The National tribune., 1892-03-24

marded by Da'I'gren Or Sheridan. and whether
| thew had announced their intentions in orde.'
| Or not.
TIE Ell logists and hogr: 3hers of ". T. yis
will be u,ore than fortunate if, in tn: light 81
established facts have here resented, they
can persuade
GAN ENLIGHTENED WORLD
| to believe that the wholesale massacre at libby
| was never rea'}y intended, but was bioodlesS
| strategem IF war, like the threat to SEM oul
| colored soldiers back into slavery and to tor,
| ture and to hang their white officers aud was
merely to be regarded in the light of what
Judge Ould, the Conft derate Commissioner oil
Exchange afterwards described, In fire Latin,
as "leg gis!ation inter- urram.
Unless | greatly mistake, ii my preser sur
Wy of the situation with tbe array Of cvl-
ace from personal experience and authentic
official sources here submitted. tho group con-
sisting of Mr.. Libby. Gnard Crane the " bogus
powder-keg" "U scle Harry" should be
relieved from further service as necessary
factors in the history of Libby Prison.
1t is rot claimed for this record that it is
" the only true and complete story OF tue
escape" buv it can be said for my fragment OF
TIE annals of the famous Bastile of the Con
federaey that so far as it goes it has told the
simple truth.
Dick" Farmer, whom tie Americans late
for The Military Commandant (Thomas L.
Tarner), has beer incidentally mentionec by
me in the present paper and feel that can
not so abruptly part from him who played so
heavy part ut Libby.
Cruelty "as this mans pastime, and probably
his greatest life disappoint, ent was that when
the killing of Col. Dahlgrcn that March night
in ISGt deprived him of the crOwnlng JOY oi
his life-to explode the powder 'ine under
Inv hn
Yankees. The minute itihigrtn got into this
yher town." said this disciple OF WInder and
Wrz, speaking Of the affair afterward, would
have
BLOWN EVERY YANKEE IN LIBBY To HE'LL
There was one lonesome trait about this man
that softcns in some measure the remembrance
of his oiienses. There was no vacancy III MS
nature for hypocracy. His daily deeds OF
brutality werc done with open and scrnpuous
honesty and the long record of his infamies
was an open book to which he pointed with
swelling pride. He knew what he was there
for" and he never staid away from his duty
simply because he was drunk; if he had his
face would never have become SO familiar
around Libby. He loved whisky, it is true,
but he would not desert the prisoners.
lie never embroidered his villainies with
the stately phrases and fine rhetoric of his
Richmond masters His blows were brutal, bat
his was GOt the naNd of steel under tne grove
of velvet He was civilian, and, to his credit
be it said, he scorned the devices of the VIM
ders, and of his namsake (Thomasl to mask his
real trade under the uniform of soldier.
When he locked me up in the cold dungeon
without light, fire or food, among 80 other
comrades recaptured in the tunnel escape, and
squeezed US within a space of 10 feet square.
aud when he was told by an officer one night
at the cell door that | would die that night,
Dick answered the appeal Of my comrade
to take me mp in the light and air with the
most unaffected camdor: Well, damn bin,
let him die; that's what we brought him back
for!" Bat was young, and stubboruly lived
to make four more escapes from prison. although
caught each time. But saw the hour arrive
when Dick" himself was an inmate of that
cell, and when Davis was a fugitive. By the
irony of fate the famous Bastilo itself has trav-
eled from the banks of the James where It's
tragic scenes were witnessed, and now, after the
lapse OF generation it attracts the tourist and
patriotic pilgrim the shores of Lake Michi-
gan!
Verify, the whirligig of time brings strange
revenges. And, now, where are all my prison
comrades who slept with on tho floors OF
Libby? drink deep to them wherever they are.
{The erd)