The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-08-24
LEADER
The London Times ON JeG Davis Conn
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sfOAIL1 LHADEh
The London Times on JeE Davis Com
pIfcI6y in Starving Union Soldiers.
NJ. L. ]. Jennings, successor to Chsrle
{ MsckSy IS New York correspondent Of tn,
London Times, writes the following lettel
, from Saratoga, July 81:
: Unless the statements which are issued
; every day concerning the health Of Mr.
Davis are very false, It Is not likely that be
will remsin much longer q cause of con.
tention among the Northern people. HI.
health lie ssid 70 be fast failing, and the rig
oFous nature of his imprisonment daily re-
duees his chances of recovery, He is not
SLOWED to see any one, except the man who
brings him his food, and occasionally 9
doctor. All books are denied him, except
the Bible, and he is not permitted TO re-
ceive letter. or to write any, even TO his
own counsel A sentinel is stationed IN his
room sothe papers say, and one informant
states, with the attention TO details which
is Characteristic Of his class, that the pris-
oner does nothing but smoke, that abe
combs bis hair regularly, that he eats little,
and sleeps pretty soundly." Particulars
such IS these seem to be received with sp-
probstion by the public, for 81 the time Of
Mr. Davis trial draws nearer the interest
which is felt in its result increases. It was
thought that by ~postponing the event pub
lie opinion in tie North would soften to-
wards Davis; but there is no Indication of
euch a change. Ga the contrary, circum.
stances are always occurring which
strengthen the general desire to See the
heaviest Of punishments fall upon his head.
Nothing will satisfy q very large portion of
the people but Nj. Davis life. Even the
most moderate men express q feeling of
anxiety lest the Government should be
contented with his Punishment This eager
craving for vengeance on an individual,
notwithstanding the awful visitation which
hiss fallen upon theentire South, and which
might seem enough to sppesse the demands
Of the most vindictive, may appear very
reprehensible to people in England, but it
is not so unreasonable IS it looks at s dis
lance. Not only can it be explained, but
justified; 1t does not arise from party pas
zion, but from the remembrance of deeds
which are more horrible than the English
public can have any idea Of, and it is con-
stsntly fed BY new proofs of barbarity per-
petrated on Federal prisoners. If there is
any bitterness entertained by the Northern
people toward the Southland very rarely
indeed have l seen evidences of tit
springs from the same cause that makes
them talk Of Davis IS of q being scarcely
human. That csuse is the incredible and
infamous treatment which the North
ern captured soldiers received in Southern
prisons.
The evidence upon which the charges of
cruelty rest is verwhelming and unRn-
swerable. A SanitsFy Commission was sp-
pointed by the Government to inquire into
the circumstance, and the members Of it
examined q great many men who mad been
prisoners in the South some of whom were
at deaths door when they told their story.
The testimony has been published by off
cisl sanction, snd photographs of q few Of
the prisoners are p.e1xed TO tie narrative.
Photographs do not lie, and these pictures
of living Skeletons covered with horrible
sores and wounds, speak for themselves
But still more psinfal witnesses against the
prisons of the South are TO be met with in
every village, in the presence Of poor young
fellows who have returned in q state of
idiocy, or psrslyzed, or eaten up with sour
Wy. A wretched object was pointed out to
me the other day. There were still the
traces Of q robust and strong man about
him, but be was physically q wreck, and
bis mind WIS utterly gone. When it is
considered that at A~ndersonville the Con.
federstes put the Northern prisoners on q
piece of land without even a tent to cover
them, that a tropical sun best down upon
their heads and that they had not TODD
enough given to them to keep wen
8 dog alive, it cannot cause surprise thst
mind and body alike broke down. II is q
fact, and 81 awful one to realize, that
around that prison field Of Andersonville
fifteen thousand Northern soldiers, taken
lie buried. Fever and starvation
laid them low. In the regular prisons,
where at least shelter from heat or cold
was provided. the men were huddled to-
gether SO that it was almost impossible to
in the rooms. When they went
10 the windows TO get 8 little fresh air they
were shot down from outside by the senti
nels. This crime is proved to have been
committed in scores Of cases. The evil
3ence, IS I have said, is before the world
he Southern leaders do not attempt to
contradict it. They only say they did as
well as they could, and all ones wishes
and hopes would lead one to believe them.
But here again, unfortunately, the evil
dence is too strong in disproof of their
At Libby, close TO Davis house,
the prisoners were literally starving.
Their friends in the North heard of this,
and sent them boxes of provisions. These
boxes were stored in sheds directly in front
of the prison, so that the men could see
them from their windows, but the author
tiles refused TO distribute them. The pris-
oners died from hunger in the sight of
The Southern defence is that this
was q retsliatory measure, used because
there had been 9 complaint about the treat
ment of Southern men in the North. But
it is proved beyond all doubt-and every
soldier, private or officer, who
is questioned on the subject admits it-that
in the Northern prisons no distinction
whatever wss made between Federal and
Confederate; both were carefully looked
sftG, and always had proper clothing and
food.
When q Northern prisoner was carried
South, it was common to strip him of every
trinket be possessed, and in many iDstAn-
ces to take his clothes from him. "They
even took our coats from us" depoeed
franklin Dinsmore, of the Eighth Ten
nessee cavalry, Gand part of us hsd to lie
there on the floor in our shirt sleeves"
anu bQ6 khu6 mhu ebbtcO-AA6 WSAo5 W
ing confirmed By numerous others-"many
a man Just fell dead walking round trying
10 keep himself warm, or as he was lying
on the floor died during the night and If
you looked out of q windowa sentinel
would shoot you. They shot some five or
six of our boys VINO were looking
out" Colonel DahlgTen was shot ct 8
window in this way, and buried naked. A
man who saw the body swore that the BIT
tie finger was cut off in order to get at q
ring which Colonel Dshlgren had worn
upon it. A doctor who had seen upwards
OF six thousand psroled men states that
thew we're sill in 3 half fsmished condition
when they came to him, and that the
lightest diet was almost too much for them
st first
The grief in bereaved families for those
who fell in battle is slight compared with
that which is felt by mothers who Know
that their sons Terished slowly End miser-
ably of hunger and disease. at is very
essy for you Englishnen TO talk shout
mercy and forgiveness" said 8 lady, talking
of this subject, Hbut how would you q Y
felt toward the Russians if they had starved
and murdered fifteen thousand of your sol.