The Old Capitol Prison

[L Verge]

In preparing a Facebook entry on Bastille Day and our American Bastilles, I ran across an entry on mrlincoln'swhitehouse.com (Lehrman Institute) credited to one of the excellent authors on the Lincoln assassination as well as a very nice gentleman, W. Emerson Reck. In commenting on the Old Capitol Prison (a prime example of an American Bastille), Reck mentioned something that I must have read in his book years ago and then forgotten:

Historian Waldo Emerson Reck noted that in the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, many Washington residents tried to turn their anger against inmates of the prison where 800 Confederate army officers were being held: “‘About 2,000 went to the Old Capitol prison to burn it, and they called upon the people to come out and see the rebels burn,’ Mrs. Beekman DuBarry, wife of the Assistant to the Commissary General of Subsistence, wrote her mother on April 16. ‘The police and troops were out and put a stop to it or it would have been done.'” Reck added: “It was fortunate that General Montgomery C. Meigs, the Quartermaster General, had ordered General Christopher C. Augur, Commander of the Department of Washington, to turn out the troops with ‘special vigilance and guards about the Capitol Prison.'

It appears that our Old Capitol might have been a true Bastille victim like the one in Paris of July 14, 1789.

I also noted in the same piece distributed by the Lehrman Institute a very glaring mistake. The claim is made that the Lincoln conspirators were executed in the jail yard at Old Capitol. Shame on them. Their next sentence was correct, however -- Henry Wirz of Andersonville Prison infamy was hanged there.

[RJNorton]

(07-02-2019 11:44 AM)L Verge Wrote:  The claim is made that the Lincoln conspirators were executed in the jail yard at Old Capitol.

Laurie, I cannot recall where, but I know I have seen that mistake in another source, too.

[John Fazio]

(07-02-2019 11:44 AM)L Verge Wrote:  In preparing a Facebook entry on Bastille Day and our American Bastilles, I ran across an entry on mrlincoln'swhitehouse.com (Lehrman Institute) credited to one of the excellent authors on the Lincoln assassination as well as a very nice gentleman, W. Emerson Reck. In commenting on the Old Capitol Prison (a prime example of an American Bastille), Reck mentioned something that I must have read in his book years ago and then forgotten:

Historian Waldo Emerson Reck noted that in the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, many Washington residents tried to turn their anger against inmates of the prison where 800 Confederate army officers were being held: “‘About 2,000 went to the Old Capitol prison to burn it, and they called upon the people to come out and see the rebels burn,’ Mrs. Beekman DuBarry, wife of the Assistant to the Commissary General of Subsistence, wrote her mother on April 16. ‘The police and troops were out and put a stop to it or it would have been done.'” Reck added: “It was fortunate that General Montgomery C. Meigs, the Quartermaster General, had ordered General Christopher C. Augur, Commander of the Department of Washington, to turn out the troops with ‘special vigilance and guards about the Capitol Prison.'

It appears that our Old Capitol might have been a true Bastille victim like the one in Paris of July 14, 1789.

I also noted in the same piece distributed by the Lehrman Institute a very glaring mistake. The claim is made that the Lincoln conspirators were executed in the jail yard at Old Capitol. Shame on them. Their next sentence was correct, however -- Henry Wirz of Andersonville Prison infamy was hanged there.

Laurie:

Thank you for this information. Not everyone was so fortunate, of course.

It reminds me of the incident that occurred in New Orleans on March 14, 1891. A mob numbering in the thousands descended on the City Jail, took 11 Italian-Americans from their cells and then hanged all 11. Shortly before, nine of them had been tried for murder of the Police Chief. Six were acquitted and a mistrial was declared as to the other three. The mob took matters into their hands to "correct the failure of justice". It was said to be the worst mass hanging in our history, but I do believe that other mass hangings can claim that dubious distinction. I'm sure there have been many other cases of mass vigilante justice. Perhaps your readers can help in this regard.

John

[L Verge]

(07-02-2019 12:33 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  

(07-02-2019 11:44 AM)L Verge Wrote:  In preparing a Facebook entry on Bastille Day and our American Bastilles, I ran across an entry on mrlincoln'swhitehouse.com (Lehrman Institute) credited to one of the excellent authors on the Lincoln assassination as well as a very nice gentleman, W. Emerson Reck. In commenting on the Old Capitol Prison (a prime example of an American Bastille), Reck mentioned something that I must have read in his book years ago and then forgotten:

Historian Waldo Emerson Reck noted that in the aftermath of Lincoln’s assassination, many Washington residents tried to turn their anger against inmates of the prison where 800 Confederate army officers were being held: “‘About 2,000 went to the Old Capitol prison to burn it, and they called upon the people to come out and see the rebels burn,’ Mrs. Beekman DuBarry, wife of the Assistant to the Commissary General of Subsistence, wrote her mother on April 16. ‘The police and troops were out and put a stop to it or it would have been done.'” Reck added: “It was fortunate that General Montgomery C. Meigs, the Quartermaster General, had ordered General Christopher C. Augur, Commander of the Department of Washington, to turn out the troops with ‘special vigilance and guards about the Capitol Prison.'

It appears that our Old Capitol might have been a true Bastille victim like the one in Paris of July 14, 1789.

