The Sun.
London, England, 1865-10-06 00:00:00

SOUTHWARK.

ITSFOUNDED CLIAILGE AND UNJUSTIFIABLE CONDUCT OF
TUE POLlCE.—Thomas Olds, a boy about twelve years of
ago; was charged before Ur. -13unham with otealing

£2 4s. 10d., the property of a carpenter, named Coleman
and the case presented some peculiar features.
Henry Coleman, who appeared to be about ten or eleven
years old, said he knew the prisoner, who had worked in
his father's house, near Northampton-street, Old Kent-
road. Last Saturday, between 11 and 12 o'clock in the
day, he met the prisoner outside his father's house, and
he (prisoner) asked him to go back and unlock the
drawer in the parlour where his mother kept the money.
He was frightened of him, and he went back to the
house with the prisoner. They both went down stairs
to the kitchen, and the prisoner took the key of the
drawer from him and went up stairs. He was
absent about five or ten minutes, and he
returned to the kitchen. He said he would give him (wit-
ness) some good money if he met him at the Green lan-
gate, but when he went there he could not see the prisoner.
The witness was closely questioned by the magistrate,
and it was elicited that there was a ledger named Ballan-
tine in the house at the time of the alleged robbery, and
the reason he assigned for not acquainting her with the
fact of the prisoner being in the house was his fear of the
latter, who was older and stronger than himself.

His mother returned to the house about ten
minutes after the prisoner was stated to have left
but he said nothing to her about the drawer having been
rifled, and she did not discover the loss until Monday last.
He admitted further that he had taken is. 6d. out of his
mother's pocket some time back.

The prisoner strongly denied the charge, and said that
if the money was lost it must have been taken by the wit-
ness.

Mrs. Coleman said that she was the mother of the wit-
ness, and she remembered having left four half sovereigns
and some silver in the draWer, and when she discoveredthat
the money was gone she suspected her son, who had taken
money from her before. He denied any knowledge of the
money, and she gave him into charge. On his being taken
to Bermondsey station, be at first persisted in his denial, but
after some time said that the prisoner had taken the money.
Mr. Burcham said it was most improper on the part of
the policeman who took the boy (Coleman) into custody,
to convey him to the station with a view of extorting a con-
fession from him. The boy was charged with felony, and
should be brought before the magistrate before he was
discharged. The prisoner must be discharged, and
he would inquire further as regarded the policeman. As
for the evidence of the boy (Coleman) it was not to be be-
lieved for one minute, and there was no a tittle of evidence
against the prisoner. Be could not sufficiently express
himself as to tho atrocity displayed in reference to this
case. He desired that the inspector at Bermondsey, the
policeman who took the boy into custody, and other
officers present at the time should be brought before him
immediately.

The Treatment of the Federal Prisoners in
the Late War.

-+-

The most important testimony adduced before the
Wirz court-martial at Washington on the 21st ult.
was that of Drs. F. S. Hopkins and G. L. Rice, two
of the Confederate medical men who were on duty
at the Andersonville prison hospital. Dr. Hopkins
read a report on the condition of the prison and
hospital which he had prepared and submitted to
General Winder, after receiving instructions to
make a complete inspection. Ile found the causes
of the great mortality and the alarming prevalence
of disease to be the crowded state of the pen, the
absence of proper or sufficient food and medicine
and all facilities for cleanliness, want of wood,
water, and clothing, and of shelter from heat and cold,
and the filthy and poisonous condition of the prison.
Dr. Hopkins suggested remedies for all these evils ;
but no attention was ever given to his report. An
order of General Winder to Dr. H. was submitted,
showing that the Richmond authorities were cog-
nisant of the evils, and that Winder had authority
to abate them. Dr. Rice gave evidence in regard to
the terrible condition of the prison pen, and the
dying of men from starvation, cold, hunger, and
other causes. The testimony of other witnesses to
the same effect was also taken. An Indiana cavalry-
man, named GeorgeW. Gray, testified to some out-
rages on the part of Wirz that had not been put in
evidence before. In June or July, 1864, the wit-
ness and a young fellow named Underwood, of the
17th Indiana cavalry (his own regiment), went to
the sutler's tent. Wirz was there. Underwood
asked for something to rub his wound with. The
sutler said he would give it, when Wirz said, " No,
he cannot have it, unless he pays me a dollar."
Underwood gave Wirz his only money, which was
a ten dollar bill, and when he asked for the change
Wirz kicked him out of the door; the witness was
put in the stocks four days for attempting to escape.
He knew a man to die in the stocks in August or
September, 1864. The negroes took him out of the
stocks after he was dead, threw his body into a
waggon, and hauled off. He knew Wirz to shoot a
young fellow named William Stewart, belonging to
the 9th Minnesota infantry. He and the witness
had gone out of the stockade with a dead body which
they had begged, when they met Captain Wirz.
He rode up to them after they had left the body in
the dead-house, and asked them by what authority
they were out there. Stewart replied that
they were there by proper authority. Wirz said
no more, but drew the revolver and shot him.
After he was killed the guards took from his body
20 or 30 dollars. Wirz took the money from the
guards and rode off, telling them to carry the wit-
ness to prison. It was the witness's determination
to escape if he could, and for that reason he had
gone out ; but he was not attempting to do so at
the time. When the prisoners were being removed
to the cars for exchange, Wirz gave orders to Lieut.
Davis to bayonet any man who laid down on the
road, and the witness had seen men who wereicrawl-
ing on their hands and knees to the cars bayoneted
by the guards. Witness heard one of the surgeons
ask Wirz where he was going to remove the
Yankees, and Wirz's reply was, " these
Yankees, they will all be dead in a few days, any-
how." He had seen a prisoner who had been caught
by the dogs, with a part of his cheek torn off, and
his arms, hands, and legs gnawed up so that he only
lived 24 hours.
On the same day of the trial it was put on record
that Gen. Howell Cobb, one of the main pillars of
the Confederacy, and an intimate friend and coun-
sellor of Jefferson Davis, made a speech at Ander-
sonville, in March last, where a number of paroled
prisoners had a chance to hear him. Pointing to the
stockade where the prisoners were huddled together
a mass of skeletons, Gen. Cobb told his own men how
much better off they Were, and bade them go home,
kiss their wives and sweethearts, and find new courage
to struggled for success. An then, in full view of
15,000 prisoners enduring the pangs of starvation,
Gen. Cobb, in a voice of stentorian power (raised so
that the prisoners might hear him), said that he
would treat them well, he would feed them well ;
and—pointing to the graveyard where they were
thrown by hundreds into shallow pits, he added,
" he would take care of them !"
The proceedings were closed amidst a somewhat
exciting scene. Wirz,who, owing to his weak con-
dition, has for some days
testifofying beingto pastas t
requested reclined ono
rise f a couch
o
while in the court-room, w
r
thea
cases
id ent
oi identified d
murderby a
andri brutality
t ness m
o
b
on his part. When the witness said, " That is the
d been
man," Wirz glared at him fiercely and made efforts
to contradict him, and Was so overcome by his ex-
citement and passion that he sank exhausted and
almost lifeless. Measures were immediately taken
to resuscitate him, the court adjourned, and the
room was cleared of spectators. It is thought that
the accused cannot live to see the conclusion of the
trial.

