taken to an apartment TO himself,
under close guard, audit was soon whispered about
that he was a spy. To one or the officers he was
well known, and that officer openly denounced
him. They had grown up in the same neighbOr-
traitor and an arrant knaye. The prisoner had
left his home In the north TO go and fight against
had gone TO school with him as a boy, and he had
always been croud OF his southern birth and had
been overbearing even with this captain"
So II was that the prisoners voice and appear
ance beLed each other. He was of southern birth,
and his parents had taken up their home in the
northwest while he was still but small child and
the great conflict Of opinion broke out between
the two schools OF thought, which divided the
when these opinions had begun to be enforced by
strength OF arms he had not joined either army.
Hts fellow townsmen, among them the captain who
now had him In custody, then only poor shoe
maker, had marched TO rally round the flag, and
all the women In the town had turned out to
BID THEM GOD SPEED.
He marched by the side of Of his close friends
but he carried no gum and soon turned back to
remain at home with his family. No one had then
accused him OF being traitor. They had thought
he would come bye-and-bye.
The first disastrous year OF the war had passed
Many OF the "bOys" had come home wounded.
a bride the year before and was now a mother,
held proudly to his empty coat-sleeve as he walked
through the town, and the people cheered them as
still the man now held as a spy had not Joined
the army Soon, however, he went south, not, he
private business. He did not return. Travel was
difficult and dangerous In those days OF disturb
ance. IL was reported that he had joined the army
and been killed One day man, who had always
been looked upon as goOd-fOr-nOthing, but who
had been among the first to go to the 'front.' was
sent home with bullet In his breast. He told
strange story. He said that he had been captured
by MOSbys men; that In one OF them he had rec
Ognized his missing townsman, and that he owed
the wound TO him. He said 'the traitor had taken
him at night from tent where he had been left
bound after his capture, and had driven him deep
Into the woods and bound him to a tree, leaving
him there to die, after firing one shot into him
There were some who doubted the story, and
limited that the man had been wounded while
stealing chickens, but generally he was believed
Many other stories were told about the "copper"
bead rebel, as they called him. But nothing was
Known OF him until one day he rode up TO one OF
The forts near Washington and was taken prisoner
Charged with being spy, and with working TO get
supplies Tor Lees army. IL was said that he had
done many daring things, among others that when
Lees men were starving he had gone right into the
heart OF the federal power, where the generals OF
the loyal army could not have gone, and had
bought supplies.
Marvellous tales OF his daring were told until
his guards were half afraid OF him.
AS FOR himself, he said merely that he had been
captured and forced into service by the confeder-
attS. and mad escaped as soon as he could and
counted for his gray uniform as the only thing he
could get To wear.
so tt happened that as 1t neared Christmas time
n tle dark year OF "a he was a prisoner iii the
building in this city whose walls now lie in ruins
scattered in dust and fragments.
Often d1d tiny baby hands In their dreams tear
those walls 10 pieces, even as they now are torn.
And baby voices asked, as baby eyes watched tine
sun telling on the hours towards that morning OF
the glorious birth OF Chrfot-when there calne The
promise or peace on earth. good Will towards
nan--Wil sthanty Clauths bling my papa
homer"
But dark were those days to- the wife and mother.
Dark without hope. There Is no mercy in military
court. The voice of the child Christ calling out
peace on earth, Good Will toward man." I'LL
Ing the crisp air OF Christmas morning with the
sound, ringing in the bells that dance with ttItl-
lating joy, ana crying out In the creakipg OF the
RUNNERS ON the frosty streets, or in the frosty
wheels That grOan under the load OF heavy arttl-
lery- What mas Christmas 10 do with war? What
Win TIE lnufIied drumOeat that calls the prisoner
10rth 10 take hi, last look at The rising sun? The
thoughts OF the soldiers turned to peace and their
hoins-S; but there was no peace,
IL was whispered among the guards that sthe
spy Was 10 die at sunrise on Christmas morning
81 udhger Js was he thought 10 b. that he was 10
Dc taken away The night before Christmas eve
that Eo friends might knOw where to md him
The captain, who knew him, and the desperate
character Of his friends, had advised this Every
effort ol his friends 10 him had failed The
Judge advocate general Of the army had declared
mat ne would have arrested any man who dared
10 again ask mercy Tor the spy, The thing Inust
D. done This should be the CHASTITY Christmas
present OF The children who cried Tor their father
peace, peace" Could the Christmas bells say
pedce Their tongues would freeze In their
DraLen thrOats as they said II; there was no
peace on earth"
The DARK WALLS
hlSged closer around their prisoner as,the cold
winds chilled them through.
Could there be peace In enc spot in GODS crea
ton? Could there be good will toward man in a
single heart? In that heart or steel that men said
could not feel could IL be there? In that steel heart
that guided a hand OF iron TO crush out the re-
beilion- Could IL be,
AT the last hour, AT the last moment when the
guards We're assembled at dead OF night TO take
The prisoner OuJ OF the reach OF even executtys
-, bearer, the prisoner, -- Charged as q
Spy, and then further stated that the said Blank
10 whom the prisoner was TO be surrendered was
10 convey him across the Mason and Dixon line
WITHIN twelve hours great sensation this order
made. Inc Officers In command would have re-
SISTED IL, Out IL was peremptOry and came direct
from authority too high. IL must be obeyed,
the doors never open? Would the guards not steu
aside? He stops 10 shake hands with 4 fellow
prisoner, and the precious moments are flyinp,
VIII he not hurry We must get him out and
away. The captain Is whispering TO the guard
Is he lot plotting TO make delay? May we not Yet