character of their new associate. There are but few circumstances in life in which men can be placed where their character can be sooner estimated and properly appreciated than in the Old Capitol. Nature in man has more of its influence in such a place than where one is at liberty. Except in detectives, perhaps, and such other satellites of the Administration, there is no inducement or motive for a man to be otherwise than what nature made him. His good and ill qualities become apparent at once, and it is seldom that a proper estimate was not made of a new comer in No. 16, on the first introduction.

The stranger having answered the queries put to him, if by his deportment and manner he has shown himself to be worthy of respect, he is asked whether he has had any supper; or if it be in the day time, after the usual hour of meals, whether he had breakfast or dinner, as the case might be. If he replied in the negative, Commissary Sheward rummaged his larder and produced some bread and butter (the latter purchased by the prisoners themselves), and possibly a portion of meat, of which there was some generally on hand, the purchase also of the prisoners, that furnished by the Government being seldom eaten. This, and a general introduction all round, concludes the initia tory ceremonies of a new prisoner in No. 16, and thenceforward the new comer was treated as a brother victim of the despotism which reigns in Washington. The new comer was duly informed that if he had only swindled the Government, and especially of a large sum, or ran the blockade, or done anything else contrary to law which resulted in putting money in his pocket, he was all right, and would soon be released-a part of the money he made would do it-but if he had dared to think and say that our country's liberties were in danger, then God help him. Three months, at least, would be his punishment.

CATCHING CHINCHES OR BED BUGS.

During the hot weather of August, September, and most of October, catching bed bugs was a nightly occupation in the Old Capitol.

No dodging could escape the reconnoissance of these vigilant and active marauders. Even those who slept on the tables were soon assailed with as much fury as those who remained in the bunks. The floor was the best place of all to sleep on, as it was swept every day; so that, to reach the sleepers on the floor, the bugs would have to make considerable of a journey from their " base of operations." This, however, they accomplished at about 12 or 1 o'clock, when the assault would be made in force upon their sleeping victims. About that time of the night, some one would wake up smarting from the bites which he had received, and uttering imprecations on his tormentors. Soon the whole crowd would be awake, candles would be lighted, and then for the onslaught on the bugs If the scene, as it was presented on one of these occasions, could be properly illustrated, it would cause more laughter than all the comedies played upon the stage for years. Nothing short of a tableaux vivants could give a good idea of what it was; but it would be defective without the conversation which took place on such occasions.

"Ross," one would inquire of Dr. Ross, of Illinois, "how are you making out?"

"Oh! bully," replies Ross, who, with a lighted candle in his hand, is burning the bugs out of a crack in the table on which he slept. "I'm slaying them by the hundred," continues he.

Away off, in the left hand corner, Judge Mulkey is bent down examining his bedclothes, and picking

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off the enemy as fast as his fingers could reach them. Sheward is near by, killing away vigorously. Judge Duff is helping Ross, his bedmate. Mahony is sitting up in bed, searching among his bedclothes for the bloodthirsty intruders. Wilson, of Upper Marlboro', Md., whose sleeping place is down near the door, right hand side, is punning on every remark made by the others. Quinine," an alias given to a prisoner who was arrested because some quinine was found in his possession at Washington, is shaking his bed and bedclothes, and with the sole of his boot putting an end to the existence of his assailants. Father Benedict, of Buffalo, N. Y., is committing the murder, quietly, of a portion of his tormentors. Hill, also of New York, is armed with a shoe, and standing as high up as he can get a foothold, he is plying his weapon of destruction vigorously. Frank Blair, Jr., is similarly engaged.

"Oh golly !" exclaims Frank, "what a whopper I killed just now."

Instead of doing which, the mischievous Frank was throwing down every bug he caught on some of the fellows below.

"Hanged if I don't believe they are falling down from the ceiling," exclaims Quinine, who was one of the special objects of Frank's mischief.

"So I think," observes Mr. Henry, who slept in a third story bunk.

"There," says another, "one has just fallen down on my face."

It was so the mischievous Frank was as busy as he could be in searching for them for the purpose of throwing them down on the victims of his mischievous amusement. And so, for an hour or two every warm night, the occupants of No. 16 were engaged in killing bugs. All the orders of battle which could be conceived of were given on these occasions. Pickets were set to watch the enemy,

skirmishers were thrown out, bases of operation were selected, reports made of the number of captured and slain-and after an exhaustive battle, in which many wounds were inflicted on one party, and thousands killed on the other side, the assailing party being always routed, the prisoners slept upon their arms, ready at a moment's warning for a renewal of the attack.

A COMPASSIONATE

CONTRABAND SHARES HIS BREAD

WITH A VICTIM OF DESPOTISM.

One of the most touching incidents of my life in the Old Capitol was the compassionate regard manifested for me on more than one occasion by the contraband "Bob," who brought our meals to us while we occupied Nos. 13 and 10, in the Bastile in Washington.

Soon after the second battle of Bull Run, when Burnside's corps d'armee reached Washington it was out of provisions, and a requisition was made on all the bread that could be spared from other mouths to feed Burnside's army. Of course we Prisoners of State, victims of despotism, were among the first to be deprived of bread, instead of which old hard crackers were substituted. One of the prisoners, Dr. Ross, of Tamaroa, Ill., describes these crackers as being so hard that fire was knocked out of them when struck against each other, and cigars were lit by the sparks. This figurative language will scarcely give the reader an idea of how hard these crackers were-but it will be sufficient to say that the prisoners actually played with them like quoits without breaking them.

The contraband, Bob, took it into his head that I could not eat these crackers-so on the second day

they were furnished to us the poor fellow came up stairs and approached me in an awkwardly familiar manner, saying as he came near, "Dese crackers is too hard for massa, an' I to't I'd bring him dis ere loaf o' bread"-saying which he pulled out from his bosom a small loaf of bread, a part of his own rations, and handed it to me.

I was overpowered with conflicting emotions.My treatment and that of my fellow prisoners-our subjection to such usage as that which we were enduring, and the humanity of this poor negro-these and other thoughts crowded together in my mind, and for the moment left me without power of utterWhen I got proper control of myself, I inquired of Bob whether the servants, all colored, were furnished with bread rations. He replied that they were. It was only the victims of despotism who were obliged to put up with the cracker fare.

ance.

I will do the Superintendent the justice which I thought at the time he deserved, to say as I believed, that he did his best to have bread furnished the prisoners-and it was doubtless owing to his exertions that an order issued from head-quarters was revoked withholding bread from the prisoners altogether.

MURDER OF TWO PRISONERS IN THE OLD CAPITOL, JESSE W. WHARTON AND HARRY STEWART.

I have mentioned, in another place, the recklessness and wilful malevolence of the guards at the Old Capitol. I will cite, in confirmation of what I experienced myself and came under my own observation, two cases of murder, which occurred before my incarceration. They are related by eyewitnesses of the murderous scenes: