The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-10-29

/ nearly ail the Time. j ihlnk lheg are Blau 70
be IN prison; il rests them. There are also
half a dozen Copperheads here, who wish they
were somewhere else. They are pretty gem
orally despised. Think Of a man with Union
shoulder straps being Copperhead!
More anon, MARSH.
LIBBY Prison. RICHMOND, Dec. l6.
/ DEAR JoHN: III you count the windows IN
\ the picture ] sent YOU you can tell just about
where j am located in Libby. The board oi
\ the floor that sleeps on isnear the first window,
north end Of upper east room. aud my mess
mates have a table made of pine box. Ihls
box answers for table, wardrobe, kitchen ana
general magazine.
At night we pile our chairs, made OF barrels,
on top Of It, aud have room to lie down on
the floor. Our boots servo US for pillows.
] Strange enough, j sleep well on this hard, cOla
! floor, except the nights that are very cold, ana
! then
1T rs AWFUL TO LIE HERE
] hours and hours, awake, chilling, and wishing
! for daylight 10 come that j may get up ana
walk about. OF course all the prisoners must
20 to bed and get up together, as the hoor IS
completely covered when all are lying down.
The first thing we hear every morning he-
/ fore daylight, is the loud voice of an old daTky,
/ Ben, who pcddlos the city papers, crying out
Here's your DiSpatch,' here's your Examiner
and ilhiu' and Great News from Lees
News from Georgia."
That darky's voice is our reveille, and II is a
welcome sound. Sometimes he cries out
News OF Exchange; Prisoners 10 be Sent
] North ~ but when we see the paper alter day
] light we learn that the exciting headlines OF
the paper aFe based on some little grapevine
rumor.
No we have almost given up hopes Of ex-
change. We have been deludod so often, so
often. Thank you for The box and the good
I les" Our mess lives some better now.
am studying the Latin grammar you put in
the box, and recite 10 Maj, Marshall every day
at2. MARSH.
LIBBY PEIsoN. RIcHMoND Dec. 10, 1863.
DEAR JOHN: The following officers are in
my mess Mai. Marshall Lieut.. Austin, Capts.
Page and Bascom, and Lieut.. Hoffman.
Our dinner 10 day was corn bread mighty
poor, dried beef and water. Supper will be
the same. There Is r Sutler comes here, who
will furnish prisoners who have any money
provisions AZ the following prices: Crackers,
I $50 per barrel bacon, s3 per pound; beet, 70
4 cents per pound; cheese, S3 per pound; butter,
4 S550 per pound; whisky, So per gallon.
Col. Streght bribed a guard to-day and got
outside the prison, but the sentinel betrayed
! him TO Turner, the commander, who has put
him and one or two others in dungeon. They
: call Streght the +" Yankee raider" and both
fear and hate him. MARSH
Dec. 24, 1903.
j inclose YOU program OF our Libby Prison
! entertainment tonight. All the prisoners who
/ could sing or play on an instrument, aud there
are many such here, helped in getting mp a first
rate Christmas Eve performance In the kitchen.
10 was jolly time considering the ciTcum-
stances. j wonder how our friends in the
North are spending this Christmas eve
The sentinel cries Lights outi" and must
close. Ihis is not Christmas Eve at home. i
realize that MARSH.
LIBBY PRIsoN, Richmond, CHRIsTSiAs.
DEAR JoHN: NY dinner to-day was corn
bread potatoes and water. IL is cold outside
and IL is cold inside. We have little fuel, either
for cooking or warming
Some Of the prisoners who have money sent
out and bought quite dinner for themselves.
There are a certain few prisoners here, we'll
known to the rest Of us, who live quite well,
keep close among themselves, and seem in some
mysterious way 10 be on good terms with the
commander Of the prison. They are watched
closer than they imagine. MARSH.
LIBBY PRIsoS, RICHMOND, Dec. 30.
DEAR ions: Gen Ben Butler has been ap-
pointed Commissioner for Exchange Of Pris-
oners, but the rebels say he is beast" aud
I won't recognize him; so for the present we may
abandon all hopes Of exchange OF getting
home.
The Johunics have good reason for uot liking
, Ben Butler. lie believes them 10 be traitors,
and handles them accordingly. five prisoners
were tostay here 10 years, cur prayer would be
for more Ben Buffers.
The Johunies also say they won't exchange
men f0und commanding darkes, In fact, they
propose 20 kill all such az sight; that's the way
the Richmond papers talk. So with this aud
that, nobody knows when we will get out OF
here, II ever. We make calculations on
nothing.
The other day, Capts Sawyer and Flynn.
| who had been sentenced 10 death, were released
. from solitary confinement aud put In here
| among the rest Of us. They were 10 be hung ia
! retaliation Tor couple Of spies hung by Burn
side.
Our Government threatens
/ TO HANG A SON or CEN IEE
IL Sawyer and Flynn are put 10 death; and a
Ice Is reported a. saying be viii throw up hil
K commission If his son Is hung, Flynn and Saw
e yer would seem 10 bc IN no danger.
0 The selection Of the q two men for hanging
c was made by lot about the time We first cam,
20 Libby. bat was pissed around with bit
Of paper iu II 70 be drawn out. IL was a dread
n iul kind Of lottery, two human lives the stake
|, ] see you did not or could not receive seVera
4 of my letters; you make no reference 10 thei
. contents. MARSH.
LIBBY PRIsOE, RICHMOND, Jan. 2.
e DEAR joins; New Years day was spent b-
, the men in Libby Ia trying 10 keep warm an,
in trying 10 see who could make the most n0is
~ by yelling, shouting, singing, cat calls aud b.
e a tremendous pounding on every pan, pot, ket
Ic tie and cup that could be- gotten bold Of.
10 The lights were allowed 10 burn till il, an,
ie the Outlaudish racket was kept up till tha
.e hour. Even after We went 10 bed, the bes
rs singers were compelled 10 sit Up in bed ia Ia
M dark and sing songs Never before did al
e. New Year come IN with such strange herald
y, ing. am glad it's All over. Ny ears still rim
with the awful din.
= few
e' PRISONERS ARE CHAINED FAST
= IN the basement for attempting 10 escapt
20 They missed the Now Years racket, any wal
- Three others have been pat in the penitentiar
=. Of North Carolina in retaliation for somethin
~ done 10 some Johnny rebs in the North.
H. We hear that the rebel prisoners IN the Mort