Daily national Republican., 1865-09-02
Trial Of Henry WHz.
HIGHLY IMPORTANT TESTIMONY
THE MONTHLY REPORg OF THE PRISON,
U TWENTY THREE SENT TO
OTHER PARTS
The Murders Committed by the Accused
ELEVENTH DAY.

Sa1 STL; A. a 4 GHcrs Hossss Judge Advocates.
This morning the Commission for the triai Of
wifs met In their rooms at the Capitol at ten
| o'clock, all the members present, the Judge Al
voeates, and the counsel for the accused.
few minutes past ten o'clock tho prisoner
was brought in, accompanied by guard, and
shown 70 his usual seat BY the side Of one'of his
| attorneys, Mr.. sehade. ""t a.
| LThs crowd In Attendance this morning was not
so large rs usual whom the doors were opened,
but before the hour Of recess the room was dense
Iy crowded, large number Of them, being ladies'.
The prisoner, wirl, begins TO look badly. He
sits most Of the time with his head leaning on his
| hand and occupied in conversation with his at
orney, Mr.. schade. T." .s.
At half past eleven o'clock the reading of tho
| testimony OF yesterday was concluded, when
| ...... %. 5. BELCHER
| testified thht ho had been in the United States
| service, as member OF the 9Th Illinois cavalry.
| Had been q prisoner at Andersonyilie. 10 Was
there when Wirz took charge OF the prison ,which h
was sometime In April Witness heard Wirz
order the guard to shoot man. AcriPpled pris.
ouer in the stoskade asked wirr to let him go out
| OF the stockade. wirz would not let him go (;
the man then went over the dead line and said he
| would rather. be killed than stay In there. He
begged the sentry to shoot, but he would not (;
finally wirz came and told the man to go back.
He then ordered the guard tO Are at the man the
guard fred and killed the prisoner.
Many Of US were standing about the cato. Wir1
i told II we did not go to our quarters he would
shoot in the crowd and kill more Of us The man
| shot had but one leg, and went by the name OF
| Chickamauga. Had seen Win hre at prisoner
with his revolver IL man made his escape and
| his comrades did not give an accountof him,they
/ were taken out and put In the stocks aud the ra-
tions Of the whole squad, which consisted OF 20,
4 was cut of. Witness knew three days In success
| sion when not q ration was brought into the
4 arrival
| Etockado was not hrished. The men were
| crowded In It, Al one time there were 1900
prisoners in the stockadc, which covered eigh. :.
teen or twenty acres. Heard Wirz say he could
kill more Yankees at AndersonVille than the
army could kill at the front. Wirz was afraid TO
| go on the side Of the prison whore witness was
| confined unless he had an hundred men with
him. Had seen men killed whom they were not
| near the dead line,
Cross examined: Witness went to Anderson
Vile In March, and remained there until Sep.
| tember. The sentry who shot the man was ut
| the gate, on post. Heard the sentry tell the
crippled prisoner he did not want to shoot him.
| The comrades Of the prisoner were standing
around. They were afraid to go over the doad
| line to get their comrade back. The man did not
belong to the crowd OF desperadoes In the prison.
He was poor fellow, with only one leg, and
could not be much Of desperate. None Of the
| prisoners were well clad. some had clothes on,
others had not. Many Of the prisoners were
without hats. The men were nasty, dirty, and
lousy. Wirz established the dead line when lie
The prison was very much crowded after the
a. 900 prisoners were there after the ght at Spot
| sylvAnia Court -House. Before that there was
q, 600 In the prison. During the months Of July
The rebels oouid easily have made the stockade
| larger and made room for the prisoners. Were
deprived Of rations for three days the Sd 4th and
6th Of July, 1884. Not q ration was brought in
| side the stockads during those three days. The
| rations all came from the cook house.
| Witness had seen men shot neatly every day.
There was not month while he was confined but
some Of the men were killed. Saw two men shot
in one afternoon. The sentry fred at them.
| They were killed. The men had gone for water.
