The Bolivar bulletin. (Bolivar, Tenn.) 1888-1946, 1890-01-17

lowing me mp beat me over the head
and shoulders with his srbr 1--WE We're
guarded hv cavalrvtnen | turned 10
strike him with nay fist. but finding my
! self entirely surrounded with saDers and
/ pistols II my read AMI breast,
thoughr that discretion in this Instance
would he the better part of v'Im 80 |
lowered my arm md siri what canfort
could by the use OF bad language. The
next time the ea.tiin of the boat furni h
ed us with tarpaulin. which kept us dry
and warm. Nothing further worthy of
note occurred during. the day.. On Onr
arrival at st. Louis, we We're, marched
first out TO the fair grounds, and were
much elated at the idea OF being kept in
so lovely place: but IN few minutes
after our arrival orders came TO take us
to the Gratiot Street Prison, which place
we finally reached, and as far as myself
and Capt. McSpadden were concerned,
settled down for six weeks stay. Will
ie Sanford, Jim Barrett and all the others
sent to the penitentiary. Colonel 5 N
ford, the dignifed and polished geutIe-
man whom you know, looks very unlike
Jail bird, but he has been one ali the
same, and a very dirty one III that. o. 1
our arrival at the prison after tie. r<uti
search of cur persOns, = was lorAered M
stairs .iid Willie and Jim beiog ne "
er saw them again during our imprisor-
ment except tor a moment IA the morn
ing Of their departure. ilsai in5 the ron
called on the street mat n, ring. anI:< e.
ing from the window the prisoners fallin.
In.o line to be marched. CT, wishing 10 say
good bye to The buys, and ignorant again
Of the dead line, | ha5lilyk threw tIp tie
window sash and and thrust my load ont
bh. before the goodbye could be uttet>d
and the reply come hack, | heard the
click of gun lock. anl saw t;,e brirht
barrel of musket pointed towards my
head. The next moment / was In the
middle of the floor, having been ierked
back by the tail of my jacket by frien-
ly hand. The shot did not come, but the
friend who had snatched me back pointed
TO the opposite wall and showed marks
of bullets opposite the windows, where
other prisoners as ignorant of rule as N.Y.
self had been shot at for. thrustins their
heads out of the windows. II never heard
that any had been killed, but the wall was
ragged with bullet holes. The house in
which i was imprisoned had been a med
ical college, presided over by DIR. Mellow
ell, who was somewhat quaint genius
and asmuch interested in ornithology an
medicines, had turned the place into
museum of stuffed birds. none of which
had been removed. As | entered the mess
room to which was assigned saw over
the door a large crow perched on
bracket looking as natural as life though
of Poe's Raven and unconsciously found
myself reciting,
'Perched upon bnst of Pallas just above my
chamber door,
Perehed and sat and nothing more"
The prison was citiz,n prison in the
main, no soldiers were kept. there perma-
nently. Among the citizen prisoners there
was a lawyer in my mess whose name
cannot now recall, he leaving soon after
I came, from whom heard the following
story about the college. This lawyer pos
sessed the strange faculty (if the word be
proper one TO use) of moving his scalp 20
as to shake his ears very much as horse
does. Mcdowell hearing of it invited him
to go before his class and make an exhib-
it of his strange power He accepted the
lnxi iation, took his seat on the platform
with the doctor, and waited patieotly
while the doctor lectured the class, mex
planning to them what muscles were
brought into use in the performance OF the
strange feat. AT tie close of his lecture
the lawyer was asked to make an exhibit
of his power. Immediately his ears began
to flop forward and backward
The students looked on with in
terest for a moment or two-and then came
up from the rear seat the loud braying of
an as, which brought the house down and
sent the lawyer cut of the back door.
"That was" said the law, ''the last time
and only time that ever made an exhib-
it of my power before class of college
boys" The room to which I was assigned
was sixteen feet square, and contained
eight persons, all Of them soldiers, except one
Copperhead named Bernard, from Illinois, and
the above mentioned lawyer. We were treated
with uniform kindness and fed toleraby well.
Masterson, the captain of the prison was Irish
man, and human, yes, more, he was humane,
which is more than can say of most of the fed
eral officers under whose authority fell during
my imprisonment. The April nights were cool,
but we had good mattress to sleep on and three
or four blankets to cover with. We were allowed
a fire on exceptionally cold days.
Ito be continually