The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-09-04

plies. They were marked U. s. 1t was
common for men to be put in the chain
gang. One man died in the chain gang
with an iron collar around his neck. He
had seen hounds thero; there were two
kinds, catch dogs and bull terriers one
| of the dogs badly tore The flesh from mans
\ leg. Another man was hanging up his
clothes to dry, one Of the pieces blew over
the dead line He stepped over the line to
| get the piece, when he was fred upon and
| shot in the breast. Another man had
| reached beyond the dead line for some
| crumbs of bread, when he was shot in the
head. WiTz shot a man q short time after
he assumed command of the prison. The
latter was sick, lying on the ground, and
asked Wirz something, when WIz shot him,
Wirz remarked he was killing more Yam
KEGS there than Lee was at Richmond.
This was said in August. Wirz was, at the
time, with witness in the grave yard in the
wagon with the dead men. The witness
| had seen men starved TO death, food was so
scarce at one time.
On his cross-examination by the defence
witness said the grave yard comprised
twenty five or thirty acres, and when he
left Andersonville, on the 1lth of September
last, il was about two-thirds full. Witness
had never seen Wirz shoot more than one
man. Grave diggers were Union soldiers
about two feet and half deep; some were
buried with, and some without clothing.
Witness had never seen any of the dead
stripped before they were buried men were
buried in trenches on one occasion Ouo
hundred and fifty bodies were put into
trench.
Captain H. Wright and Colonel Tanning
of the Confederate service testified as to
the signatures of General Winder and Cap
-, ~,ns.N .Naka II Hor n
gust last, which was exhibited TO them.
Major Hosmer, Assistant Judge Advocate,
was sworn and testified. He obtained the
paper from the chief clerk, having charge
of the rebel papers, at tho War Depart
ment.
The paper was read in evidence, and is
as follows: Consolidated Return Of the
Confederate States Military Prison, Camp
Sumter, Ga, for the month of August, 1864.
Prisoners on hand, on the last Of August,
1854, in Camp, 1885; in hospital, 1893;
total. 81 ,648.. Received from various places
during the month Of August, 3,O79; recap
sured, 4 /; total, 3,O82; making in the aggTs-
gate, "a ,760. Died during the month of
August, 1898; sent to other prisons, %;
exchanged, 81 escaped, 80; making 1901
of all. There are on the 3lst Of August,
in camp. 90 .473 hospital, 2,22O; total, 81
693. The same complaint has to be made
Of the guard. OF the 30 men who escaped
II of them did SO while on their parole of
honor not to escape as long as they were
employed TO work outside. The balance,
10, escaped, some in bribing the sentinels
with greenbaeks, some by simply walking
off from the pna-d S~hiiO TotufHfus from tAo
place where the tOolslereIkept, atnight, that
are used on the stOckade in the day time.
Perhaps IS more men escaped during
the month, but were taken up by the dogs
before the daily return was made out, and
6, that reason they are not on they list of
escs ned ner recaptured. That only four
@ ~ecapIueed is owing 70 the fact that
rsitbar che guard nOr the officers of the
o-T,s-J renorted man escaped. The roll
caIl in the morning would show man
missing but he would be too Jar gone then
10 be- tracked. As We have no court martial
here all such ofienses have gone unpunlsh-
o" VI A'" H.Wmz,
Captain Commanding.
The endorsements on the paper is as fol-
lows: Respectfully forwarded 70 General 3.
Cooner. Adiutant and Inspector General.
CSigped \ JOHN II. WMDER,
Brigadier General.
September 9th, 1864.
Thomas Ham testified-Beionged to the
ssd5n1iffe. he had cbarge 95,1aPTa 81 squad Il
ninety prisoners, but only one OF the lot
survived. They gave him another squad
from the new stock; the men died on
rapidly; a good many sunk down from
starvation and could not get up. Captain
Wirz threatened if they did not rise he
would blow the brains out of the God
damned Yankee. Wirz threatened to fire
grape and canister into them. He had
seen a mans leg that had almost been torn
off bv one of the hounds. The men were
yaccinated in their arms, and soon there
after sores appeared, twice as large as
silver half dollar, and filed with maggots.
He heard sentinel remark, after shooting
a man, "I'l have a furlough for that, and
if thought that would get a furlOugh for
sixty days I'd shoot another"
DR.. William Balsier testified that he had
acted in the United States army as Assist
ant Surgeon. When at Jacksonville he at
tended a large number of the cases from
AndessonYille and described the horrible
condition of the sufferers. The larger pOr-
tion of them were mere skeletons, and of
thirty-three thousand of the returned pris-
oners whom he saw at the place there were
not two Thousand who did not require med
ieal treatment, and that not one-half of
those who survive will ever be fit to resume
their former occupations. Some of them
afflicted with the scurvy were idiOtie, and
other parts of the bodies of the sufferers.
James Clancey, of the 2Sth N. Y, who
was a prisoner at Andersonville, testified
to- the shooting of the men Tor crossing the
de I'd line and also to other facts previously
est ablished.
oliver B. Fairbanks, of the 9th N. Y.
Cavalry, testified that he was a prisoner at
Libby and afterwards taken to Anderson
vile. That he treatment at Libby Prison
was better in eve.vV respect than at Ander-
sonville. He was ca Snlned on other points
corroborating the staten tents OF others. he
said that Capt. Wirz gene ally ssluted the
men with nyou damned va pkee sons of
bitches" The step father of T. witness
was also prisoner and effected n 'uh tne
scurvy, and was lying on the grounL ana
could not straighten his arms. Wirz = o.
preaching him said "YOu damned yankee
son-of-a-bitch won't give you anything
to eat," and stopped his rations for twenty
four hours. Wirz also kicked his step
father, causing him great pain.
The fatner of the witness died in the
prison about a month after the occurrence.
The witness further testified thathe refused
to be vaccinated, when Captain Wirz pun
ished him by putting him in the chain
gang, and that in order to be released from
the punishment he consented to be Vaecin-
ated, but after the operation had been per-
formed, he washed the matter out with
soap and water, and thus escaped the pois-
oning. He told others what he had done
same way. w4EfBBsa 59PP!iatksr made state
ment to him about ten minutes before he
died.
The witness placed his hand en- the pa
per and wrote what was now presented to
the Court as follows:
CAMP SUMTER, AKDERsoNvILLE,
August q, 1864.
OLIVER: die from sheer starvation, and
don't forget for the world to tell your
mother of the awful condition in which /
am compelled TO die in.
(Signed) RICHARD FAIRLoUGH.
The Court then adjourned till Tuesday.
FROH NEW FORK.
NEW York, September 2.
Gold rather easier. The payment of
$4,3l9,25O in gold, upon lO:4O coupons,