The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-01-15

confidence man benelal1y, who seemed 10
be recognized as privileged character,
sort of "Father OF the Mar shalsea.' Gen
teel in appearance, with well-brushed gray
hair and rusty-black silk hat, pleasing in
address, yet with sinister look in his
keen, evasive eyes which forbade conf
dencc. he greeted me with an air half
| patronizing and half deferential, expressed
regret for my misfOrtunes, ard speaking
nysteriously of certain connection he
had with supposed sources of influence
and power, he made. as it were, a call of
introduction, and fell back into the crowd
| with an intimatiO that he should see me
again.
SOLITARY CONFINEMENT.
Before I had time to consider well my
Situation, I was told that, by special Or
der from Gen. Beauregard's Office, was
F.! to he put in solitary confinement, but no
int;mation was given to me of the reason
| For this was led to q small room, open
ing ont from this corridor, without furni-
| ture even a bcdstead. 4 bench, or 4 stool.
ard there was shut in by a heavy oaken
door closing over an iron grating. Then
| for the first time / realized how much
more intolerable than the worst compan-
| iopship. and how much worse than any
| form Of active toll or endurance, is soli-
tary Imprisonment without occupation.
tried to think. but my brain whirled
50 that consecutive thought was an i'm
possibility. l tried to read from my pock-
ct Bible, but my mind could not conhne
itself to a series of printed words.
tried to pray, but ineligible prayer was
beyond my power. l tried to walk across
INV cell times enough to- measure mile.
but a half dozen times the length of the
room was all I could compass. l tried
to compose myself to sleep, on the stone
floor. and / lay in restless nightmare
agony, hut when / looked at my watch ]
found that only 12 minutes had passed
since lay down. This fearful solitude
and inaction in sharp and Sudden contrast
with the busy and intense ACTIVITIES among
| the living and the dying III the outside
clashins world, from Which, ! had, been
Jumped while every nerve was keyed up
to its highest possible tension, was too
much ior a man of my intense and nerv-
| Gus nature.
I was like locomotive steamed up, and
its machinery working with the power to
drive loaded train at 20 miles an hour.
suddenly coming to wet track without
the possibility of forward move. It's
machinery would whirl and whiz, and
tear itself to pieces, with the motive force
that could not stop generating, and could
not find it's use or vent. 1t was terrible.
terrible! No former trial to which l had
heen subjected was to be compared with
it.
Suffering from thirst in the close, hot
Jail, / had asked the turnkey for water
rs he came to shut me in that solitary
room. He gave me small tin pail OF
it. Taking only a scanty drink, set the
pail on the floor that ! might have it at
hand for greater need. Soon after, found
it was a leaky vessel. and that its prec-
ious contents were already gone. / was
refused another drink until the next day,
when, about noon, water was brought me
in an old whisky-bottle. My most sub
stantiai meal of that second day was
when a slave prisoner, accompanying the
turnkey. appeared at my door with a
hucket of coarse soup containing beef and
: rice, and another bucket of Indian corn
|. meal mush. I was told to take my ra-
tons, but had neither bowl. pitcher. nor
/ plate. On my asking what l should take
: them in, the turnkey said, with an oath
, that he didn't know nor care. The negro
, slave. seeing my plight. set down the
. bnrkets and ran to the courtyard below
. where he found a broken. dirt-begrimed
, pitcher, into which was poured ladlefu
. of mush. and over it ladleful of SOUP
and meat. ] was left to eat this witt
my fingers, which l did most gratefully
UNDER THE SHADOW OF DEATH.
II seems to me that should have sunk
under the trials of this solitary imprison
ment, if had not been relieved by an &C
rasional removal for another examination
First I was taken ont under guard t.
Gen. Beauregard's office. for close ques
tioning. Again remanded to Jail, l was
once more taken out, and led to the Pro
vost-MarshnIs Office. thence to the yam
kee Hospital" and thence again to Gen
Reauregard's, where ! was renewedly ex
amined by his Chief of Staff. Gen
Thomas Jordan. No direct intimation wa!
given to me. in any of these examinations
J MS to the reason for my treatment. yet
suspected, from remarks which were
r dropped by others. that 1 WAS looked a
as one who was likely to he executed.
Long afterwards I ascertained tina
D word had come to Gen. R~auregard from
. the yankee Hospital that was rec
ognized as probable spy, by one who hat
seen me at Kinston on fiag of truce tn,
: year before. ! later found nm account o
q this in the Charleston Courier. In tn,
: then, was quickly arrested. and nigh
: have been quickly disposed Of, without du
D examination, If my release had not jus
. then been demanded by flag truce from
l Gen. Gilmore, at the request of Gen
Terry. on the ground of my rnnfair deten
( ton. This made me ,suhject of nego
= tiation. and 1t became necessary to hav
n proof that was not what,I claimed t
!, be, before extreme measures were adopt
! ed by my captors. Therefore, these re
8 peated examinations were made in searcl
. of discriminating evidence.
+! At the time, these examinations wer
d relief to me. Even the gallows woul,
have seemed preferable. for change. t
e that fearful confinement-alOne and in in
;. action. When taken back to the Jail afte
e the last questioning. was put into an
n other room with only an iron grating 70
r door, SO that l could see and convers
o with those in the corridor beyond.