Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1886-05-08
THE OLD PENITENTIARY
An Institution which Once Stood
the Arsenal Grounds.

DISTRICT PRISONERS ONCE CONFINED IN THE
DISTRICr-THE REMAINS OF THE OLD PRISON
NOTED CRIMINALS CONFINED THERE
BOOTHS FIRST GRAVE.
| Strangers In the city are often asked what
! disposition is made OF prisoners here convicted
| OF the higher crimes, and are surprised to learn
that the District has no penitentiary. Many
are ignorant of the fact that the District once
had such institution, which through
| military necessity was abolished during
the war, the prisoners having been
| removed TO the penitentiary at Albany,
| n. Y. The site of this building Is
| now included within the grounds of the WASH
| ington barracks, where is quartered the larger
| portion of the Sd United States artillery, Gen.
Fl. g. Gibson, commanding. The two ends Of
| the old prison, occupied once by the officers
| and residences of the warden and deputy
warden, now are the residences of Gen. Gibson
| and some of the officers. The prison portion
was located between these buildings. So great
has been the change that visitor to the bar
racks can scarcely realize that in the space be-
| tween these buildings murderers, burglars for
| gers and other criminals were once confined to
work out their sentences.
THE ERECTION OF THE BUILDING.
The erection of the penitentiary building was
authorized by the act of Congress of May Goth,
1926, which appropriated $4,000 for the pur-
pose. The act directed the President, John
quincy Adams, to appoint three commissioners
16O separate cells. Under the act the work was
commenced under the plans and superinten-
dence of Capt. Thomas Carberry, and other APP
propriaiions were made in 1927, 1928, and
1929, amounting in all to over S1O4 200, and
in February 25th. 1881, an appropriation of
over $50, 900 made for the erection of
workshops, the purchase of material, and the
institution put In operation. The bricklayers
We're Pollok and McCIelland with whom Mr..
Zephaniah Jones learned his trade and worked
on the building.
The building was over 800 feet in length, SO
f,
roof. 1t was built in the most substantial man.
ner. as was found when the work of demolish-
Ing the prison portion of the building was
undertaken after the war.
THE wARDEN's OFFICE.
The building now occupied by Gen. Gibson,
as residence, was erected with office room for
the warden, guard room, inspectors office, and
parlor or reception room, and a hall way from
west 10 east. An iron door opened into a room
intended originally as the dining hall, but used
most of the time the store room, 40 by 30
feet, and over this was the hospital. 1t was
from this hospital room that most OF the
escapes effected from the prison were made,
the prisoners first feigning illness In order to
gain admission to the hospital.
The cells were arranged in four tiers for 224
prisoners, each eight feet deep, four wide, and
seven In height, with walls eighteen inches
thick, the fronts being of stone fifteen inches
thick. The prison was provided with IRON
grated doors, iron galleries, and iron stairways,
making the cells convenient OF access. Origi-
naly the cells in the upper tier were intended
for such female prisoners as should be sent
there and were twice as large as the others, but
subsequently wall was run up from floor to
root, cutting off sixty-fOur cells at the east
ern end for the female prisoners, thus leaving
forty cells on each tier for the male prisoners.
The deputy warden's quar tiers were exactly
similar to those of the warden, with the excep-
ton that the upper story was arranged for the
chapel. This apartment was subsequently
used as the court room for the military com
mission in the trial Of the Lincoln assassination
conSplratOrS.
THE PRISON YARD.
Around W. hric yvo1
wide enough at the top for guard to walk
upon It. 1t was provided with sentry boxes
for protection from the weather Within this
Enclosure were located shops, the principal one
another shop for broom making and Others for
carpenters and wagon builders. Within the
Enclosure there was also u small vegetable gar
den worked by few of the cOnvicts.
The structure was built in the most substan-
tial manner the bricks having been laid in
cement. When, after the war, the comb of
cells was demolished powder was used.
BOOTHS GRAVE.
