The Ely miner., 1930-08-01

Grams pensions or so month 10 OH
GERS and IS to privates, on proof
of need" They enacted, on April 4.
1918, the law adopting Capt. Samuel
Chester Reid's design for the national
flag. They ratified the treaty with
Great Britain for the restriction of Ma.
val forces on the Great Lakes. They
authorized the President to take pos
session of East and West Florida.
They admitted Mississippi, Indiana
and Illinois into the Union: made or
ganized territories of Alabama and
Arkansas and authorized Alabama to
take steps for statehood.
Perhaps most important of all was
the long debate over the request of
Missouri to be admitted as state.
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 ad-
mission of Missouri, providing that no
slavery nor involuntary servitude
should exist north of the line of 3G
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.
tol, 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
home of the Supreme court which is
to be built on its site. Later the Old
Brick Capitol became fashionable
boarding house and served as a home
for many notables during the next
three decades. In it John c. 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 1S41.
The Civil war brought to the Old
Brick Capitol its second era of fame.
Communicated by the War department
for use as house of detention, it be-
came known as Old Capitol Prison and
held within it's walls scores of So
called prisoners of state"-blockade
runners, foreign army officers cap
tured while serving in the Confederate
forces, conscientious ObjectOrs, Union
deserters and Confederate spies. Un-
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 a 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 a 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 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 10, 1865.
After the war the Old Brick Capitol
was remodeled 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-Smith
became the wife of Maj. Gen. Leonard
Wood. soldier, territorial administra-
tor and candidate for President.
In 1921 Mrs. o. H. p. Belmont
bought the building and presented it
to the National Woman's party for its
national headquarters. 1t became a
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 site for the new Supreme
court building. selected this one, insti-
tuted condemnation proceedings two
years ago, and this year the work of
razing it hegan.
10 by Western Newspaper Unlon.)