, 1864-01-08


We learn that Two Of the rebel prisoners on the
o III nse& tfass
ere were crowded together like swine In freight
cars. and were, from all appearance, suffering
both for the want OF clothing and vlctua}s. In
heez1ing;, But IL 1nost SHOCKING Pa1s q tho
whole affair was the hear;less manner IN which the
dead were trcated by. the guards. We hare
of Rs s1S m so ns
e1oand. let iosemest @ iiRs dead ania a sa aoms
deposition was made oi it afterwards. sach acts
Of heattleesntsa arc d!egrace to onr eouusFy and
can only result in retaliation on the part ot our
enemies. Is 1t possible we'll IN Christian land.
MICHIGAN c1T, Ind. Jan. 4, 1851.
Editors Chicago Tribune:
The above of course found its way into the
Chicago T'Mes, and I clip It from that paper
Of the 28th ult. 1t Is false, so far as the treat
mcnt Of the dead rebel here is concerned, and
is doubtless false all through-a mere Cop
perhead wink to the rebels at Richmond to
gIe, another :tl, IN, an11 to TIC SCREW Lney are
men now in their power. The prisoners were
carried In box cars, as they always have been,
each car Allied with as many Us It would con.
yenienuy hold. L they were cold, the
guards had to stand it as well as the prison
erH. They farcd no worse either for quarters
companied them. The one who was put OF
the cars here died between WestviIle aud this
place. He died ofdysentcry,, and brcathed
his Inst By a wasm fire in the passenger car
attached to the train, whittier he had been
taken when it was discovered that he was
that could be, for It was between two and
three o'clock In the morning, and medical as
sistance could not be procured. But before
his condition was made known to the officers
Of the train, he was past helping. The train
on arriving here ran up directly to the freight
house, and the body was LIFTED aetvss tAe p7at.
form (perhaps ten feet) into the building, and
left there until daylight, being covered with
such materials as were ut hand. It was not
dragged in the SHOW, nor did it touch the
ground at all, or within six feet Of 1t. The
next morning an inquest was held On the
body flor rumors were prevalent that the
man died By foul play at the hands Of his
co1nradee-rumors about as bascless as the
above story In the Iimes) and the above facts
substantially testified to by the conductor of
the train. The body Was then taken charge
of BY the military authorities here, and de-
Gently buried, Col. Anderson himself super
intending tho arrangements. No inhumanity
Wa6 manifested toward the corpse Of the un-
fortunate rebel, nor any other expression
used than that Of pity for the poor victim Of
20 dcspicable cause; and had he been any
other stranger falling thus sadIy destitute
among us, no better treatment could have
been given his remains.
The prisoner was poorly clad, as suppose
all of them were He evidently had had no
recent opportunity to strip the body of some
unfortunate Union soldier, for his clothes
were purely bntternut, and very poor Mt that.
But he had on the same CLOTHES his leaders
provided to protect him through the winter
against the chilling blasts Of Lookout Noun
tain and the heights about Chattanooga-the
same clothes which he wore while lighting
against the Government for his "rights, ;"
aud of which be doubtless felt proud.
Neither the Government, his guards, nor the
people Of Indiana, we're to blame for his be-
Ing 60 thinly clad, surely.
This correction should properly have been
sent to the Times, but We have little faith that
1t would retract a s1ander against tho Govern
mcnt, or publish anything that would have
the slightest tendency to soften the harsh
treatment of cur prisoners in rebel hands,
over which its Joliet yoke{ellow sheds Its
crocodile tears. In justice to the officers Of
the train and the people Of Michigan City,
then, weask Its insertion in the TRIBUNE: