The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-09-06
The Wer~ TRIM.

sh WASHINGTON, Sept. 8. Dr.
The Werz trial to-day consisted of the usual
narrative of horrors connected with the An
lersonville prison and the fiendish cruelty of
i,Verz gslt .sii as.ils ...s,.s.a b.;
j, Nelson Clark, Union prisoner, testified
hat on one day # last year he counted 1876
lead men in the stockade. Hementioned the
Ease OF an insane soldier who walked I'D and
Town by the stream refusing to wear clother ,
ind who had not enough sense to know tina.
ne must cook his own rations. He ended his
ife by suicide. Another prisoner DESTROYED
himself by hanging, after declaeing that lie
you'd rather die than remain in the stockade.
Witness knew of six instances where men had
)een shot for getting beyond the dead line. 8
Vincent Harry, Of the I'D New York regi
nent, in his evidence, described the sufferings
f 100 men who had been yaccinated with
poisonous matter.
Joseph Il. Achuff, of the 24th Ohio regi-
nent, testified that he got away from the An
lersonville prison, but was recaptured He
+ iun into aswamp and soon saw five hounds
md seven rebels on horseback. The hounds
we're not taken off from him for fifteen min
ties, during which time he had to fight them
With his fists. Hehad nothing upon him but
pair ofpantaloons made of two rebel meal
acks. He still carries the marks Of the biting
IN his legs. The horn was blown as sigma
o take the hounds off. He was taken before
Yerz, who ordered him to be put into the
Z tocks where he was exposed to the sun. He
vas thus punished for thirty six hours. and
turing that time had only two drinks out of
he muddy creek. When he spoke to Werz
bout his treatment, he was told to dry up, or
ne would have his brains blown out After be-
ng taken out of the stocks he was roned.--
When the irons were removed it was pretend
ed that the rebel physician ordered It, when
he fact was they were afraid of Sherman, hav-
ng white flag hanging out all the time This
was in July, 1854 The squad of 80 men to
which witness was attached being in tolerably
good cond lion, would stand up in line pretty
well, but others could not. Werz said he
would not give the latter anything to eat for
forty-eight hours, and he kept his word. On
the Sd, 4th and 9Th of July rations were cut off
because some prisoners had escaped Witness
had seen Werz searching the prisoners and ap-
propriating their valuables. Witness himself
had been previously robbed by Gen. Wheeler
of his pocket-book, containing thirty-five cents
and three postage stamps. Maj. Gen. Hind
man also robbed him, taking off his hat and
placing it on his own head. 709
ID. w. Bussinger testified that when he and
his companions were conveyed to Anderson
vile, they were, during four hours, exposed to
a burning sun, and some of the men were sur
struck. Werz was there and gave orders that
if any one stepped out of line he should be
shot. Werz also said if any asked for water
they should be shot, accompanying the remark
with denunciations of the id Yankees.
While many lay fainting, Werz said if it was
in his power he would make the victory com
plete. Witness had seen prisoners searching
in the filth which had passed through men for
particles ofundigested food A man who show
ed Werz his ration of corn bread and asked
whether better could not be furnished met
with the response, .SGod d-n you, I'll give
you bullets for bread.n There were not sinks
enough for one twentieth of the prisoners.
The swamp was more than foot deep with
human excrement. This spoilt the water in
the wells. sae s Jssa F5g8 7liiI.
Robert Merton, belonging to Pennsylvania
regiment, testified that he had seen Werz
wearing shirts which he'd been sent to our
prisoners by the Sanitary Commission. Wit
ness also testified that Werz remarked on one
ccasion, that If he could have his own way
not twenty-four men on the south side would
get away by exchange or parole.
Frank Mattochs tcolored) testified as to the
cruelties he had seen, including the lashing OF
the Eare bodies of some of the prisoners of his
own color He said that Werz, while in the
graveyard remarked that he had "Given the
Yankees the land, they came to fight for
meaning the ground in which they were bur
led.
The court here adjourned until tomorrow