Wichita eagle., 1888-08-12
A BIT OF WAR HISTORY.
The Story Connected With Burned Mem
phiS Block.

MEMPHIS, Teur., Aug 1.-The historic
Irving block, which was devoured today by
fire, was four stories in height, OF brick
and stone, with handsome iron front OF
| fiuted columns. It was built not long be-
| fore the commencement of the war, and in
| 1862 was used by the confederates as hos
pital, the sick and wounded from the scene
| of operations about Columbus and Island
| No. 10 being carried there. When the
| United States troops occupied Memphis in
June. 1862. they converted the well
appointed hospital into a military
prison. A high fence, with strong
| gates, was built in front, just outside
| the pavement, and strong guard was
placed around the entire building. At first
only petty offenders among the troops were
confined there, but later on it was used as
a sort of station house for the confinement
of small parties of prisoners of war on
their way to northern encampments. AT
the same time part of 1t was fitted up Tor
rebellious Memphians who happened TO in
cur the enmity of those IN authority, and
were a little to frank in the expression of
sympathy with the cause of the confeder-
acy. As the greater part OF the population
were intensely southern and quite demon
stTative at that time especially the ladies',
the famous prison was commonly full TO
overlooking.
There are living in the city today many
citizens of high standing, both gentlemen
and ladies. who had a taste of the
hardest prison life in the
hated walls. The adventures and fortunes
of many Of the imprisoned victims were
most romantic The south wall was
picked through frequently by the inmates,
and IN 1860, after the war, it looked as II 1t
had been subjected to a bOmbardment, SO
al t1,.
captives. When escape was otherwise
impossible, bribery was resorted TO. One
young lady who had been caught carrying
contrahand gray cloth to Il soldier boy
just outside the lines, and whose chances
for imprisonment during the war were
most HIATT ering, was relieved by the magic
influence of money judiciously applied. A
federal colonel III an influential position
was applied to and the escape arranged.
But how to get the necessary money was
the next thing. FIVE hundred dollars was
the required amount, and she was poor
and an orphan. An alert citizen was
equal to the emergency. He went through
the lines On q pass and found
the boy on whose account she
quickly arranged and executed. That
night, February 1, 1864, during snow
storm, picket post was raided by three
young men. Three federal pickets on
duty were captured, and by morning were
in fernando, twenty miles southwark,
with their horses. The horses were sold
for 5000 in ''greenbacks," and the same
afternoon the money was brought to the
citizen in hiding near the lines. He lost
no time in carrying out the affair, and
that night at l o'clock the young lady was
aroused by guard, marched three miles
out through the lines and babe good
night, being left alone in the snow. But
young ladies in those days were made of
stern stuff, and she, without the slightest
betook herself to a place of
safety.
On another occasion, young man see
ing from a window federal officer hitch
his horse to one of the trees on the edge of
the square opposite, jumped from the |
and mounting the horse under fire of the |
guards, rode off, running the gauntlet of /
the picketS in safety out of the lines.
But perhaps the saddest case was one |
developed after the surrender. In break |
ing up the prison there was found in |
cell an old man utterly berett OF reason. |
No one knew how he came there or who he |
was, the officers of the prison having been |
changed many times and some of the |
records lost. His identity was never dis |
covered. He was evidently a man of re-
iinement. He soon after died. The whole /
story of the prison viii never be told. In |
the building about ten years ago /
the whitewash was scraped off the walls |
which were found to be covered with in |
scriptions and legends made by the pris- |
Oners, some of them exceedingly touching |