Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-01-29
Horrible Disclosures ia Relation 20 a Pc
ffttcaL Prison.

AaUI1 Il =
From the Columbus Ohio Crisisl
We speak wholly of the political prison. the prison Of
State, as we KIN W nothing whatever of what occurs in
the pr on wnere "rebels taken in arms" are kept
that is, " the prisoners Of war II must not be forgot
ten thai there have be n from six 20 seven hundred po-
Itcsl prisoners az Camp Chase at a time and although
seven hundred have been lately discharged without
tiai, there are yet there some four hundred. Oneor two
hundred Of these have arrived within a few days past
from Kentucky aud Western Virginia. These men are
taken from tber homes. sone from their beds at night.
| some from their houses in daytime. anu a great many Of
Of them are picked mp in their fields at work, aud nevef
suffered 70 see taeir families before being splri.ed of 20
Ohio and incareeratsd il this celebrated Bastiie, which
viii soon be as famous as Olmutz itself
Our Ohioans are put into he same prison with thesa
mon from other States, and from them we have learned
some facts which the people Of Ohio ought to know.
Many Of these men have been kept in this prison for
over ono year, a great many for i've, six, seven and
eight months, without even seeing outside, or bei1g
allowed TO communicate personally with any one, lot
even wife, child, father moihel, or stranger.
They are furnished wi b n thing but a single blanket
sven these cold nights, unless thew are able 10 purchase
additional comforts Nth money they may be able to
command Many are poor men and unable to pur.
chaser thev were not permitted to bring along q change
of c othing, and many bad on when seized nothing but
summer wear, andth { has become & Thy, worn on and
scarcely hangs upon their backs.
They have no bedding. and are, therefore. compelled
% sleep on the bare b3ariE They have not enough
eyood furnished to keep fires up al night, and hence
tue suffering i intens ned by the cold weather. If
they attempt. after night, 70 walls out in the yard 70
lake Oh the chills Of the dreary night, they are instantly
thrastened 70 be shot by the guards, IS o dered b. those
ia command.
Dr ALEU- Of Coiumbiana county, Ohio, said he laid
on a 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 &c up for themselves and,
the provisions being furnished raw, they have to cook
for III IN elves Reeolsct, always, that these are polit
zeal prisoners against whom no one appears as secuser,
and 40 trial is permitted.
The pri,on his bee me fthy-awfully so-and the
rats are in droYeE IF the prisoners attempt to kiu ore
Of me rats they are rbiid=n and threatened with being
hot instantly. Recoheet always, as We have said
above. these are political prisoner, against whom some
malicious negro wor-hipper has created a suspicion Of
~disioyaity. out whose name is kept a secret, ana hence
ia r. can BE- no uiai.
The prison is perfectly alive with lice, and no chance
is given TO escape the living vermin. A dead man, ore
Of rhe pri-oners, was the other day carried out to the
dead yard, aud laid there over nign, aud when visited
in the morning b. other prisoners, who heard there was
q dead man fhere, 81 found he hair on his head stiff
with lice and knirs-the ice creeping into his eyes in
great numbers, and. Bs he lay with BIS mouth open, the
lies We're thick crawling in AID out cf his open mouth.
Not long Since two Of the prisoners got into a scufle in
'rying their strength and dnalyInto q light as was sup
posed, and several other persons rushed to part them,
when the guards from the lookout above fred on them,
killing an OLD man by the name of Jones from Western
Virginia. and the ball grazing the skull Of another. he
fell, a d it was supposed at hr,t he was killed also; an
other Of the balls uassed through a board at the head of
= sick man in the hospital, and only escaped him by a
few inches. The TWO IN Il III the scufle were not hurt.
We might go further, but God knows this Is enough
for onceR It is enough to make ones blood run cold to
Nog, if ANY one doubts this-if she author ties at camp
or at the Sta-e House doubt it-f the Legislature, when
i meets viii raise a committee, we promise to name the
Witnesses, who, If sent for, will, under oath, prove all
this and as much more, some OF which is too indecent to
print in a newspaper for the public ear.