Shooting of Jesse Wharton, in contemporary newspaper accounts

[see The shooting of Jesse Wharton]

'Melancholy affair at the Old Capitol Prison'

[source: 'Melancholy affair at the Old Capitol Prison', The Sun (Baltimore MD), 22 April 1862, page [4].]

[Correspondence of the Baltimore Sun.]
WASHINGTON, April 21.
Melancholy Affair at the Old Capitol Prison--A Political Prisoner from Maryland Shot by a Sentry--...

A melancholy affair which has resulted in the death of Mr. Jesse B. Wharton, of Hagerstown, Md., one of the political prisoners in the old capitol prison, has occasioned considerable remark today. It appears that Mr. Wharton was yesterday looking out of a window on the south side of the building, contrary as it is stated to a general rule forbidding prisoners to obtrude their persons or hands out of the windows, and being observed by the sentry on post No. 3 had a wordy altercation with the latter, who had ordered him to withdraw. The sentry, who was Ambrose Baker, compmany C, 91st Pa. reg't, it is alleged, called the corporal of the guard, and was told that if the prisoner again failed to obey to shoot him, and the prisoner still disregarding the order, and as is alleged defying it, Baker aimed his piece and fired--the ball taking effect in Wharton's head. This is according to the developments, as made in an investigation by the Military Governor Brig. Gen. Wadsworth and Provost Marshal Major Doster, to-day.

The wounded man was at once taken to his bed, where he lingered until nearly 3 o'clock this morning, when he died--previously, however, accusing the officer in charge of being the cause of his death, as he had given orders to the guard to shoot any of the prisoners who put their heads out of the windows. Mr. Wharton's wife and sisters, who have been in the city for some time past, were immediately sent for, and were present when he died. The body will probably be taken to Hagerstown for interment. Preliminary to the examination of the case, the corporal of the guard and the sentry who fired were placed under arrest. Mr. W. Wood is superintendent of the prison.

[The rest of the article is about other events.]

[Report from Washington]

[source: North American and United States Gazette (Philadelphia PA), 21 April 1862]
[see also [inspection report], in Official Records series 1 volume 15 pave 225-226 (from the Records of the McDowell Court of Inquiry, 45th day)]

Washington, April 20.--Last night the city was in a state of excitement for some hours, during which the most absurd rumors and reports were freely circulated, and they are still flying around the streets to-day. The cause of all this commotion appears to have originated in an experiment to test the alacrity of our troops on this side of the Potomac, of which we have an immense number, in case of emergency. The night was stormy, our troops were all closely tented, when the alarm was sounded. Col. Gregory's 91st Pennsylvania, encamped back of Capitol Hill, and Col. Lyle's 90th Pennsylvania, quartered east of the depot, started for the Long bridge.

The forming of the regiments and the distance traveled, one mile and a half, occupied just thirty minutes by the watch. The other regiments, including cavalry and artillery, made equally good time. They all returned to their quarters, of course without crossing the Potomac, much pleased with the successful test which had been so practically and unexpectedly applied to them.

'By magnetic telegraph'

[source: North American and United States Gazette (Philadelphia PA), 22 April 1862, page 2; also printed at Public Ledger 22 April 1862 page 2 (as one paragraph)]
BY MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH
FOR THE N. AMERICAN & U. S. GAZETTE.
FROM WASHINGTON.
Washington, April 21.--[...]
[...]

A State prisoner, Jesse B. Wharton, from near Hagerstown, Md., was shot by a sentry yesterday, at the old capitol prison, and died a few hours thereafter.

[...]

The test which was applied to the troops on this side of the Potomac on Saturday evening, had a most exhilerating effect upon the prisoners confined in the old Capitol building. They believed by the commotion which was created, that the rebel army was in full force on the opposite banks of the Potomac, and that the hour of their deliverance was at hand. With this belief they became very insolent to the guards, and could scarcely be kept in subjection.

One of the lady prisoners, who has ever been most kindly treated, was far worse than her male companions. The affair was finally attended with a fatal result to one of the prisoners, Jesse B. Wharton, who was arrested some months since near Hagerstown. From his window he entered into an abusive altercation with one of the guards, Ambrose Baker, of the 91st Pennsylvania regiment. The guard ordered the prisoner to retire from the window, which he insolently refused to do, when the guard fired, the ball entering Wharton's head. He lingered from ten in the morning until three o'clock in the afternoon, when he expired. Mr. Wharton's wife and sisters, who were in the city, were present when he died. The guard who fired the fatal shot has been placed under arrest, and the matter will be investigated by Gen. Wadsworth.

'Rebel prisoner shot'

[source: The Daily Cleveland Herald (Cleveland OH), 23 April 1862]
REBEL PRISONER SHOT.

On the 20th inst., a political prisoner at the Old Capitol Prison in Washington, was shot and killed by one of the guards. The prisoner was from near Hagerstown, Md., and named Jessie B. Wharton. He had been confined for several months, and was shot by Ambrose Baker, of the Pennsylvania 91st. The circumstances are thus stated:

From the testimony taken, it appears that the deceased violated the rule of the prison, that has up to this time been well observed by the prisoners, forbidding them to obtrude their persons or heads out of the windows. He was ordered by the sentry on post No. 3 to withdraw his person within the window, and respect the well known rule. Instead of so doing, he replied with oaths and imprecations upon the sentry, who thereupon called the corporal of the guard, and reported to him the fact.

