Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1886-06-20
OLD LIBBY PRISON.
"Reminiscences of Scenes In Rich
mond's Famous Pen.
lnhuman Cruelty of Keepers and Horrible
Suferings of Prisoners---A Pen Pic
ture Of the 0other Famous
Richmond Jails.

AnbASSo -S
late war as Libby prison." has begun t
crumble, and that one Of its three section
has already fallen under its weight Of stor
age. This news has profound personal in
terest for several thousand ex-oficers ant
soldiers who still survive the horrors of con
6nement there twenty-one to twenty-five
years ago, and many thousand more o
their relatives and friends. The preSen
therefore seems fitting time for some de
scription and "Reminiscences of this the frs
occupied, and to it's close one of the mos
dreadful prison houses Of the late Confed
eracy.
Near the south front Of Richmond, on q
line Of general parallelism with the jaime:
river, and but one square from it is an i'm
portant business th%oroughfare called Carey
street. 1t is lined on both sides principally
With large and sometimes lofty warehouses
and tobacco factories, some OF which, like
that occupied as Libby prison, are now
quite venerable in years and various stages
of decay. Early in the war OF the rebel
lion a number of these were seized by the
Confederate government for storage and
other purposes; and thus every prison &C
tually in the city, established and occupied
by reason of the war, was upon or very
near this street.
At the corner OF Eighteenth street and
Carey, about half g mile below the railway
bridge across the James, is the most IA.
NOUS Tor infamous) of these. 1t derived
its name from the last business occupants
of the building before the sound Of arms
stopped nearly every wheel OF traffic in
Richmond, except those which pertained to
military affairs and the maintenance of the
conflict. Their sign, e Libby & Son,
Ship Chambers and Grocers," remained
upon q small, swinging board at the north
west corner, just above the Office, until the
close OF the war, when some one removed
aud brought it north as q trophy. The
name it bears belongs to one OF the old
families of Richmond, which gives the title
10 Libby Hill aud very likely other local
tiles.
In wal time, however, this was the prop
erty of the John Enders Estate, and was
familiarly known as
THE 'oLD TOBACCO WAREHOUSE"
a name which indicates its use during q
large part of IT'D ante, bellum existence.
Since the rebellion it has been used for the
most part as a fertilizer or gusuo factory,
which still occupies the two "tenements'
that are left of it. For the huge structure
seems TO be composed Of three buildings
that may once have been separated but
we're after wards connected By cutting doors
through the partitions. The stone house
1t the corner, which is presumed to be the
part that has fallen, was probably erected
FIRST, and must have been very old. The
other W buildings, beginning where the
Jog in the roof appears in n view, at the
position of the flagstaff bearing the rebel
stars and bars," seem more closely con
nected and were in all probability put up
together. -.
The three-in one are built Of brick, with
foundations laid in irregular stone, and tin
roof. Small skylights open to the latter,
and 1t was a f~avorite amusement OF naval
officers confined in the third storieO, who
we're forever climbing among the beams in
the attic, to creep out upon the roet n
view the landscape DER, possibly with o
view 10 another sort OF 'scspe. Such seemed
to be the notion OF the prison authorities,
who presently brought the fun to O sudden
stop by threatening fire from the guards
any more "Ganks" seen upon the
root. The third of the prison rules read
as follows: Nor shall any prisoner be
fired upon except by a sentinel or other
except in case of a revolt or at
escape" But no rule or order
allowed to interfere with the tyraunical
or murderous enterprise Of any prison Of
fetal or guard. A number Of very sad cases
of shooting are on record. A lieutenant
named Hammond vas in a closet where
there was no window, bat only a narrow
aperture left between boards. He was not
even looking through this; but his hat
could be- seen through it by a guard on the
walk below, who fred at him without The
sI.phtest excuse, and would have killed him
had not d nail diverted the bullet. An
other was eight feet from the windows N
a main room Of the prison
WHEN HE WAS FIRED AT,
aud had a similarly narrow escape. Many
others were not 80 fortunate, and a num-
Der Of officers and enlisted men lost their
lives by the murderous practice Of the
guards. When report of an outrage OF this
kind was made to the c~ommandsnt ct the
prison, he replied carelessly, The boys are
in want of practice" His boys" lost no
tim. 10 adopting his suggestion, and soon
made i, q matter OF sportto 'shoot q Ysnk."
The one who fred at Hammond ssid he
"had made a bet that be would kill q id
Yankee before be came of guard"
The prison occupied the space between
Carey and Canal streets, Eighteenth street
aud a ftty-6oot alley connecting Carey and
Canal on the east side Of the prison. 1t
was under this alley beginning in the base'
ment of the building, about twenty-five be.
low Carey street, that the famous tunnel
a made duringt the winter Of 1864, and
through which 100 officers escaped on the
night of February 9, though many OF them
we're soou captured At the entrance" q
large stone was found precisely fitting this
hole, which was replaced every night, and
was not discovered until late in the day fol.
lowing toe STAN pede. The implement"
were simply g large chisel or trowel, fur
nished with q long handle, and q wooden
sp,ttoon from the rooms above, which was
used to convey the earth back from the
tunnel, and scatter it over the floor OF the
basement, where it was concealed by strsW
Colonel Streigbt Of Indiana, a larger man
than the rest, stuck in the nsrrowest part
aad got through with great diaiculty. The
excavation came to the surface in a shed
attached to Cars warehouse, which isseen
in the view Of the prison, beyond the line
Of guards, and from which the fugitives
walked quietly away, many Of them return
ing and passing near tho sentinels without
exciting suspicion. 1t vas one OF the most
remarkable ~escapades on record, and pity
IT'S thst Il vas not more successful.
The basement from which the tunnel
was run, although quite deep on the river
side, wss very little used and seldom visit