The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-12-09
best ard bravest men that ever went to
battle, by thousands, have been allowed to

best ard bravest men that ever went to
battle, by thousands, have been allowed to
rot and to starve.
At the date of our visit not more than
a hundred prisoners were in the Libby, its
contents having recently been emptied in
to worse sink in Georgia; but almost
constantly since the war began, twelve and
sometimes thirteen hundred OF our officers
have been hived within those half dozen
desolate rooms and filthy cellars, with
space of only ten feet by two allotted to
each for all the purposes of living.
Overrun with vermin, pe-ishing with
cold, breathing stifled, tainted atmos-
phere, no space allowed them for rest by
day, and lying down at night "wormed
and dovetailed together like fish in bask-
ct their daily ratiOns only two ounces
of stale beef and small lump of hard corn
| bread, and their lives the forfeit if they
caught but one streak of Gods blue sky
through those filthy windOws-they have
endured there all the horrors of the mid
die passage My soll sickened as look
ed on the scenes of their wretchedness. If
the liberty We are fighting for were not
worth even so terrible price,: it were
not cheaply purchased even with the blood
and agony of the many brave and true
souls who have gone into that foul den
only to die, or to come out the shadows of
men-living ghosts, condemned to walk
the night and to fade away before the
breaking of the great day that is coming
who would not cry out for peace, for
! peace on any terms?
nd ,.-bi 10
mind, the cringing, foul-mouthed, brutal,
cotemptble rutfian who had caused ell this
misery stood within two PAGES of me. l
could have reached out my hand, and,
with half an effort, have crushed him, and
II did not DO it. Some invisible pow
er held my arm, for murder was in my
heart
"This is what that Yankee devil,
Streight, that raised hell so among you
down in Georgia, got out, " said Turner,
pausing before a .jut in the wall of the
room. GA fue was here, you see, but
we've bricked it up. They took up the
hearth, let themselves down into the base
ment, and then dug through the wall, and
eighty feet underground into the yard of
deserted building over the way. If you'd
like to see the place, step down with me. :"
owe would, Major We'd be right
glad ter" | replied, adopting, at hint
from the Judge, the Georgia dialect.
We descended a rough plank stairway,
and entered the basement 1t was damp,
mouldy, dismal place, and even then-in
hot July weather-as cold as an ice house.
What must it have been in midwinter
The keeper led Us along the wal! 10
where Streisht and his party had broken
out. and then said:
'It's three feet thick. bat they went
, through it, and al the way ursier the
street, with only few ca>e-fnises and a
Gu,t-pan."
"Wal, they ara1' smart. Bat. keeper,
whar' vas yer eyes ali o,thet time? Down
our way, e man couldn't see twenty
Yankees a-wuckin' 30 for six weeks. by
daylight. in a clar place like thi. yere
we'd reckon he warn't fit fer lend a pen
o. niprers"
Tie judge whispered, "l-e' cover, ::ne
it. Hold in" Turner WINGED Ike = sfrpck
ho nj, but. smothc,inc his wrath smil.
,ng'y replied.
"The place wasn't clear tLen. II was
flied with straw and rubbish The YAM
KEGS covered the cpening with it. and hid
away among it when any one was coming
canoLt two If ,L1n |;,,.. lor| MS nn-.
but they pulled the wo,l aver INV oyes oni
let them off with . few, Iay: IN - brn-
,eon Prt thot to1ina. ~ {, '.u,,-
Wit the devil Tie was tho wow MV'" nn D'
customer I've had in tho rwan+,. ,nnath,,
I've been bere 7 nut hin IN a ,ao t;,no