The corporal ordered the sentry to renew his order to the prisoner to withdraw his person into the window out of which he was leaning, and if he failed to obey, to shoot him. The sentry renewed the order, when the deceased bade him defiance, leaning further out of the window, baring his breast, and cursing the sentry with awful oaths--applying opprobrious epithets to him, and saying he was too cowardly to enforce his order by shooting, &c. The sentry then fired, shooting Wharton in the head, the wound proving fatal this morning. Preliminary to the examination of the case, the corporal of the guard and sentry who fired were placed under arrest.

'Shocking transaction'

[source: Daily National Intelligencer (Washington DC) 23 April 1862]
SHOCKING TRANSACTION.

The annexed account of a shocking affair which it seems took place in this city on Sunday night last appeared in the Evening Star of Monday. It has doubtless received due attention, and we are sure has led to the adoption by the enlightened and humane Secretary of War of every proper precaution against the recurrence of a like barbarity. We hope that our military authorities will give to this case of homicide a thorough investigation, and trace to its true source the party guilty of giving the fatal order. Acts of insubordination like those attributed to the deceased may call for closer confinement, but afford no justification for such summary infliction of military vengeance. We have complained of such criminal brutality when visited on our captives in Richmond. Let us show our abhorrence of the act when the accusation lies at our own door.

From the Star of Monday evening.

THE HOMICIDE AT THE MILITARY PRISON--Military Governor Brigadier General Wadsworth and Provost Marshal Major Doster have been for some hours engaged in an investigation of the circumstances of the shooting of Jesse B. Wharton, in the military prison on Capitol Hill, last night. From the testimony taken, it appears that the deceased violated the rule of the prison, that has, up to this time, been well observed by the prisoners, forbidding them to obtrude their persons or heads out of the windows. He was ordered by the sentry on post No. 3 to withdraw his person within the window and respect the well known rule. Instead of so doing, he replied with oaths and imprecations upon the sentry, who thereupon called the corporal of the guard and reported to him the facts. The corporal ordered the sentry to renew his order to the prisoner to withdraw his person into the window out of which he was leaning, and if he failed to obey to shoot him. The sentry renewed the order, when the deceased bade him defiance, leaning further out of the window, baring his breast, and cursing the sentry with awful oaths, as being too cowardly to enforce his order by shooting, &c. The sentry then fired, shooting Wharton in the head, the wound proving fatal this morning. Preliminary to the examination of the case, the corporal of the guard and the sentry who fired were placed under arrest.

'The homicide at the Capitol Prison'

[source: Daily National Intelligencer (Washington DC), 29 April 1862]
THE HOMICIDE AT THE CAPITOL PRISON.

MESSRS. EDITORS: I am surprised to read a report, copied into your paper from the Star, giving an account of the shooting of J. B. Wharton, a political prisoner at the Old Capitol prison, on the 20th instant, very erroneous in many particulars. Mr. Wharton did not curse the sentry as stated; he had just before been reading his Bible, and was not likely, under the circumstances, to use the profane language attributed to him. He leaned out of the window--not the front window, looking into the street, but the back window, looking into the yard--and was ordered by the sentry not to do it, with the threat that he, the sentry, would shoot the head off him if he did not withdraw. Mr. Wharton replied, opening his coat and baring his breast, "Shoot, you coward, shoot! I'm nothing but a prisoner." But did withdraw, and took a seat by the stove. Some time afterward he again went to the window, and, folding his arms on the outer edge of the window sill, leaned on them, but not out of the window, the hand of his right arm being under his left elbow, and the left hand under his right elbow, when the sentry fired at him without any further words having passed between them. Mr. Wharton's position at the time is fully determined by the course of the ball, which did not strike him in the head, but passed first through his left hand and right elbow, shattering both, and, entering the right side of the chest, just below the shoulder, came out near the spine, on the left side of the back, by the left shoulder. Those who knew Mr. Wharton, and were present at the time of the occurrence, know that the charge of his having used the oaths imputed to him in the report is untrue. He had just before been reading his Bible, and his first words to his sister, when she entered, were to request her to pray and subsquently he himself made an audible prayer. Whatever else may have been his errors, his friends believe that he died in the faith, hope, and trust of a Christian. The statement published is calculated to lacerate the feelings of his widow and sisters and other relatives in this city, already grieved by his violent and sudden death.

Another mistatement [sic] in the paper is that his sisters were residents of this city. They, as also his father and brother, reside at the Maryland Agricultural College, near Bledensburg, in Prince George's county, Maryland, (of which institution his father, Dr. John O. Wharton, is Register,) and were sent for and arrived in Washington some time before Jesse B. Wharton's death. On their account, and on account of his many other friends, I request the publication of this statement.

W. B. W.
APRIL 21, 1862.

[Village record article]

[Village Record [Waynesboro PA] 25 April 1862, p.2]

A distressing occurence took place on Sunday morning, at the old Capitol prison in Washington City. It seems that Jesse B. Wharton, a young lawyer [sic] of Hagerstown, has been confined for some months in the prison for political reasons. On the above named morning, about 11 o'clock, he approached one of the windows looking towards the Capitol and engaged in an angry conversation with one of the guard. The dispute then ended in the guard (named Ambrose Baker, Company C, 91st Pennsylvania regiment,) firing his musket at Wharton, the ball taking effect in his head. He was at once taken to his room, where he lingered until 3 o'clock in the afternoon, when death released him from his sufferings.

Previous to his death he accused Lieut. Milligan, the officer in charge at the time, with being the cause of his death, as he had ordered the guard to shoot any of the prisoners who put their heads out of the window. Baker says that the Corporal of the guard ordered him to shoot Wharton a few minutes before he did the deed. Baker was immediately placed under arrest and Gen. Wadsworth informed of the occurrence.--The remains of Wharton were removed to Hagerstown for burial.