Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-07-29

them all. He is a man below the medium
stature, nearly seventy years of age, wrin-
kled with an old-fashioHed beard of snowy
white about his CHIN and neck. He BASH
Iuily protested when asked permission to
take a picture of him. saying I'd better
wait until he got his s'togs' on His togs,
he explained, was his uniform the govern
neht MADE MIN wear. He stood against
the wire fence which Enclosed the field
@n nan, ehe ), old prison was located, and
INTO a large room hooking out upon Ches-
apeake bay that night. n
we, we were all up before4the sun, and after
pI,eakiast repaired 10 the field where sweet
clover and luxurious grass marked the
Place where the old prison stood Captain
aeatiildn carried us over the ground and
a. ~ po,iillhs out the landmarks gave way
~ ~ MI. seward, who. locating as nearly as
ne could the spot where he domiciled in
tne second divis!on, led us to the shore and
commenced the story of his thrilling es-
MIR. Stewards Story of Capture.
just before the battle of Gettysburg Lee
uispatched Early to threaten Washington
ana IN that way draw off some of the Union
forces. was a private in Stuart's cavalry.
ana toward the latter part of June started
for the capital. Just this side of Rockville
| was detailed with Dr. O. Smith Csntafn
Joe walton, Major Wade and James Rowe
~ make Reconnaissance. We We're all
III oepdck ana were chatting pleasantly
Union soldiers just ahead Thinking there
were only lew in the command we decided
10 charge them, but were surprised to see
them coming full tilt toward us Then we
discovered it was quite COMPANY and we
tried to get away. Three of us were cap
tured, and the soldiers thinking there was
- q siii s pooy behind US, rushed pell nell in
the direction of where General Stuart was
encamhed OF all that composed that brave
nttie oand of Union soldiers but few es-
G 20 tt ~. was taken to Washington and put
III the olo capitol prison, where, all things
CONSIDERED, was treated fairly we'll 1t
was IN here that l made the acquaintance
OF one or Mosby's men, and he served me a
sood turn later. After remaining here for
some weeks L was hurriedly called one
morning and told to get ready for trans
portatlon to the military prison at Point
Lookout We fellows had heard very little
OF the place, and l was rather glad to get a
change.
In Point Lookout Prison.
we were put on a big steamboat and
one bright morning landed at the big wharf
you see yonder. 1t was even a prettier
place then than it is now. The ground was
covered with picturesque cottages, and all
seemed contentment in this little hamlet
by the sea At that time there We're only
ABOUT 1000 prisoners in the camp, but this
number was greatly augmented until at
one time there We're $1,000 or more. There
was nothing at that time to distinguish the
pace as a prison, save the huddled multi
tude of boys in gray and the sterner men
IN blue keeping watch. Sentries were
paced every few feet, and it seemed almost
impossible to escape, although we made
many plans. In the early days of my inn
prsOnment the food was very good but
after a few months it became miserable
poth IN quantity and quality. We always
dated our undo!ng from the erection of
the camp kitchens. My chum in prison
was a boy named Mcpherson, who
came from Atlanta, Ga, and we schemed
many night to escape. We noticed that
the sentries marched toward each other
and then faced about and marched the her
way. 1t took very little calculation to dem
onStrate that at one portion of their march
they would be at the extreme end of their
beats For days we counted the number
of steps 1t required to land them at the
end and then decided when it was dark to
slip away at the right moment. The night
came at last, and it was a typical one for
our daring undertaking. 1t was daring,
when you consider that the soldiers were
ordered to shoot any man who crossed the
dead line 1t so happened that l was taken
i'll the night we planned the escape, and
could not go. | went far as the out
posts with Mcpherson, however, and bid
ding him God-speed, saw him crawl past
the sentries and head for home. We all
knew in the prison that if once we sue
ceeded in getting by the guard there was a
good chance for escape, since the people in
the neighborhood were all southern SYM
pathizers. 1t was with a lonely heart that
l turned in that night. but | made up my
mind. as 1 looked up at the stars, that 1
would be the next to go. l forgot to say
that Mcpherson cut my fathers name on
his finger nail, and when he got to Rich
mond sent him letter telling him where
l was. Up to that time my parents be-
lieved / had been killed. since a friend had
reported to them that he had seen me
shot.
A Fence Put Up.
MY hopes of escape were considerably
blasted one morning when l arose to find
preparations being made to hem US in with
a big fence. 1t seemed the biggest fence 1
ever saw when completed, and the only
gate for the prisoners the one which
looked out upon the Chesapeake bay.
Around the top of the fence, about four
feet from the rail, there was a platform
built along which the sentries walked to
and fro. We called it the parapet. Sew