Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1862-12-15
rroun medAty4 coIanitdA Crsis
horrible Disclosures an ReIa-
tt0nstO Camp Chase PrisOn--
Bf0ss They Treat PrisOners--
The Camp OverikDvving Win
VefEnfn--A MAN Murdered.

become satisfied that at tetdue the honor OF
Onr. State TO ats-onee demand a reformation
there. IL the history Of that prison is ever
wdtten, i will east q reproheh upou Ohio and
her citizens which they ought At once to re-
pudiate.
The Democratic party, especially, should
not let its burning barbariues, crimes and
even %tortures, rest upon its shoulders. We
and our paper were long since excluded from
even a peep into that bloody B%astile, and we
are, therefore, not responsible for its crimes,
inquiries and barbarites. We probably
never should have known or heard of Il, had
not several OF our citizens been there TO bring
forth the horrid tale Of woe and suffering
We speak wholly OF the political prison,
the prisoners o fState, as we know nothing what
ever OF what occurs in the prison where "reb-
els taken in arms are kept, that is, the
prisoners of war.
II must not be forgotten that there has
been from six to seven hundred political priso-
ners at Camp Chase at a time and although
several hundred have been lately discharged
without trial, there are yet there some four
h1ndred-One or two hundred OF these have
arrived there within q few days past from Ken
tucky and Western Virginia, these men are
taken from their homes, some from their beds
at night, som from their homes in day time,
ana u gFtNb many OF lutm dIt llthtu UP W
their feldsnt work, and never suffered to see
their families before being spirited of 10
Ohio and incarcerated in this celebrated Bias
tile, which will soon be as famous as 0lmutz
itself refine lfi 90.
Our Ohioans are put into the same prison
with these men from other States, and from
them we have learned some facts which the
people of Ohio ought toknow. Many Of these
men have been kept in this prison for over
one year, a great many for five, six, seven, and
eight months, without even seeing outside, or
being allowed to communicate personally
with any one, not even wife, child father moth
er, or stranger.
They are furnished with nothing but a sim
gle blanket, even these cold nights, unless
they are able to purchase additional comforts.
Many are poor men, and unable to purchase;
they were not permitted to bring along a
change of clothing, and many had on when
seized nothing but summer wear, and that has
become filthy, worn out, and scarcely hangs
upon their backs. !
They have no bedding, and ave, therefore
compelled to sleep on the bare boards. They
have notenough wood furnished to keep fires
up all night, and hence the suffering is inten-
siied by the cold weather. If they attempt,
after night, to walk out in the yard to take of
the chills of the .drenry night, they are in
stanlly threatened to be shot by the guards, as
ordered by those in command.
DIR. Allen, of C~olumbiana County, Ohio,
said he laid on n bare board until his hips
were black and blue. The wood furnished
them is four feet long, and they are compelled,
each mess, to chop it up for themselves, and,
the provisions being furnished raw, they have
to cook it for themselves. Recollect, always,
that these are the political prisoners, against
whom no one appears as a%ccuser, and no trial
is permitted
The prison has become flthy-awfuitysr-I
aud the rats are in droves. If the prisoners
attempt to kill one of these rats, they are
forbidden, and threatened with heing shot in
stantly. Recollect, always, as we said above,
these are POLITICAL prisoners, against whom
some malicious negro-worshipper has created
a suspicion of disloyAlty, but whose name is
kept a secret, and hence there can be no trial,
The prison is perfectly alive with lice, and
no chance is given to escape the living YER
min. A dead man, one of the prisoners, was
the other day carried out to the dead yard,
and laid there over night, and when visited
in the morning by other prisoners, who heard
there was a dead man there, they found the
hair on his head still with lice and nits-the
lice creeping into his eyes insgreat numbers,
and, he lay with his mouth open, the lice
were thick crawling in and 'oht Of his open
mouth.
Not long since two of the prisoners got
into O scufile in trying their strength, and final
" into a fight, MS was supposed, and several
prisoners rushed TO part them, when the guards
from the lookout above fired on them, killing
an old man BY the name Of Jones, from Yves
tern Virginia, .anda ball grazing the skull of
another, he felb and Il wasisupposed at 6rst
he was. killed also, another of the balls passed
through a board at the head Of a sick man
in the hospital and only escaped him by a few
inches. The two men in the scufle were not
/ hurt
: We might go further, but God knows this
is enough for once. 1t is. enough to make
ones blood run cold TO think of it.
! Now if any one doubt this-if the author
\ tiles at Camp or at the State House doubt it,
Y { the Legislature when il meets. will raise a
a committee, we promise to name tue witnesses
who, if sent for, will under oath prove all this,
aud as much more, some OF which is too in.
decent to print in a newspaper for the public
= ear, FvFFF afErgaRW .a
We do not bring These thingstol light fot
any other purpose than an act Of humanity, OF
{ respect for the fair fame of Ohio, and to direct
, public attention TO them that the brutal
authorities Of that camp may have justice
p done them The commAndant Of the camp
Il is himselfa member of the Ohio House Ol
Representatives. He will no doubt appear on
d the FIRST Monday in January to take his seat
Let him answer to his peers on that floor
let him answer 10 bis constituents who elected
him-lst him answer 10 the whole people o
Ohio, If he dare, whether these things are 81
or not. Heaven be Messed II any modi6cA
i, ton can be put upon these transaetions-anl