Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-04-24

searched and relieved of everything
that rebel could make use of, were
sent upstairs and, as they emerged
into the dimly lighted room, some one
uttered the cry, 'sfresh fishu' and one
shouted, "Jim, take this gents bag
gage!n Later, in inQuiring for their
rooms, they were shown by the guard
to soft place on the oak floor, where
they were ordered to lie, with their
heads against the door. After lying for
IN hour, some one cried out, cleft
wheel, "and he heard all the prisoners
in the room turning over, learning
soon that they were SO closely packed
that it became necessary to move to
gether when they moved at all. He
had learned something of perpendicu-
lar movements in line, but nowhere
found in the ftactics' anything in re-
gard to horizontal manmuvres. Of
an old darkey who came into the pris-
on, he learned that the guards could
be bribed with $40 to let fellow out,
but that they would be pursued by
blood hounds. He asked how the dogs
could be bribed, and learned that
little cayenne pepper scattered in
the tracks of the fugitives would cause
the dogs to abhor war for the next
fortnight. Reference was made to
wellknown tunnel, out of which 100
men escaped, and the prison might
have been en- ptied, had not fat man
become wedged into the tunnel, clos
ing up the exit for the night.
Libby prison building has been
purchased by a Chicago man and put
up in that city and he visited it few
days since, and asked the attendant
show him how the prisoners es
capped. There to his surprise he found
the exact condition of things he had
seen at Libby. He remarked nobody
but Chicago man would have found
means to have moved the "hOle"frOm
Richmond to the West. A pleasant
thing occurred in the coming into the
prison of a Southern man, whom the
Chaplain's mother had once taught in
Western school, who volunteered to
render them what assistance he was
able. The Chaplain asked first for the
bringing in Of some bath tubs, and
these were provided, in which in few
days, all the prisoners washed them
selves. He next sent out for some
books and several volumes on differ
ent topics were received. Glasses
were formed in French and in Law,
there being forty lawyers in prison
thing that might be right but rare.
A singing club was organized, and
the singing was a bright side light
each day. About this time, for some
fancied disobedience, the rebs decided
to shoot two captains out of the list
of forty Lots were drawn and the
two were doomed to death. Word
having reached President Lincoln, he
at once selected two prominent rebel
prisoners and ordered their execution,
in case the Libby captains were shot.
The rebels did not do the intended
shooting. One of the brightest days
occurred just after the report had
come that there had been great dis
asters to the union armies, and that
France and England were about to
recognize the Confederacy and raise
the blockade. The next day the ne
gro newspaper man, Ben, came in
shouting the victory Of Gettysburgh;
and then went up a glorious shout of
Joy. The grand Battle Hymn of the
Republic was sung for the first time
in the prison. He rehearsed the story
of the making Of flag for 4th of
July celebration, which the prisoners
proposed to hold: here one contribu-
ed blue shirt, one a red shirt, and
one which had been white under
garment. The flag was a comical af-
fair, but was the best they could make,
and was hung high on rafter The
rebel guard ordered it cut down and
so they celebrated without a flag. The
speaker alluded to the fact that on that
self same day the rebel flag at Vicks
burgh came down at the surrender of
the armies of that stronghold made
by Gen. Grant-a wonderful coinci
dence. He spoke of the coming of
Gen. Neal Dow as a prisoner; his re-
lease for a time land his trip to Georgia,
to be returned later. He made fine
allusion to the great temperance work
inaugurated by Dow and the hope of
it's ultimate success. A source of much
amusement was the prOpOundlng of CO.
numdrums, many Of which the speak
er gave, much to the amusement of
his audience. Allusion was made to
the great suffering OccasiOned by the
vermin of the prison and the so called
hospitals. The Chaplain stated that
after time he fell sick with typhoid
fever, and was taken out to a hospi-
tai where he lay for eight weeks, un-
til he lost his reason and his memory.
At length nature triumphed and he
began to amend. Soon he received
letter from a brother minister
who told of the circumstances of
his conference, then in session, spend
ing a season in prayer for his recov
cry. The letter SO touched his heart
that he wept as though the fountains
of the deep had been opened; but from
that moment he took courage and
grew better to the time when he was
exchanged and placed on board
steamer and carried toward home.
The actual story of prison life formed
but a short part of the address. The
diversions which the speaker made,
not, as he said, Gin his lecture" were
of almost as great interest as the lee
ture itself.
It is as impossible to describe this
lecture as to picture the sunlight to
the blind. 1t fell from the lips of a
man whose soul is very goodness,
whose life has been blessing, and
whose words fill the eyes with