The body of Booth, the assassin of President
Lincoln, was buried in this building Ii was
given out at the time that it had been placed
on a gunboat and taken down the river and
there thrown overheard. The fact was that
after its arrival here it was taken inside the
penitentary walls. After unsatisi factory at
tempt made to dig grave in "a cell the body
was buried In the old store room only o few feet
from the present front door of Gen. Gibson's
house. Alter the capture of the other conspira-
ing was fitted up the hall for their trial. the
cells in which they were confined being in the
female portion OF the prison. OLaughlin, Ar
this place to the Dry Tortugas. The bodies of
Payne, Atzerodt, Herod and Mrs. Surratt were
buried near the scaffold on which they Were
executed on July 9Th, 1865, just south of the
deputy wardens residence. Subsequently Capt
Wirz, of Andersonville notoriety, was also
buried here. The bodies were all afterwards re-
moved to one OF the store houses of the Arsenal
and in the early part of 1869 were removed
more, the remains OF AtZerodt and Payne to
Glenwood, Mrs Surratt and Capt. Wirz to Mt.
Oiivet and Herold to Congressional Cemetery.
THE wARDENs.
Before the penitentiary building was erected
prisoners were sent from here to Baltimore
Upon its completion Col. Williams, of Balti-
more, who had been the warden OF the Mary
land penitentiary, was appointed warden vi the
new Institution. The first prisoner was re-
ceived in May, 1881. His name was Williams
the same name as that oi the warden, the tore
man OF the grand jury who found the bill
against him and the foreman of the petit jury
by which he was convicted. His Cttense was
the larceny of a barrel OF flour. The dividing
line between petit and grand larceny Was then
the waTdens were Isaac Clarke. john b. Dade
Robert Coltman. Z. +. Sengstack, Thomas Fit
nam, Jonas T. Ellis, Thomas Thornley,, c. +.
ceased except Mr. Ellis. The prison was con-
Quoted in the thirty-two years OF its existence
by u force under the warden and deputy war
den OF from six to twelve keepers and guards
and, as may be expected, the discipline was
quite strict. The prisoners We're kept at work
compelled 10 rise at u given signal, march IN
the dining hall Tor meals, and thence Ia their
respective tasks Tor the day. There were a few
escapes from tine institution. There were some
Instances also where prisoners had become
labituated TO the prison rules and begged To
remain there alter their terms had expired.
NOTED PRISONERS.
Among those sentenced here were Edward
Hall, a noted counterfeiter, in 1883 for three
years; j. b. Henderson, a forger, tine same year:
X. III. White sentenced in 1886 Tor seven wears
Tor arson in burning the Treasury in 1888: Tom
Hand, Tor robDing the Patent Office OF diamond
snuH box, sentenced in 1S49; Edward Mooney
roooing the mail between this city and George.
town, III 1892; Joseph Fisher, for arson in 1873
SIX years, w lillian W ellis, the marine, sentenced
to be hanged for the murder of young Muuueii
committed Tor life, john Alexander the ,jl.
Yer Thief, sentenced to Is years, and Frank
camper, convicted OF the manslaughter OF Mar
Tin Ragan and sentenced for . years both of
whom escaped; john Day, for nanslau shter of
hiS vile; W lillian Is. Edwards, sentenced March
Oh, 1906, Tor years Tor anslaug ter in iiIiug
thornton Avery; George Cornwall and Lorenzo
Durh, Tor mansitusnter, five years each: Jonn
Moriarty, january, 1897, two years, tor man
1900, SIX years, for manSlaugh ter; Benjamin
Wood and Christopher Sharp, January 11th
1895, eight years, for manslaugtiIer: BENJAMIN.
KoDinson, December 9Th, 1857, three wears Tor
"a Ike oiiense; BENZ. Os.e, May Sd, 1858, eight
years, Tor the same, but pardoned In June
1S6l; Charles, alias Squirrely Barrett October
I'D, 1898, convicted uruer and sente nee of