Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1898-04-07

Of whom this wretch is left the last
Byron.
After remaining several hours in
the Provost's office, an officer appeared,
Qearned he was the Provost Marshal,
Col. Fish, )who seeing MS sitting there
said, in an insolent and contemptuous
manner, what are you doing here?
Get out Of here Guard, take these
rebels to the guard-house." longed
then to have a chance to repay that
gcoundrel his gratuitous insult. But
as he is now receiving the Just reward
of his actions, can only wish the peni-
tentiary may reform him.
Just here | cannot refrain from Civ
ing an abstract from my fathers diary
of date January %, 1864, while d
prisoner at Fort McHenry. He says:
my paper was put into my tent as
usual, learned from it that the former
Provost Marshal, Col. Fish, was con-
fined a prisoner in his own negro Jail,
where he had ruthlessly confined so
many of his fellow-men. Retribution
is sure. Vengeance is mine, will
repay, saith the Lord. Although |
have reasons for believing Col. Fish
has been very vindictive towards me,
| feel for him in his suffering and deg
radiation. 1t cannot benefit me to
have him punished, and as he has a
family my sympathies are with them. y
The station-house was dirty, filthy
place, an unfit habitation for human
beings. Shortly after our incarcera-
rion there, two drunken women were
placed in an adjoining cell, separated
from us by an iron-grated door, and
Coleman, who had never seen a drunk
en- woman before, seemed to enjoy
their alternating extremes of piety and
wickedness.
About 6 p. m. our cell was unlock
ed and a squad of soldiers appeared,
conducted us to Fort McHenry and
put us in an old stable there, used
then as military prison, where we
met some thirty Confeds, among the
number Strother Davis, brother OF
ex-Sheriff Davis. This building was
full of vermin and | roasted on a roof
brace, preferring to risk my neck at
this altitude rather than sleep in the
infected quarters below. Our fare
here was exceedingly hard. Black
water, called coffee, and hard tack for
breakfast and supper, and bean soup
for dinner. No meat was cooked with
the beans, none was necessary, for the
worms in the beans furnished the
requisite grease. The coffee was made
in the same camp-kettle as the soup,
without rinsing, and appeared with
greasy scum on top. Is Moro Castle
worse than this?
One the second day after our install
lation in this stable, most Of the pri-
Yates, including Manning and Cole
man, were taken to City Point for ex-
change, but in a few hours others took
their places.
Imprisonment in this foul hole soon
became unbearable, and l determined
to attempt an escape. Preparatory
therefor, nay jacket was stripped Of all
insignia of an officer, and dirt rubbed
in where the braid was torn of, to
make it appear old and shabby as the
residue Ny intention was conhded
to a few of our men, whom l felt could
be implicitly trusted, and who prom
ised all help possible. In a few days
another exchange boat appeared at
the wharf to take off prisoners for ex-
change, and, as their names were be-
ing called and they were passing out
by the guard, l answered to one of
the names and passed the sentinel un-
challenged. We were marched to the
boat and embarked for the trip. But
an evil genius presided over my des-
tiny that day.
had been on the boat about half
an hour, when i was startled by call
for me, and l looked up and saw it
proceeded from a Federal officer. 1t
lal .lo4 .