The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-04-11
The Rebel Prisoners at Columbus, Ohio

At Columbus, Ohio, the rebel officers,
prisoners of war, are permitted extraordi-
nary privileges. Their slaves from the
South are permitted to attend them. This
fact excited the ire of the Ohio Senate, and
a committee appointed to investigate the
subject made report, in which the follow.
ing statements are made:
Your committee found seventy.f -four ne.
groes in the prisons - mostly taken at Fort
Donelson. Of these, from what they could
learn, a few were free when taken, having
been hired by officers as cooks and servants
The remainder, perhaps fifty in number,
were slaves in attendance upon their mas
tiers, and while so employed were taken,
along with their masters. None of them
were in arms-all Of them having been re.
tanned for mental service merely. Since
their capture, they have Travelled with their
masters. attending and serving them as be
fore. On their arrival at Columbus they
took charge of and carried the baggage of
their former masters from the depot to
Camp Chase the men having no servants
being compelled to carry their OVID, as our
men do on similar occasions. Arrived at
the camp, the privates were, as far as pos.
sble, separated from the officers, and, for
obvious reasons, placed in different prisons
But the negroes were placed in the same
prisons with the officers who were their
former masters Why, unless that they
might continue to attend and serve those
former masters? And they have ever since
done so-cooking, washing, waiting upon
and serving them just as before their cap
ture-the relation of master and slave being
as vigorously maintained by the master,
and as fully recognized by the negroes and
the other inmates of the prison, as it ever
was 10 the State of Tennessee.
The committee also object to the release
of rebel officers on parole They say
AS to tie rebel officers released on pa
role, your committee could not get much
definite information, ether than that with
few exceptions, these paroles were granted
by order of General Haleck. That the
clemency SO shown was mistaken, the fol-
lowing facts as to the conduct of these off
GERS while in Columbus will show: They
came wearing their side arms, stopp,d at
the principal hotels, registered their names
as "Colonel," "MajOr," CT "Captain," with
the significant letters &C. S. A" added, APP.
pearing from day to day in rebel uniforms
(some of them gaudy-all of them nosicea,
ble) In the Offices and parlors and at the
public tables of these hotels and in the Streets
and drives of the city ; frequenting the
theatre and other place of public amuse-
ment, and visiting the Senate and House
chambers, where with marked consideration
they have been invited to privileged seats
within the bar at all these places, and
upon all occasions giving expression to sen
timents of continued adherence to the rebel
cause, ard of utter hostility to the govern.
ment and people of the United States.
While prominent officers are thus enjoy
ing the freedom of the city and the Injuries
OF hotel life, hundre Is of poor and ignorant
privateS, some Of them Impressed and all of
them deceived into the rebel servica-peni-
tent for the wrongs they have done-ready,
willing and anxious to take the oath of al
legiance-are kept confined in the prison at
Camp Chase. This is matter OF COM
plant among the prisoners themselves.
They argued to the committee, and with
much force it must be admitted, that OF the
two they were the less guilty and the less
dangerous, and if the sympathy of the people
and clemency of the Executive should be ex-
erted at all, it ought to be in their behalf.
The committee report a resolution as
follows tor the adoption of the Legislature
Resolved, That in the name of the people of
Ohio, who have freely given their treasure
and heir blood to sustain the government and
the Union, we do most sOlemnly protest
against this mistaken clemency to the guilty,
and this outrage upon the feelings OF the loyal
people of Ohio.
A CoMPAR1soN.-It is said that the
Of hatfloa q Soldior