I also noted in the same piece distributed by the Lehrman Institute a very glaring mistake. The claim is made that the Lincoln conspirators were executed in the jail yard at Old Capitol. Shame on them. Their next sentence was correct, however -- Henry Wirz of Andersonville Prison infamy was hanged there.

Laurie:

Thank you for this information. Not everyone was so fortunate, of course.

It reminds me of the incident that occurred in New Orleans on March 14, 1891. A mob numbering in the thousands descended on the City Jail, took 11 Italian-Americans from their cells and then hanged all 11. Shortly before, nine of them had been tried for murder of the Police Chief. Six were acquitted and a mistrial was declared as to the other three. The mob took matters into their hands to "correct the failure of justice". It was said to be the worst mass hanging in our history, but I do believe that other mass hangings can claim that dubious distinction. I'm sure there have been many other cases of mass vigilante justice. Perhaps your readers can help in this regard.

John

Wasn't the hanging of 38 Dakota Indians in Minnesota in 1862 - on the order of Lincoln - the largest mass hanging in the U.S.? I think this was covered earlier on this forum. Since it involved an official order, however, maybe it doesn't qualify as vigilante justice?

[Steve]

(07-02-2019 12:33 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  It reminds me of the incident that occurred in New Orleans on March 14, 1891. A mob numbering in the thousands descended on the City Jail, took 11 Italian-Americans from their cells and then hanged all 11. Shortly before, nine of them had been tried for murder of the Police Chief. Six were acquitted and a mistrial was declared as to the other three. The mob took matters into their hands to "correct the failure of justice". It was said to be the worst mass hanging in our history, but I do believe that other mass hangings can claim that dubious distinction. I'm sure there have been many other cases of mass vigilante justice. Perhaps your readers can help in this regard.

The 1891 New Orleans mass lynching victims were shot and beaten, not hung. I've also seen it stated as the largest mass lynching in U.S. history (as opposed to non-lynching massacres which are "without regard to their individual identities and in which no specific offense on their part is alleged"). However, the Porvenir mass lynching/massacre had 15 victims:

https://www.texasobserver.org/century-po...kest-days/

https://www.thc.texas.gov/blog/rememberi...r-massacre

[L Verge]

(07-02-2019 05:55 PM)Steve Wrote:  

(07-02-2019 12:33 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  It reminds me of the incident that occurred in New Orleans on March 14, 1891. A mob numbering in the thousands descended on the City Jail, took 11 Italian-Americans from their cells and then hanged all 11. Shortly before, nine of them had been tried for murder of the Police Chief. Six were acquitted and a mistrial was declared as to the other three. The mob took matters into their hands to "correct the failure of justice". It was said to be the worst mass hanging in our history, but I do believe that other mass hangings can claim that dubious distinction. I'm sure there have been many other cases of mass vigilante justice. Perhaps your readers can help in this regard.

The 1891 New Orleans mass lynching victims were shot and beaten, not hung. I've also seen it stated as the largest mass lynching in U.S. history (as opposed to non-lynching massacres which are "without regard to their individual identities and in which no specific offense on their part is alleged"). However, the Porvenir mass lynching/massacre had 15 victims:

https://www.texasobserver.org/century-po...kest-days/

https://www.thc.texas.gov/blog/rememberi...r-massacre

If you take the lynchings/massacres outside the realm of the South, you'll find numerous examples of Mexicans, Native Americans, and Chinese being victims.

Here's a nice trivia piece for you if you ever need one: The term "Lynch's Law" apparently originated during the American Revolution when Patriot Charles Lynch, a Virginia justice of the peace, ordered extralegal punishment for Loyalists.

[Steve]

In regards to the 1891 New Orleans mass lynching, the hidden context is often overlooked in most accounts. A biography of one of the lynching victims, Joseph Macheca, Deep Water: Joseph P. Macheca and the Birth of the American Mafia by Thomas Hunt and Martha Macheca Sheldon is an excellent source of information on its background:

https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Water-Joseph...453732691/

There's an excerpt from the book here about the background from the 1868 - 1872 years relating to Reconstruction and the post-Civil War years:

http://mafiahistory.us/a016/f_nolafeud.html

[L Verge]

Just stumbled on a fun fact about the French Bastille: On July 14, 1789, the old prison held only seven prisoners. The revolutionaries were much more interested in the gunpowder and armaments that had been stored there.

[John Fazio]

Everyone:

I am going to guess and say that this was the greatest mass lynching in our history--vigilante justice.

John

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hang...ainesville

[Steve]

(07-03-2019 04:10 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  Everyone:

I am going to guess and say that this was the greatest mass lynching in our history--vigilante justice.

John

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hang...ainesville

I forgot about that one, I agree with your guess.

[L Verge]

(07-03-2019 06:57 PM)Steve Wrote:  

(07-03-2019 04:10 PM)John Fazio Wrote:  Everyone:

I am going to guess and say that this was the greatest mass lynching in our history--vigilante justice.

John

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hang...ainesville

I forgot about that one, I agree with your guess.

Very interesting. If demands for reparation are made, I wonder if descendants' voices will be heard in this case -- as well as in the New Orleans one.

[Gene C]

Didn't realize there were that many hung.
Thanks John for posting that.