The Cecil Whig., 1863-03-07
Union Prisoners in Richmond,

Union Prisoners in Richmond.
HorriJie Pcrs'rnti0n Of an OM Man,
STATEMENT OF AN EXCHANGED PRISONER
Mr.. j. Wiser, and old citizen of
Washington city, who resides 3Ol Penn
sylvanla avenue, fully confirms the ac-
counts already made public in reference
o the terrible sutferngs of our loyal
citizens who are now dying in the
prisons of Richmond and Salisbury.
Mr.. Wiser has just returned tron an
Imprisonment Of fifteen months, large
portion of which was passed in Rich
mond. While there he vas transferred
to five different tobacco warehouses
which were used as prisons. There the
allowance of food was In the morning
pint of liquid they called "soup," half
il loaf of bread; and every other day
from an ounce to an ounce and a half of
meat. In The evening half loaf of
bread, and ano her pint of s'soup.'-
They all slcp upon bare boars, with. no
Covering and no clothing. except what
they had upon heir backs when taken.
Some few were fortunate enough to have
little money, or friends, who were
allowed to send them clothing, but
large proportion of them wore their
ragged clothing, unchanged .hruughou
heir Imprisonment.
AIR. Wiser by chance picked up cot,
which prize he enjoyed for about Two
weeks, when it was aiken from him to be
used in he hospital, as he was told. In
Que OF the Richmond warehouses, for
short time. the tobacco chcwers and
smokers "lived high" In one end of the
building was stored large quantity of
the "wecd,' aud only board partition
separated it from the prisoners. A uni
versal demand for The article led to the
discovery Of rs locality. Some lucky
fellow happened to possess liable knife,
which was soon converted into a saw,
and at night small hole was made, an
en- rance effected, and all abundan ly
supplied for several days, the place of
en- crance being ingeniously concealed
from view. But they did no. long enjoy
this, their only prison luxury. The
guards were mystifiod and amazed at the
protuse expectorations of this particular
prison, which led to scien fic research,
and chat research led to he hole in the
wall. In June, 1861, Mr.. Wiser, with
several hundred of his fellow prisoners,
was sent to Salibury, there they we're
confined in cot on mill. Their meat
aud rice were sent INTO them by ,he
quantity, and parcellcd out to them IN
mcsscs for three or four. They cooked
their meat and rice in an open lot which
was enclosed, adjoining the building
Each man received daily about two ounce
of meat, two spoonsful of rice, a tea
spoonful OF salt, and one loaf of bread.
They had no yeast, and heir bread was
generally sour.
The long confinement in Richmond
began to ell sadly upon them there
The rags many had worn unchanged for
more han year we're filled with ver-
MN, and disease in various forms ap-
peared among them-typhoid fever,
erysipelas, infamnatory rheumatism,
hldeous sores, and insanity. AS the
season advanced their condition became
stlll more wretchcd from the cold. The
buildings had some twenty or thirty
windows, wi hou; glass, aud with no
protection from the cold November and
December night. drafts that, to the weak
and feeble, rendered sleep impossible
The prison was alive wi h sores where
vern'n had actually eaten into their
bodies The sick and dying could
receive but little tention, for there
was no medicine, and nothing to do WI h.
1t was SAID there was hospital, where
The sick would be taken if hey desired
bu they had heard enough of that hos
pltal and the Il tention given to the
'Nankces," and most of the sick pre-
ferred to remain with their friends,
where they could receive, if nothing else,
kind words and sympathy.
There were some few who kept their
heal h and spirits to the last, cheering
and encouraging their comrades among
these was Mr.. Wiser. MIR. Wood says
when he went to Salisbury to effect the
exchange of prisoners he found Mr.. V.
was distinguished as one of the most
unrelenting and determined of all the
Union political prisoners. This is pro-
bably the reason he was held so lon g.
The authorities did not relish his tart
responses to their interroga ories.-
There was Mr.. Pancoast, from Hamp-
SHIRE county, Virginia, who was another
of the "invncibles He was man of
wealth, and over eighty years of age
tie could have been released had he
taken the oa.h of allegiance. His
daugh ers were permitted to see him,
and with tears and cntreatics they be-
sought him TO 'take the oath rather than
suffer, and perhaps die in that horrible