The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1930-08-01

The request was not granted at that
time. But John w. Taylor, repre-
sentative from New York, introduced
an amendment to the bill for the adj
mission of Missouri. providing that no
slavery nor involuntary servitude
should exist north of the line of &c
degrees 80 minutes north latitude.
This he was finally prevailed upon to
withdraw. But in the next congress
it was taken up again by Henry Clay
and was pressed to adoption as the
famous Missouri compromise.
In the meantime, work was going
forward on the rebuilding of the Capt.
toll, and on December 6, 1919, just four
years and two days after the Four
teenth congress assembled in the Old
Brick Capitol, the Sixteenth congress
assembled in the new marble Capitol,
the first unit of the great structure
which houses our government today.
The Old Brick Capitol was turned over
to the Circuit court for its use-an
appropriate predecessor of the new
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to be built on its site. Later the Old
Brick Capitol became a fashionable
boarding house and served as home
for many notables during the next
three decades. In it John G. Calhoun,
statesman, senator and Vice President,
lived for nearly quarter of century.
and he died in one of the rooms on
the second floor in 1871.
The Civil war brought to the Old
Brick Capitol it's second era of fame.
Communicated by the War department
for use as a house of detention, it be-
came known as Old Capitol Prison and
held within it's walls scores of So
called prisoners CT state"-blOckade
runners, foreign army officers cap
tured while serving in the Confederate
forces, conscientious DIRECTORS, Union
deserters and Confederate spies. I'm
doubtedly the most famous of all these
was the betwitching woman spy for
the men in Gray-Belle Boyd.
While Belle Boyd was incarcerated
there. after her first capture, she was
accustomed to give concert in her
room every night for the benefit of
other prisoners, and this invariably
began with the singing of Maryland.
My Maryland" She was released in
exchange for Union general and sent
South under a flag of truce. But she
was soon at her work again, was again
captured and once more sent to Old
Capitol. During this period the prison
was also the scene of one grim event
the execution of Maj. Henry Wirz,
keeper of the Confederate prison camp
at Andersonville, Ga. Tried by a mil
itary tribunal, presided over by Gen.
Lew Wallace, later famous as the au-
thor of "Ben Hur," Wirz was convict
ed of conspiracy to undermine the
health of Union prisoners and of vio-
lating the rules of civilized warfare
and was hanged on a gallows in the
prison courtyard on November TO- 1865.
After the war the Old Brick Capitol
was remode,ed and converted into
three private dwellings, which were
occupied by Associate Justice Field Of
the Supreme court, General Dunn and
Mrs. Condit-Smith. In this period it
was the scene of one more event of
historic interest. In one of the draw
ing rooms Miss louisa Condit-Smth
became the wife Of Maj. Gen. Leonard
Wood, soldier, territorial administra-
tor and candidate for the nomination
for the Presidency.
In 1921 Mrs. o. H. p. Belmont
bought the building and presented it
to the National Woman's party for it's
national headquarters. 1t became
gathering place for the feminists, not
only of America but of the whole
world, and there was carried on the
work for the freedom and equality of
women. Finally the government, in
seeking q site for the new Supreme
court building, selected this one, insti-
tuted condemnation proceedings two
years ago, and this year the work Of
razing 1t began.
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