The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1894-01-09
OLIVE BRANCHES OF WAR.
A Mystery of Libby Prison.


co factory in Richmond, Va. This factory
was the famous Libby prison." There
We're, at the time of which l write, about
$40 prisoners occupying its main floors. l
was not much concerned about them, ex
cept that L felt a deep sympathy for the
brave soldiers whose pale and anxious faces
saw daily pressed against the iron bars
Of their prison windows, seeking to draw
nearer to the free sunshine from which
they had been cut off by the fortune OF
war. l had visited the prison but once,
and then only to glance at a body OF some
seVenty-fiVe officers for whose accommoda-
ton large room had been partitionei off.
They were kept under close guard apart
from the other prisoners, and included all
grades, from brigadier general down to lieu
tenant. When | them they presented
the appearance of pupils in a writing school.
Ihey had been supplied with unlimited
quantities of ink pens and paper, and they
were ali engaged most busiiy in writing
letters, which aggregated many hundreds
daily. and were promptly dispatched to the
union lines under flag of truce, to be for
warded north. after due inspection
Although true soldiers. the Vigor with
which they wrote seemed to indicate that
they all agreed with the subtle Richeiieu.
that
The pen is mightier than the sword
Their letters were all on the same sub
1ect for they We're seventy-five souls with
out single thought The event that sup
phed their interesting theme was the cap
ture Of the confederate cruiser jeff Davis.
The name of that war vessel did not COM
mend her to her csptors, although it had
appeared thirteen years before IN a resolu-
ton of thanks passed by congress, to honor
an unSullied soldier, who by his skill and
bravery had secured victory for the flag
OF the union when, at the battle of Buena
Vista, ii was about TO go down il disastrous
defeat. The officers and crew of the vessel
were confined in Tombs prison, New lork,
under indictment pirates, although she
was not sailing as q privateer, as even now
currently believed in the northern states.
but as a regularly commissioned war snip
of the confederate navy. The authorities
a Richmond being advised Of the situation
OF those men who were threatened with
short shrift, had set apart the officers to
whom 1 have referred as hostages, and had
notIned the government at Washington
that such hostages would be
hanged If the officers and crew OF the Jeit
Davis, any one Of them should be exc
cuted. To avert the dread necessity for
such an appalling act OF retaliation, its Sc
lected victims abundantly supplied
with writing materials, that they might APP
peal 10 the government to save them from
sure death on tie scaffold, by dealing wan
war, and not as pirates ,..,,.- .,,,i+
so the eager penmen were hterahy W
ina. for GEAR life, each one uoup'i'
feeling that il was far better TO pen q NJ ~
lion Of lines than to be dropped a. 'ne civ
Of one. .,.,, ,-oc one
I should state that among them was w
ci,,ilar hostage. lie VAS Mr. Ely, liie O".ol
nj rav's flour mills at Troy n. l. ne N.,S
.bon - member of congress, ana hau So"9
from Washington in a -c3rrIage WINS Ses
sr,1 friends to Virginia, for the purpose .,
s,tt,aee:ng the impending battle at Bun
p,,n He left his carriage ana Went ~
ward where he had q fine we" Oh Ill9 "a
tie but his two prudent lrlehuS' oH
t the union troops in rapid reuta1
Ia NOT stand upon the order o.
t{.i, coins. "buI go 1T once, ana 50 Ia"
t,co,,.inertly fled with the Nehlcie, leS''i'1
+beir lucll!ess companion afoot' he was "
short stout man, rather roIuli" IA So
80 IN ADAPTED for foot race, ana hehce
az -. tEat he who had so often risen in
~aee 70 q point of order soon 1ouhd
.i,l,elf about to be raised on the point o. d
1a1,or'ct ana was taken prisoner "lii@
the detention of Mr.. Ely couid io' 80
The military power Of the United 0t~.eS' ie
Toins- a ron-combatant, yet he was o. Sfea.
value as q hostage, being a lAeh'De' "
,',,,,.~,.ass He proved himself fully equal 10
g. sit,ation for he was the champion let-
tor writer of the condemned group nav i'5
q most decided aversion to beng mango" y"
fine aaUows. Elected as he was on al en-
tirelv different platform to that "hich was
then looming up before him, the leI'ei'
we're addressed mainly to president LIN
coln and his cabinet and mefnbers OF CON
,rass and although the writer could I't
claim TO be quite disinterested, they eiIecteu
the desired result. They all passed OUT "
rrfson, 1lnharned except the doughty con-
FRESHMAN. who, I understand suffered Tor
some time from the kicks that he ad1nHl-
i-terai to himself during his prison HE.
Rut I return 10 the real object Oh TINS
narrative which relates to an event th1t'
at the time. concerned me more IMAM Nie
awful faJe that hung over the hostages
Directly beneath the room that they were
confined in was one about eighteen feet
-,.,,a that 7 used for storing instruments
and other material My mess consisted OF
FIVE officers. and our far foraging COCK mao
succeeded in finding Il farmer who had
load of sweet potatoes for sale, when
gladly purchased, as they were something
ricb and rare tEereabouts in those days
they were real ''yaller yams," as ne called
them. and l stored them in the room VIII
my instruments and chest, which occu
MED hut q small space in one corner Oh IL
The potatoes amounted to eight caSIlei9
good measure. They had arrived III time
Tor dinner, and We enjoyed eheh
..reatIy Tor sweet potatoes Were
sweet potatoes in those days Of rough ana
short rations, even General Robert Il. Lee
deis,1iras TO carry one Wen roasted when
h could obtain il, in his pocket on the
march as Il sort of reserve for dinner.
Fearing that there might be another key
In the building that would 1t the mortlst
lock Of the storeroom, placed good PAD
lock with heavy staples and hasp on th'
ooor Early the next morning ehlefet
th, room to issue more potatoes TO the coof
fo. hreak faSt and dinner, and at once saw
that the pie had very materially dlnhh
fshed since the night before. The door nae
hee, double locked, and a careful eNalnlha
tion showed that neither lock had peer
tar,oered with The staples had not beei
disturbed and I had kept the key or I'M
naGloclz in my pocketbook, which had no
been out of my possession. Ihefe "er'
]u,o windows to the room looking out upoi
the ward. about seven feet above the GROUND
and they had heavy iron-lined shutters
which were well bolted Oh the INSIDE !
eantinaI walked his post under the WIN
dows and the only door by when the room
could be entered was within PLAIN we"
rim It had been a moonlight night, an
:. nerson entering the room could hardl
have escaped the sentinePs notice. ma
THO potatoes measured in Il -four barrel, In
come that had been used to measure then
yyhen they were bought, and, after a hui
cinherine, found that there were JUST nv
nacks missing. Like the dusky Otheii
when wrought, L was ''perpleXed