Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1862-11-12
The Condition Of Things iii the
SUEssa.


south since tho rebellion broke out, than
IS contained 10 the following speech, re-
Gently delivered at the Cooper Institute,
New York. 1t will well repay peru
sal !:
The Rev. Mr.. Hale, of Mississippi,
was then introduced. He said Ladies
and gentlemen, | will only detain YOU q
very few moments, as your time has
been pretty well occupied, and your pa
thence pretty much taxed by these relu
gees from the Southern States. | APP
pear before you, as yonr President has
said, from the repudiaing State Of Ms
sissippi. VIII tell you how | got here;
| came on the underground raj!roa1.-
TCheers.l l was seizel b. tlrs Rebels
heavily ir5ned and placed, with eighty
others, in Southern dungeon. | re-
marked to Gen. Jordan tina had hcarl
that iron was scarce inths Sonth, but
they hal givon ma largo supply Of It:
Laughter. Ny crime was, that | had
used sediti5us languag', or, rs they term
j, there. had talked Uaioa talk. While
l was in that prison numbers Of rs wore
led outand shot. At fir; they supplied
collins for those WHO were shot, but the
great number Of executions prareNt"d
the supply OF collins, 50 they dug mole
in the ground, and ma Ia them $. down
on the brink Of the hole, aal there WAS
a certain number Of soldiers who alg2nc-
q! and fire. three balls into the brain anI
three into the heart, and this was the
m0lo Of eXecu,ion. / was conycrsant
with a number Of Rebel 55lsleFs who
were ticoertaTs; they were in the prison
and learned llese,partculars from thom.
| had scarcely crossed the room from
taking with them when sw the Officer
enter. They unclaimed them and order
cd them to follow. Sail ono Shall |
bring nv blanket" "No," says tho Of
ticer, in laughing mood, "you'i! never
need n blanket again" They were
marched out and shot, bat my doom was
to be hung. ] was to be suspended be
tween heaven ana earth as IN arch trail
tor, because on various occasions [ had
expressed nay sentiments fully. | hal
charge Of churches when tho Rebellion
broke out, anl had preached a sermon
in which had told my people to oppose
the Rebellion by talking against i, by
writing against it, and if necessary, by
fighting against it. Cheers. | was
incarcerateI; in company with friend,
made an attempt to escape; my friend
got away, but was re arrested They
sent after mo with bloodhounds-yes,
bl1olh1unls; they hunt the Union troops |
low with those animals. Tho second |
,.:ne was more successful; went off in
81 southwest direction, opposite from my
uo, in order TO escape the blood
.aa,ls. and | did not leave single arti
.ie of clothing Though fear that they
g,tud get my scent. knew that if |
got away out of the town of Tupelo.
which was surrounded by the rebel camps
could get all from Union mon. Ny
Fellow prisoners labored all day to get my
chains in such condition that they cod
re slipped of. had to carry the iron
bands with me till | could get among
friends. Three of tho prisoners stood up
batween the guards and myself while |
escaped BIZ getting under the floor. |
had been elected chaplain of my follow
prisoners, and ] never had more alton
tive congregation. never preached TO
them but some had been taken away and
executed of those to whom had preach
ed before. After | escaped | was com
PEELED to live mostly upon green corn and
bad water, and when | reached the I'm
ION lines | was in the condition Of sKel-
oton, and | have not got over it.; my con
stitution was shattered, and all this for
being Union man. Some days after
my escape was compelled to 90 to a
house; [ was becoming very faint, AMI It
required perhaps an hour 10 q quarter Of
n mile; went to one house, anil I no
t;ccd that there were some slaves about
il. | went away, knowing that whcro
fhcra were slaves the masters are Secs
Sionists. | might as s23n have waiIai
into rupolo. II coul have seen the
slaves alono I would have trusted myself
with tiren found another hnuss
where Tiers wcro no slayts. The man
was a man of hercu'c frame, AL |
sail, in the course Of conversations the
the Yankees were oyerruunHg oil the
country. anl ever MN that was a5'c to
fight vas needed il the army, and asi.c
why wnsn't he there lis wife oayo no
her mind worry freely. She said he was
not there, ana she gave her opinion of
tho CONSERVATION law. Then told them
my condition, and they gaze me fool.
never liked corn brea! very much. bu.
the corn bread thai they sat before me
was the sweetest morscl that I ever tas.
ted. 4 chicken was killed, and do
voured nearly tie whole; aa while
was sit-iag eating. I heard little GIRL in
an adjoining room say that she hai been
able to get only wing, and that I was
horse TO eat. Great laughter and ap-
plause must not name this man; it
would draw upon him the prosecutions
of the traitors. lie said that he did not
know the route to Rienzi, bat he knew a
man who did, and who would show me.
Ho concealed me in thicket, and brot
this man to me. The man said "IT
do all [ can to get You to the Union
lines; you must 90 to that house in the
distance and stay all day. | would ike |
IN have you II, NV family h,,t = Mill.