Tragic.
A tragic affair occurred at Castle Thunder last Friday morning about 7 o'clock. Some of the prisoners confined in the third story of the main building of the castle, which fronts on Cary Street, observing that the sentry on guard on the east end of the building was a very youthful soldier and one not likely, from his appearance, to enforce rigidly the prison regulations, amused them selves black guarding him, and one of them, bolder than the rest, persisted in putting his head out of the window in violation of a well understood regulation of the prison, and in spite of the sentry's repeated orders to withdraw it. After exhausting remonstrance on him in vain the guard raised his musket and pointed it at the refractory prisoner. But still the latter, believing that the sentry had not the nerve to fire, refused to take in his head. The sentry fired. All the heads disappeared from the window.--The officer of the guard, attracted by the report of the musket, came out to see what was the matter. He found the youthful sentry quietly reloading his piece, and was informed by him what had occurred. The officer went up into the prison and there found Theodore V. Brandis lying dead on the floor, near the window, with a bullet through his head. The ball had entered the centre of the forehead, just above the eyes, and crushed through the back of the skull. He had never spoken after he was shot, or moved except to tumble backward lifeless from the window.

At eleven o'clock an inquest was held by Coroner Sanxay, assisted by High Constable Freeman, and the jury having examined the body, and heard the above recited facts, gave as their verdict that Theodore V. Brandis, the deceased, came to his death by a gunshot wound inflicted by a guard of the prison whilst the latter was in the discharge of his duty.

Brandis was 35 years of age, a native of New Jersey, but for some years had been living in the town of Manchester, Chesterfield Co., Va. About three weeks ago he and seven other conscripts, detailed as a guard at the Government Laboratory, deserted in the night and were attempting to reach the Yankee lines, when they were arrested on the Chickahominy and thrown into Castle Thunder. The sentry who shot him is Robert H. Burford, of Appomattox, a member of Co. D, 18th Va. battalion of artillery. He is not quite seventeen years of age, and is a quiet, gentlemanly young fellow, and said to be a first-rate soldier. This was the first time he ever was on guard at the castle.

The Daily Dispatch (Richmond, VA) 11 Apr 1864