Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-09-09
THE TRIAL OF KIRE.
TEsrInoNY on 0. 5 pELLER.

TESTIMONY OF 0. 3 BELLkk-
o. s. Beller testified that he had
served in the 18th Illinois Cavalry, and
was q prisoner at Andersonville from
the Ssh Of March uatil September, 1854.
He thought that Captain Wifz assumed
command about the last of April On
one occasion Wirz came into the stock
ade, when . cripple, walking on erutches,
approaehed him and asked TO 90 out
side The request vas refused, and the
cripple said be would rather be shot than
to- stay theye. The witness soon heard
Wifz tell the sentinel to tell that man
If be did not 20 back he would shoot
him. The man did not return, when the
sentinel fred aud shot him in the Jaw.
The cripple was known as Chicka-
manga. Wirz afterwards threatened
! to shoot the other men if they did not
90 away. On another occasion, while
the prisoners were being divided into
squads of hundreds, one of them, ow-
ing to sickness, did not fall in, when
WiEz threatened to shoot him, and did
shoot him. The ball went through the
nah heart. Prisoners we're kept in
the sun all day and were not allowed to
PROCURE water. If they could no. give
Satisfactory account Of any one Of their
anomheE missing. they were deprived Of
their .rations. This was the case for
three days early in July There was
not sufficient room in the prison
scarcely enough for the men 70 stand
5upon.z The limits were enlarged on the
north side. There were 42, 900 prison
ers there. at one time tie had heard
WiFz say thai he was killing more Yam
KEGS than these were serving at the
fnoaa Witness had seen twentyfve or
thirty men shot over the deAd-hne, and
others fred into who were not over the
81 Cross erastined by the defense 20
Were.ihere not desperadoes taere-men
who would steal and commit other of
fences. and was not the cripple to whom
you referred one Of them2
A. There were some troublesome
character there, but ] don't know
whether that man belonged to them or
not, don't think that a cripple on
serutehes was q good man to- steal
Laughter. si
During. q further examination, the
witness spoke of the man whom the
| sentinel fred at. ~ bsto
q Did you see the ball bit him7 ri4
II A. A man must have very good eyes
70 see 9 ball when il strikes g man.
Laughter. tbsao
The witness gave various instances of
men being shot One was shot while be
was in his tent, for merely stretching
/ his arm beyond the dead.line. Another
was shot at for treading over the line.
He heard Captain WirZ order the senti-
mel TO shoot the cripple. Some Of those
shot at were killed, and others taken TO
the hospital a
! TESTIMONY OF JAS. II. DAVIDSON.
j. Jas. IL Davidson testified that he was
q m membergof the ---- Iowa cavalry, aBd
taken as a prisoner to Andersonville on
the 8th Of March He described the
hilthy condition Of the prison and the
great mortality among the prisoners.
For week he drove the dead wagon.
Sometimes twenty-five men were thrown
into it at q time, aud, on the return, be
would bging wood and rations in the
same cart He had seen the guards
with blankets, shoes, and shirts on sent
there by the Sanitary Commission for
the use OF our own men. Captain Wirz,
he knew, made meal OF some Of the
tcrackers, cheese, and beef sent there for
our prisoners He had seen 400 or 500
boxes at the depot with supplies. They
were marked "U. s" IL was. common
for men to be put in the ehain-gang.
u One man died in the chaiBgaBg, with
Pan iron collar around bis neck He had
-. l. AZ
kinds : catch-dogs and bull-terriers
/ One of the dogs badly tore the hesh
from a mans leg. Another man wal
banging up his clothes, which be had
. washed, to dry; one Of the pieces blew
over, the dead-line; he stepped over the
"a dead-line to get the piece, when he was
6red 0poa and shot IN the breast An,
other man bad reached beyond the dead
line for some crumbs of bread, when hs
syass shot iH the head Wirz shot a mar
short time after he assumed command
!, of the prison. The latter was sick, lyins
on the ground, and asked Wirz for some
thing, when Wirz shot him. Wirz re
marked that be was killing more Yan
KEGS there than Lee was at Richmond
This was said in August. Wirz was al
the time With the witness, in the grave
yard, in the wagon With the dead men
The witness had seen men starved u
death. Food was so scarce at one tins
. that some Of them picked up particles o
food that bad already passed through
: the system.
j On his cross examination by the de-
:, tense, the witness said That the grave
yard comprised twenty-five or thirty
acres, and when he left ftAndsTsonville, OF
. the 1st Of September last, il was abou
two-thirds full. Witness had never seeI
Wirz shoot more than one man. The
. grave diggers we're Union soldiers.
By The eotrt-The deRd were buried
about two feet and half deep. Som
g we're Jufied With, and some wishou
clothing. Witness had never seen an
Al of the dead stripped before they wer'
. bofisd. Men were buried in trenche.
Ga one occasion $50 bodies we're pu
: into single trench.
TESTIMONY OF CAPTAIN wRIsar AND COL
- TANNING