The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1913-03-28
LIBBY PRISON LIFE
RECOUNTED
HAMILTON MAN HAS SOME IN.
TERESTiNG MEMENTOES OF
HISTORIC VALUE.

y IN >''iiAs ,S'oo - ~ SA"i
was seen entering his office one
morning with a shoe box under his
arm. Fellow officers at the court
house surmised that the shoe box con-
tanned a pair Of slippers or shoes, it
being inferred that the transition from
the soft alluvial soil of Willow Creek
to the hardwood floor of the treas
urer's office was getting in its work
on the treasurer's feet, n that he
had found it necessary to wear dur
ing office hour something more COM
Portable than street shoes. Investiga-
ton upset all these calculations and
revealed the fact that Mr.. Hart had
transferred a number Of interesting
heirlooms, which have been in the
y~poss~ssion of the Hart family for
many years. to the vaults in his Of
flee for safekeeping..
A Muscular reporter was allowed
to look over the contents of the box
recently and found several things Of
interest. The first thing to attract at
tentiOn was a set of crude but ser
viceable chess men. The reporter was
informed by the treasurer that Eli r.
Hart, his father, had whitfield the
chess men while a prisoner in a con-
federate prison in the year 1865. The
bone handle pocket knife with which
the work was done vas also in the
box. The box also contained a diary
kept by Captain Hart during his i'm
prisonment. A search through its
musty leaves showed that Captain
Hart had been given permission by
the guards to take a limb from an oak
tree near the dead line from
which he whitfield the chess men. The
black men We're made as follows:
Grease from the interior of the of the
camp kettles and SCOT from their out
sides We're smeared over the chess
men, which were then boiled and We're
nicely colored. A checker board was
marked off on the ground and the
Union officers enjoyed many a game
of chess during the monotonous days
of prison life.
The next thing in importance to at
tract the reporters attention was a
book written by Increase Mather, son
Of Cotton Mather, and published at
Boston in 1879. The book is entitled.
"A Call to the Rising Generation.'
Although 234 years old the boob is
still readable. Several worm holes
pierce the leaves Of the book for ONE
distance. The book is bound in leath-
err. Accompanying this book in the
box are several faded and di~lapidated
almanacs, such as the New England
Farmers Almanac" Of 1910 and 1871,
"The Vermont Almanac and Register
of 1896 and Thomas Almanac of 1897,
1894, 1897 and 1898. In one of the
earlier almanacs is to be found re-
prints Of early Massachusetts laws,
also the list Of all county and court
officers.
The diary kept by Captain Eli r.
Hart, captain of battery II, first Yer
mont heavy artillery. while a prisoner
of war. is intensely interesting. Cap
tain Hart was captured at Petersburg
in June, 1864. He was placed in Libby
prison June 25, the same year. to-
gether with many officers captured.
He was transferred to the prison at
Macon, Ga, July 10. The enlisted
men, captured at the same time, were
kept at AndersonviIle prison. July
80 Captain Hart was transferred to a
prison at Savannah. The officers
We're moved by the confederates be-
cause of rumors to the effect hat
General Sherman was liable to attack
places where they were kept to liber-
ate them. The chess men We're made
while Captain Hart was imprisoned at
Savannah on the marine hospital
grounds. Entries in the diary tell of
intense suffering, both from starva-
ton and exposure TO the elements.
Some of the pages recite especially
interesting events, a few reading as
follows:
September 4, 1SG4-Bought a small
library of so books for $50.
September 80, 1S64-Today it took
$500 of confederate to pay 500 in
United States ~greenbacks.
October II, 1SG4.-We held a presi-
Dental election in prison today. The
result was, Lincoln, 1925; Mcclellan
145.
November s, 1S64-"Today the con
test for president is on. We are
pretty sure that Abraham will be the
man, but we cannot tell much in oui
situation.
November Q, 1SG4-We are confident
that Uncle Abe is still president ant
hope that he viii do something fol
our welfare.
November %, 1SGi-Five months E
prisoner today-it seems like five
years.
November &c, 1SG4-Today an officer
was killed in cold blood by a guard
The officer was six feet inside the
dead line when he was shot"
December &c, 1S6i-Got a lette1
today dated October y. 1t was sup.
posed to contain Sc in gold. Was glat
to get it. although the gold was gone
December 81, 1S64-This is the las
day of the year 1864. 1t will be Ions
remembered as the most unfortunate
IN my life, but I pray that before 1861
daWns we will see our country re-
turned to prosperity and all of us un,
~fortunates returned home.
Captain Hart resides at LaPorte
Indiana, at present. H.. L. Hart visit,
ed with his father last fall. Thu
county treasurer also has about 40 in.
teresting views in connection with thu
Guinness merders near that city
few years ago.
SCIENTISTS STUDY.