Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-30
Libby Prison Relics.

Two interesting relics of Libby, all
that now exist of that famous Con-
federate prison. now in Washington,
are the door of the prison, with names
of some of those who were incarcerated
carved upon it, and a checkerboard
which was sawed out of the floor They
Confederate veteran who has lived here
for many years and was for long
time a cotton expert in the Department
of Agriculture. His home is at the
Lincoln apartments. 121 18th street
southeast. He was member of Com
pany H, 18th Virginia Regiment, Cor
sey's Brigade, Pickett's Division and
Longstreet's Corps of the Army of
Northern Virginia.
Grewsome tales are told of life /, in
Libby prison by the Union soldiers
who were held there during the war.
Thrilling escapes and continual at
tempts to get away are recounted
wherever old soldiers meet. -.
How Door Is Constructed.
The Libby prison door is six feet high
and three and one-half feet wide 1t
inch thick, five inches wide and
pieces. each an inch thick and eight
inches wide. On the back the marks of
the old-fa shioned, pointed hinges on
which it hung are seen, and on the top
crosspiece are the imprint and the
broken bolts of what was evidently
stout iron bar or brace. The planning
originally painted dark brown. is
now ashy gray with age. The lock is
a cumbersome old-styled one. sized SIX
by eight inches, and is SO red with
rust that it is impossible to ten
The names of former prisoners rudely
carved on these common old plank
are now of great historic value Some
of the initials and names cut by the
inmates of Libby during their c on u
73 Ind. captured May 3. 1858; J. A
smith. 1t, New H. Art, captured Sept.
10, 1861: w. De Roster. Co. F. a ny,
New York; F. Waxman, Co F. goth
New York Vol"
one or two attempts at artistic cary
ing were made, but most of the prison
ers seem to have been content with
plain lettering.
Had Key as Souvenir.
Some years ago Il former member OF
the 18th New York Volunteers, who
when prisoner had carved his name
on the door, hearing that II was III
WASHINGTON, came to see it. He recoS
nized it at once, and taking huge key
from his pocket tried it in the lock
and it worked all right. He SAID the
kew had been used in the lock when
he was confined in Libby prison ana
that on his release he had secretly
brought it away as a souvenir OF MS
enforced stay in Richmond
The checkerboard was made ana uSet
nv the prisoners in Libby prison. IL
is fourteen inches square and made OF
rough boards, worn smooth IN spots
nv the moving of buttons or stones that
we're used by the soldiers as checkers.
The board was made by cutting the
square with knives. Rust-eaten nails
still obtrude slightly from the surface
of the board This board was Original
ly marked off on the prison floor IL
was sawed from the floor when the
prison was being dismantied ana was
then bound with brass.
William A Mountcastle, long a resi-
dent of Brightwood, was merchant IN
Richmond at the time Libby prison was
being torn down and shipped it, brick
by brick, to Chicago at the time or the
exposition there. Mr.. Mountcastle had
been using it as a warehouse. he re-
moved the door and the checkerboard
Some years later the land IN chicago
on which the Libby prison had been set
up outside the exposition grounds be-
came valuable and the old prison was
torn down. so that these relics now in
are all that remain.