Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1888-12-07
CHAPLAIN M'CABE
TALKS OF THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIPB IN
LIBBY PRISON.
An Entertaining Lecture at the Fourth Street M. Z,
Church, Last Evenmg-A Large
Audience Present

There WAS a large audience at the
Fourth Street NJ. E Church, last evening,
drawn thither to listen to the address de-
livered by Cbaplsjn McCabe, the we'll
known wartime e~xpouader CT tbs Gospel
to the boys in blue, an later as a lecturer.
His subject was 1.-THE Bright Side of Life
in Libby Prison." and his remarks were
Of a very interesting and entertaining ma
lure. Hs introduced himself i1 O scme-
what unique manner, by singing several
old army songs, 10 the accompaniment of
the organ, and then launched cut upon
his theme.
He said the pubic had grown so sccus-
toned TO hearing of the horrors end atrcc-
tiles of Libby prison, that there was a
general curiosity to know which side Of
the prison tie bright side was, and there
was q fear that anything bright must re-
late to the Outside, for surely there could
be rothipg of happiness or jollity within
those grim walls. Nevertheless, there
was q bright side to Ifs within the prison.
All the s'o.;eJ Of hardship and suffering
and privation and sickness and death
which had b'en related Of the prison were
true, he could assure his hearers of that;
but the time had about gene by when any
possible good could might come of q re-
ciSal OF thoee sUfferings, while good might
come of a portrayal Of the other side of the
picture. TIE men within the prison walls,
slthough in the midst Of keenest suffering
and the moss ahj4ct want, still sang their
songs and told their stories and cracked
their jokes.
MIR. McCabe then went on to tell bow he
happened to get into the prison, he being
a nou-combatant. He YVES attached to the
command Of General Il H. Mlroy, and
when the Confederate government deter
mined upon an invasion of the North, Lee
MARCHED upon Winchester whsre MilrOy
was stationed. THIS movement Of Lse,
he said, was under AIKEN by that General In
rtspoDse to q public SCI timent at the South
which was too great TO be resisted, and
from this he referred TO the editors az be-
Jog in their own estimation, the greatest
military s%trategists in any given nation.
1t was especially wonderful, Row much the
American editors knew about fighting.
Place one OF them on 8 three-legged stool,
a Thousand miles away from the army,
and they would not hesitate to even ed
wise as great a soldier as Lee how to con-
duct o campaign.
When Lee b oke camp and his grand
army came 20 the vicinity of Winchester,
scouts dashed up, ore after the other, and
adv sed Milroy TO leave, hut he was not
made Of that sort of stuff, and with two
regiments of cavalry, he undertook TO feel
the enemy. He cot telt himself in return,
and when Stuart finally overwhelmed and
scattered the Union forces, McCabe along
with a Federal surgeon, remained bahipd
to care for the wounded. That duty done,
McCahe and his conpa1iOn presented
themselves to General Early and said they
would like to re sent back to Harpel's
Ferry. Early ssid he thought be would
seud them to Il Chmond, and he did, al
though McCabe pointed out TO him that
Harper's Ferry was only thirty miles
away, while Richmond was a hundred
and fifty. TSat is how Chaplain got into
Libby.
He described tie preliminary searching
Of the persons Cf the prisoner, and the way
their money was taken ftCm them, ard Of
the great luck of a New Jersey Co,oael,
who succeeded in Swing 500 from the
enarp eyes of the searcheTs. He sid he
often blessed that man, for he borrowed of
bis store of Cash on many occasions there
after. he thought, from what he had
heard Of the horrors Of the prison, that he
would find the inmates the mos: sad and
6espOndeut and detected set Of man i'm
Ggina5le. Ga the coutrarv, they were
EOlsy beyond expectation. No sconer had
he and his companion entered than there
went up 4 mighty shout of Fresh fish,"
Take the gentleman's baggage" SHOW
him up 10 36," etc.
Then followed the incidents of prison
life, his audience being kept in roars of
laughter nearly ali the time. He refer ed
to many familiar incidents in the history
of the prison, among others the escape Of
Col. Straight and n hundred and twenty
Others through the celeb-a'e1 tlnnel. He.
was especially happy in his description of
the fist night no slept in the prison. The
msn lay on the floors 10 rows, as thick as
they could lie. He had Just settled into a
comfortable dozs when some one yelled,
right wheel" ard instantly every man
wheeled over from his left side to his right,
Then tone one cr:el left wheel" and
they all rolled back. He thought it was a
pretty well crowded bed when Z man
couldn't turn without compelling all the
rsst to do likewise.
One day the pr soners heard that bod
hounds were being used to catch those WHO
escaped and q colored man who came 10 on
an errsnd was asked how to throw the
dogs of the scent. He said: "Msssa, sat
git some ka'yenne pepah. Sprinkle o h6tle
of that thar p9psh in go tracks, ard with
tee dawg come along hsrl 50 'sniff, 'sniG,
an when he shifts thai pspah he'll f0rgit
all bout this yerwsh TO- tree weeks, sure T"
He alluded 10 the introduction Of books
into the prison by Richard Warner, an old
friend OF Mr.. McCabs's. and Of the orgsni-
zation OF the Prison University. There
were classes in Greek, and Latin, and
French a9d q law tc1ool, aud 10 This
school thers were forty lawyers. The ons
graduate of the University law course was
Benz. F. Blair, low a leading member of
the New York bar.
Then they started q paper, and be de-
scribed how il used to be read every Friday,
and what o source of anusemen. it was,
relating many Incidents.
The lecture was a great success, and WIS
thoroughly enjoyed.