Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-01-01

TuE Gazette Of last week copied a
column or more from Medary's Columbus
Crisis in relation to the horrible disclos.
mures" at Camp Chase prison Of the treat
ment of what the butternut Democracy is
pleased to term political prisoners. The Crisis
has been deep in sympathy with the rebel
lion, aud with rebels Of every grade, ever
since the paper had an existence and no
one would more naturally turn to the work
Of defending the prisoners at Camp Chase,
and of deriding and weakening the efforts
of the General Government to put down
the rebellion than Sam. Medary. With
this natural inclination and constant dread,
for the last eighteen months, that he him
self might get "a peep into that bloody
Bastile," from which he says he & his paper
have been excluded, isit strange that he
should becon the voluntary advocate and
defender Of the prisoners at Camp Chase.
The Crisis says, 1T must not be forgotten
that there has been from six to seven hun
dred political prisoners at Camp Chase at a
time; and although several hundred have
been lately discharged without trial, there
are yet there some four hundred--one or
two hundred Of these have arrived there
within few days past from Kentucky and
Western Virginia" /" aa .ijfa,.s.
From the above extract it will be seen
what class of men are termed political
prisoners;" the guerrillas and bushwhack-
ers Of Western Virginia and Kentucky
Men who either singly or collectively post
themselves in tho woods and hollows, to FIRE
on our soldiers from behind trees, burn our
bridges, destroy railroads, al carry infor-
nation to the enemy, attack and rob Union
houses in the dead hour Of the night, and
murder the inmates if any resistance is
made, and give aid and comfort to the
enemy in all possible ways. .a.
This is the class for whom the Crisis and
Gazette have such bowels OF com npassion. -
"Political prisoners, in contradistinction tc
prisoners of war, such as are taken in battle.
The guerrilla OF bushwhacker does not gen.
orally belong to the organized rebel army,
but operates singly or in bands under cover
of the night, the next day appearing on his
farm or in his workshop as innocent as O
lamb, falling back upon his constitutional
rights" and when he is detected, arrested
and sent to Camp Chase, is of course 4
prosecuted buttenut political prisoner. ,
The Crisis says, they have no bedding
and are therefore compelled to sleep OF
the bare boards. They have not enough
wood furnished to keep fires up all night
and hence the suffering is intensified by thu
cold weather. If they attempt, after nigh
to walk out in the yard to tako of the chilli
, Of the dreary night, they are Instant!
threatened to be shot by the guards, as or
dered by those in command. The WOO,
furnished them is four. feet long, and the,
are compelled, each mess to chop it up 70
themselves, and the provisions being fur
/ nished raw, they have to cook it for them
selves" . ia4 g s'ssG 8a.t N
$ Now this Is trnly 1 moss ,deplo46s1 Ilxt
. Of things; to have to sleep on bare board
and not be permitted to go out of the pris
on aftor night, and to DO punished b.
Uncle Sam supplying the prison will
,oood four feet long, and 'oiM ra,o proriisions
thus requiring the prisoners to do part o.
the labor Of chopping their own wood an,
Of cooking their own provisions. At thi
rate, those amiable bushwhackers woul,
soon be brought down to level with tn,
common soldier, who has to run bis chanc
Of sleeping on bare board or on the bar
ground, and has to chop his own wood an
> cook his own provisions, aa.a.e
! The Crisis continues, "The prison ha
= become flthy-awfully so-and the rats ar
! in drovos. If the prisoners attempt to Kill
one Of these rats, they are forbidden, an
threatened with being shot instantly. Th
> prison is perfectly alive with lice, and n
' chance is given to escape the living vermin.
What cnn be the object of the officers i
: charge at Camp Chase in being so carcft
Z Of their rats we shall not undertake to say
possibly they may not recognize the righ
Of guerrilla to kill even so mean reptil
rs q rat; but the moro probable solution i
D that the whole thing is ''rat story" A
to the prisoners being lousy, there is per
haps more truth than poetry in the repor,
The general appearance and condition q
many Of those bushwhackers and guerrilla
when first arrested would very natural
, , suggest the idea Of lice, and if the Crisi
can work reform in this particular, evel
at late day, II will have done a good work
The Wheeling Intelligenoer has recontl
had two editorial articles in It's column
3 which v~o thnvcht ,vn,,iI L. ...:..l ..s.-f.ti