Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-03-24
COLONEL A. D. STREIGHT.
A Gallant Gentleman Welcomed
Home.

At an early hour last night Masonic Hall was
crowded 70 hear from Col. Slreight lust returned
from Libby prison.
He was introduced by Mayor Caven He said
that il afforded him great pleasure TO meet his
fellow citizens TO night Fifteen months ago he
had seen his fellow citizens in this very hall
He proceeded, giving a history of what his regi-
ment. the gallant 5lst. had done in Alabama
His remarks were very amusing and patriotic
tie illustrated the system OF guerrilla warfare by
reference 10 Palmyra, a town Somewhere down
IN Georgia Palmyra no longer existed. There
were cross roads there but that WIS all. The
city had vanished. and all their mules and all the
niggers also. The people OF the South de
termiDei To fight this throughout. They
IA dead earnest, whether We ia the North were or
not. War. desolaton. -utjuga,ion and deter
miuation must tie brought home 10 them before
they would feel aud acknowleg e the error of
their WAYS The speaker proceeded. giving
history OF the achievements OF his command I'm
Alabama The gallant Indiana boys everywhere
in this war had done their duty This portion of
the genrleman's speech deeply interesting
After the manner IN which his men wounded and
dying in the mountains, were treated. he felt
like fighting this throughout Will you talk
about compromising with such menf IL YOU
would he would differ with YOU at the start. and
we should have fuss 1T once.
After his surrender TO Gen Forrest in Ala
bau,a he spoke of the hariships the officers and
men had received. They were absolutely
robbed Of everything All the terms OF his sur
render were violated. In Libby Prison every
dollar of money sent. and e~ery cask of provs-
ions was seized upon That is the way he Was
treated Aud yet there were men who talked OF
peace and compromise with these men Whip
them: fight the thing out That was the only
way he could treat them.
"A QeScrlDfiOu
Prison. The whole building was used in times
past for tobacco factory. The whole building
was used for officers quarters The furniture
consisted of the floor aud mavbe an old box or
a barrel. The rations consisted of one fourth of
pound of beet per day. and fourteen DAYS with
out it half the time ut that. Corn bread made
from unbolted meal, unpaatable and in limited
quantities, WAS furnished. but the inevitable
Yankee Struggled in money enough to supply
the wants of the prisoners The papers of Rich
mond actually complained that the Federnl prs-
oLers in Libby were interfering with the prices of
commodities in their markets, The officers Jared
well enough. but the private soldier had tremen-
dous privatons. He referred To the treatment
OF the private soldier aud said that II was hend-
ish and malignant. and could only be met with
the bayonet. tie had seen hundreds OF men
brought up from Belle Isle. and their great com.
plant of the want Of food. Many of them
died the first night after they were brought in.
The rebels, in the treatment of Federal prison
ers. were worse than heatheDs.
The speaker gave detailed account Of his
escape from Libby prison He paid high tri
butte in the connection TO the secretiveness of the
negro character. The plan OF tunneling has al
ready been published. Ii il had not been for the
negroes. most certainly there would have been
no escape. High was the eulogium passed upon
the negro
A white would not have had sense
enough, but the niggers always had to turn mat
tiers all right
The negroes had informed him that there was
a majority of loyal people IN Richmond Such
thing could not be said ct some northern cities.
IL could not he said of New YoIk-poor degrad-
ell New York.
He pursued his narrative which was listened To
with the deepest interest throughout The mig
gers had helped him To escape. Thew ought
! not perhaps To have been 50. but SD It per
haps from military necessity So hy military
necessity the United States had called IN the ne
gro Yet there were people who sad that they
would not fight beside of the negro Our gov
eminent with regard ~ the negro was doing Just
what humanity demanded His master wa our
deldlv enemy: lie was our friend. Let u avail
ourselves o! him
MANY ladies were present to hear Col Steight.
AMI no more interesting lecture has recently been
delivered in Masonic Hall