SCARCITY OF WATER IN LANCASIIIRE.—The re-
servoirs of the Blackburn Waterworks Company are all
but empty, and the company now only turn the water on
for an hour each day. There aro places in the town where
the inhabitants have not had the water on for more than a
week. The people are consequently driven to all manner
of straits, and water has to be carried by them from the I
lakes in the park, and from springs and other places in the I
outskirts of the town.
At Toulon, says Galignani, the mortality dimi-
nishes very perceptibly. On the 30th ult., the number of
deaths was only 49, of which 41 were from cholera. A
certain number of surgeons of the navy have arrived
there within the last few days, to insure the service of
the hospitals as long as the epidemic lasts. The local
journals announcethedoefatthryoinfgDar.
cuTroeurbeyttec,olodf Paris,lvater
whose arrival had only just taken place. He had come
for
rt
thhaedenxo press
opportunitypurpose of commencing, as ho was car-
ried off in a few hours by a terrible attack. Dr. Burq,
the other medical man from Paris, has had a ward as-
signed to him to try the effects of copper on various
parts of the body.
MORISON'S PILLS OF THE BRITISH COLLEGE OF
HEALTH, EUSTON-ROAD, LONDON.—AII per.ous shoule
know that the above mediehle • an be sent by post on receipt
of 30 postage staraPs for tiro buxes, Nos. 1 aud.2, size.
-.[Advs:rtiMileal • -

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BAHIA AND SAN FRANCISCO.

The report of the directors states there was a
diminution of the expenditure of the railway for the
past half year as compared with the corresponding
half year to the extent of £2,883. During the same
comparative period the receipts showed an excess of
£3,116. This favourable result had been accom-
plished notwithstanding the temporary stoppage of
the line, on one occasion for 12 days, and on an-
other for three days, owing to damage caused by a
fall of rain unprecedented even in the tropical cli-
mate of Bahia. Besides other damage, three large
culverts and two bridges were carried away ; but
the directors were happy to state that the extraor-
dinary expenditure caused by those accidents had
been mainly provided for in the accounts now sub-
mitted. The gross receipts for the half year ending
the 30th of June, 1865, amounted to £14,817, against
£11,701 for the corresponding half of 1864, show-
ing an increase of £3,116. The gross expenditure
amounted to £24,143, against £27,026 in the cor-
responding half of 1864, showing a decrease of
£2,883, which, added to the £3,116 increase in the
receipts; made a sum of £5,999 in favour of the
working of the railway for the past half-year, as
compared with the corresponding half of 1864. The
directors regretted that the expenditure was still in
excess of the receipts by £9,326, which amount
being deducted from the guaranteed interest re-
ceived from the Imperial Brazilian Government,
added to the balance brought forward from last
half-year of £1,045, left a balance for dividend of
£54,719. The directors proposed to the proprietary
that a dividend of 12s. per share, or 3 per cent. f3r
the half-year, be declared, which would absorb
£54,000, leaving a balance of £719. The amount
to be accounted for on capital account was
£32,969, inclusive of the sum of £11,569 interest
accrued during construction, respecting which a
difference of opinion existed as to whether it
belonged to capital or revenue. The greater part
of this sum would be required to complete the
works, and for the provision of a suitable stock of
stores and materials, without which it would be im-
possible to work the line economically and profitably.
The board had addressed the ex officio director
claiming the payment from the Imperial Brazilian
Government of the amount of the loss (128,147 17s.
Id.) in working the line for the year 1864. A reply
had been received by the ex officio director from his
Government, and communicated to the board. The
directors regretted that the Imperial Government
should not have deemed it expedient to comply with
this demand, the more so as the obligation which
the Imperial Government admitted it was under to
open out roads and communications with the trunk
line of railway had still been very imperfectly ful-
filled, owing to the absence of a sufficient provision
of funds for that purpose on the part of the Govern-
ment. The directors did not cease to importune Go-
vernment on this vital point, and they held in re-
serve, and were prepared to exercise at the time it
should be deemed expedient, the power of returning
to the higher scale of tariff charges, which they re-
duced on the express understanding that greater
energy should be shown in this particular so essen-
tial to the proper development of the traffic. The
directors were informed that a new president of the
province of Bahia had been appointed, who was re-
ported to be a functionary of energy and public
spirit, and under whom the board anticipated more
rapid progress would be made in the completion of
the scheme of roads laid out.

The capital account to June 30 last showed that
£1,790,866 had been expended. The revenue account
for the half-year ending June 30th showed that
£78,863 had been received, including a balance of
£1,046 from the preceding half-year, and £63,000,
the guaranteed interest from the Government. The
expenditure amounted to £24,144, leaving a balance
of £54,719.