The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-07-25


that we have the greater part Of Morgan
gang prisoners, it should be borne in mind
that the rebels, who inaugurated cavalry
raids. have refused to treat those they have
captured from our cavalry expeditions as
prisoners of war. 1t should be remem-
pered in connection with TINS gang, when
has left line OF burned bridges across
ohio and Indiana, that soldiers from our
eypeditions in the South have been hung
without ceremony, as "bridge burners"
| It is a time to recall the treatment OF ONO
volunteers in the expedition sent by Gen.
Mitchell to run off a rebel railroad train,
| of whom part were hung and the rest
brutally whipped, and the Survivors re-
leased only after a long and cruel imprisz
onment.
The officers of Col. Straight's cavalry eX-
petition have long been held in prison un-
der threat of being tried for crime. The
| time has come for revising these things,
and for such Just retaliation on our part
as will protect our soldiers, and compel
these barbarians to respect prisoners OF
war.
The atrocities of the gang in this raid are
also a thing to be taken into consideration.
We conclude that the first motion on their
capture has been to strip them OF their
watches, ewelry and money OF which they
robbed the inhabitants. The table cloths,
wearing apparel, bedding and other house
other plumber from the dry goods stores,
with which they loaded their horses, they
probably abandoned in their flight. But
| thew should be stripped and searched, and
made to disgorge, like other thieves.
As vet particular accounts have been re-
ceived from only a few places, but these
show atrocities which place this gang out
side the pale OF warfare. AT Lebanon, KY,
$50 men of the Goth Kentucky, un.er Co.'s
Hanson, made brave and 'rotracted &c
Tense before they surrendered. These
towards. who have no fight in themselves,
and therefore have no respect for that quail
ity in other men, retaliated for this de-
Tense by driving the prisoners on the double
quick, before cavalry, eight miles under
burning sun. They beat out the brains OF
two who fell exhausted, and crushed an
other bv running over him with their ar
tillery.
At Salem, Indiana, where no resistance
was offered, one of these savages ordered
boy, who had brought out a shotgun, to
deliver up as they had demanded, to break
the gun. The boy broke it shattering the
stock. The rebel then ordered nm TO
break the barrel. The boy replied that he
could not, when the coward shot him dead.
| These are some Of the instances which
| have come to hand. They should all be
gathered up, and these savages held to an
swer them. There is nothing in the char
acter of this raid that entities the gang to
| be treated as prisoners of war. The plan
contemplated nothing military or warlike:
1t was solely for horse stealing, arson, and
the plumber of unarmed inhabitants, calcu-
lating to escape without fighting, or to sur
render if compelled to face armed men,
At any rate there is retaliation for our own
murdered and abused men to be exacted
and while the final disposition is pending
the confinement and slow murder of oul
4 To- c
should not be repaid by large limits and
unwonted luxury to this gang, which, sc
far as we know anything OF them, are only
! thieyeS.-Ctn. Gazette.