From the Richmond Dispatch, 9/16/1862

Man Shot. – One of the Yankee prisoners, named Silas Richmond, confined in the Libby warehouse, on Cary street, gave on Sunday night evident signs of aberration of mind. – During the early part of the night he seemed all at once to become possessed with fury; rushing past the guard, he got into the street, and, despite their cries of “halt, halt,” he kept on, not appearing to regard two shots that were fired at him. An alarm being sounded, the guard was turned out, and the man taken in custody. There being no place in which properly to confine him, and dashing aside all obstacles placed in his way, he rushed into the yard of the prison. Here the sentinel, who had orders to shoot any prisoner attempting to escape, not knowing the man’s condition, after crying to him in vain to halt, discharged his gun at the prisoner as he was making his way up the steps leading to the second story of the building. Being in very short range, the ball took effect in the hip of the man, passing upward, tearing and lacerating his bowels in a dreadful manner. He was immediately conveyed to the hospital, and was yesterday regarded as in a dying condition.


From the Richmond Dispatch, 9/17/1862

Dead. – The Federal soldier, Silas Richmond, who broke out of the strong room at Castle Thunder on Monday night, and who was shot by one of the guard as he was apparently endeavoring to escape, died yesterday, after suffering intense pain from the wound, which was through his body.

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