Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1864-10-20

to our common humanity for sympathy and succor
to the sufferers, that its publication was decided
on, and with the proper name of the writer, to
whose heart and pen it does SO much honor.
BALTIMORE, OCTOBER IA, 1864.
MY DEAR SIR: My short acquaintance with you would
hardly under ordinary circumstances, warrant thus
addressing you but know you to be Christian gentle
man. and such appeal to you in emergency of ap.
pallng magnitude
have just returned from Elmra Though not permit
ted to go inside the prison enclosure saw the condition
of the fifteen hundred who taken away for exchange,
many of them in dying condition. There ten thou
sand prisoners at Elmra great number have been in
confinement since the battle Of Gettysburg They have
been kept at Point Lookout have contracted disease from
The unwhoesome water there's transferred to Emira
canty clothed to face the cold Northern climate no tea
or coffee is allowed them no variation of their scanty phi
son fare No wonder that the mortality has been and is
frightul-that the sick numbers fifteen hundred Sleep
ing on the ground under tents four blankets for five
many without socks or Shoes when at last taken to the
hospital they are too far gone be restored to @ Seve
raj of those taken away for exchange died the
Happy they to be at rest No cold hunger
to suer Only think OF Neper to be ,oarm never to
have full meal cup Of coffee in land of pentyto die
of lingering torture!
1t is useless to appeal to the Secretary War 1t rests
with the Of the North to this foul stain from
our country The officers in charge Of the prison at FL
mira are kind and humane, but the condition of things is
beyond their power to remedy quantity of coarse
clothing is Immediately required Socks, under clothing
blankets and thick knit Jackets wanted for hospital
use and an effort ought at to be made such Mr.
Stanton cannot withstand to have them allowed coffee tea,
and sugar cam IT, soH not, believe that my country
of the North will permit this state of things to
tnue.
know sir how molly you have responded to the calls
made upon you in the past and implOre you to help
now My voice is too feeble to reach the Of the thou
sands who ought to be willing they able to give to
this holy charity From every prison the North, East
and West from Rhode Island to Fort Warren goes out
this wall of suffering MISUNDERSTANDING and blankets to
keep warm food and coffee to from pershrg
Woe to the people, dweers in land Of plenty, to whom
these calls made 10 vain These brothers.
There is not hamlet in the far West village in my
native New England not mining town in California. but
shelters gray head bleeding anguished heart
whose hearts go right up Heaven for pity these pr-
soners-their own kindred, blood of their blood
Mr., cannot write Of these things. Those fifteen
hundred pale faces are before them pass me
at the depot Those CHASTITY, pleading faces them
here agaln-saw the pile OF deaddead from want OF
rishng food-a cup of coffee in city whose church
steepes tower toward Heaven gentle women who would
have given this nourshment driven by brutal police and
detectives from the mission bequeathed to them by the
plying Son of Mary Hot tears OF shame for my country
who permit these outrages upon humanity and chris
tisnityears of pity for these poor sufferers blind my
eyes. ! cannot write.
Help me- Mr. - and plead with others also to give of
their abundance they hope for mercy in that awful hour
when must all give account of our stewardship
would plead for all the prisons, though have only
the horrors of Elmra.
With great respect yours,
MARY w. RHODES.