Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-12-26
The Other Side.

| 4
ton to pack of most infamous lies copied
from that chief Of all liars, Medary's CRISIS
wastes, as usual, great deal Of sympathy
over the "inhuman tortures, SURPRISING the
best days of the Spanish Inquisition," which
are perpetrated by the officers Of Camp Chase,
near Columbus, Ohio, upon certain prisoners
Of doubtful loyalty now in their hands. The
article is very appropriately headed =" Insti-
gated by the Devil ~ for we verify believe
that no other influence was at work to insti-
gate the penning of such an article. The
original lying leader, as it appeared in the
Crisis, is copied entire with fiendish glee,
after Introductory remarks in which the Cou.
rier even can hardly find words strong enough
to portray its horror and indignation at the
matter alleged. "Unchristian barbarity and
outrageous wickedness !" is one of the milder
figures of speech employed.
| Now, mark the difference: American
citizens-some of them from our own city
who had enlisted in the army, and were will
ing, if necessary, to lay down their lives in
defense of the honor and the best interests Of
our country, were by the fortunes of war
thrown into the hands of the rebels - and
what was their treatment? The testimony Of
them all, from Gen. Prentiss down to the
humblest private soldier, has been unanimous
that the rebels treated them more like sava-
ges than human beings. They suffered in
cruel fact all-aye, more, great deal more
than it is falsely charged by the C'isis
even that its traitor friends in Camp Chase
have suffered. They, the Federal prisoners
in the South, have been obliged to remain in
filthy prisons, crowded to excess, where, if an
unwary one, seeking relief from the foul air
naturally accumulating in those ''black holes"
would innocently venture to thrust his face
to an open window, his life instantly paid the
forfeit; sentinels being stationed with express
instructions to keep vigilant eye upon all
breathing holes" and shoot down every man
who appeared within sight = an order that
was but too faithfully obeyed, as the bones of
many brave man bleaching under aSouthern
sun or converted into ornaments to decorate
the noble ladies of the South, whose ancestors
were with William the Norman, will testify.
They were placed, when sick, in filthy hospi-
tails, from which there was no exit until the
vital spark had forever fled. In transporting
the living from place to place, they were
crowded into the holdz of boats, in such
numbers as to be unable to move about, the
boat unprovided with food of any description,
by which neglect the men were without any
thing to eat during the trip, occupying some
times two or three days.
But why enumerate further the scenes of
barbarity through which they passed? 1t
would fill volumes. These scenes are already
well known in all their sickening details by
our people. What is the character of the
witnesses who have made the people aware of
these facts They are the ''fower Of our
land y men who are we'll known at their
homes as honorable men, who would scorn to
tell a lie-whose wasted and attenuated forms
are the best evidence of the truthfulness of
their narrative.
Now when the attention of the Courier is
called to these facts, it is perfectly num-
Either the testimony is not sufficient to con-
vince it that such scenes can be enacted, or it
is fearful that the publication and dissemina-
ton ofsuch facts may prejudice "the cause"
But mark at what straw it will catch when
the case is reversed. A number of men
have been imprisoned by the Government for
the commission of the highest crime known to
civilized nations-treason-at the very men,
ton of which, a shudder involuntarily fills
the Frame the commission of which has
heretofore had the effect Of consigning the
traitor to everlasting infamy, Stunned by
all men. 1t is on the evidence of such men,
outcasts from the society they have dis
graced, that the Crisis, the editor of which
like his imitator of this city, is broken
down politician, who is seeking notoriety by
endeavoring to induce the Government to
take some notice of his senseless clangor
builds up series of charges against the
Government and its officials of Camp Chase.
Now will any one pretend to deny, that such
evidence as this amounts to no evidence at alp
Would any Of our readers, or even the readers
of the Courier, harbor and trust such men,
or place in them any confidence whatever ?
And yet on such fimsy pretence as this, the
Courier produces a flaming leader on the
barbarous usage Of american citizens.
When General Prentiss gave narrative of
his sufferings to an audience at Chicago
which was published in the papers Of that
city, and from them copied into our own-we
offered the editor of the Courier the use Of
our type, as it was already set up, and
thus saving him any inconvenience or trouble,
to reproduce this speech. We did this be-
cause we were anxious that his readers should
be informed as to the manner of treatment
experienced by our prisoners at the hands
of fiendish rebels, but the offer was declined
by the Courier Comments are unneces-
sary. .a.oas a.aj..o Ga3 ,s9Qa T. 4egt
DEATH OF JuDaE DIcKERsoN.-Hon. Phile-
mon Dickerson, United States District Judge
for the District Of New Jersey, died on
Wednesday. Judge Dickerson was some years
ago Governor and Chancellor of the State, q
member Of Congress, and the last fifteen
years he held the position of Judge of the
United States District Court. - ~
SINGULAR PRov1s1oN IN WILL. A.
Tainter, who died in Hartfort, Connecticut, a
La Ill L olo..f