II was near the place where the dead line crossed
| the brook. Saw man shot when he was going
out after wood. Saw another man shot on the,
| east side OF the stookade. He reached over the
| dead line, and was shot by the guard. Had s1en
twenty thirty carried out Of the gate after they
were shot. man was shot while trading with
| one Of the guards near the dead line. The SEN
| try never said anything before shooting. The
bridge over the creek was near the dead-line.
The men would 60 down above the bridge for the
purpose Of getting water and 1t was at this place
that many were killed.
| A comrade named Sherwood was shot on the
l2th q July. He belonged to the same regiment
as witness. The killing was daily occurrence.
Every day some man was shot.
| .'.''' JAMES II. DAVIDSON
| Having been sworn, testified that he had be-
| longed to the 4th United States cavalry; was
| taken prisoner in August, 1853, and taken to
Belle Island; was taken from there to Anderson
willie in February, 1885, wirZ came there about
| the last Of March or LIST Of April. The condition
OF the stockade was very bad men were dying
Before witness came out fifteen or twenty thou
| sand prisoners were there. At the time witness
i left Wirz was In command Of the prison. The
brook was full Of vermin. The dead men were
carried out on strstchers. Witness had been en-
| ployed In driving a wagon from the stockade to
| the grave yard would haul fifty or seventy
Ave men = day, twenty Ave Mt a load, piled In
tlrA. rAaIs . ARIA In In nttan nNau
masters and haul the prisoners ratious In the
same wagon that the dead were carried in.
Witness had seen large store-house there at
the depot. Had seen articles sent by the SAINT
tary Commission at Capt, wirz's headquarters.
| Blankets and clothing were also sent. They were
not issued to the prisoners, but given to rebels
Had seen Wirz eating the things sent to tho pris-
/ oners by the Sanitary Commission. Had seen at
/ the depot four or i've hundred boxes sent 10 the
prisoners by the Sanitary Commission. The
boxes were marked ~. s." Had seen them
opened. They contained articles sent by the San
itary Commission, Had seen barrels OF vinegar.
| Witness had seen all kinds Of vegetables grown
there, Large quantities were brought in by the
citizens They would sell to the prisoners GU the
| sly.
Had seen plenty Of lumber about the stockade.
| There was an axe factory at the depot. Had seen
| the chain gang; from IL TO IA men were IN 1t.
They were kept out In the hot sun. Saw ono
man die In the chain.gang. lie was buried with
an iron collar around his neck. Had seen from
6to hounds there every morning some were
hounds and was q bull terrier, called catch
| dog. Saw one man who had been bitten by the
dogs; the calf Of his leg was nearly torn off.
| Wirz was present at the time. Witness had seen
| men shot. Saw a man washing his clothes aud
hanging them over the fence to dry. One OF tho
| II, and was shot by the guard. Another man
was reaching over the dead-line to get some
| crumbs Of bread, when the guard shot him.
Shortly after WrI came there he was passing
4 In the gate one day q sick man was lying there
| he asked Wirz something Wirz turned round and
| shot him One day WirL was In the wagon with
witness when he had been to tho grave yard with
| q load Of dead men. Wifz said ho was killing
| more d-n Yankees there than Leo was at the
| front Had seen plenty of men rho were starved
| to death. Had seen men pick up beans which
| had passed through other mon. They would 20
round the stockade and ind them. Many men
were not able to go to the pit.
| Cross. examined: The graveyard comprised
| twenty-five or thirty acres. II was two thirds
| full when witness left. Witness run away the
llth Of September was reeapturod and taken to
Macon, Ga. !; was In perfect healthy condition
| squad witness was In about ten or twelve only
were sick. The prisoners We're very badly fed,
| Witness was put In the stockade on the Sth Of
March, aud taken out On the llth of May. Went
| to WH's headquarters, and was put to chopplng
wood, with twelve others; cut wood all around
| the stOckade; did not see any colOred men there
| chopping wood saw no other gang but the one
he was attached to. WirZ had given orders that
each prisoner should cut three loads OF wood
| day, or be put back In the stOckade. One load
| was M much as six mules could haul. They re-
| coiyed three rRtions from the bakohouse. The
bread consisted Of corn, cob and all, beans not 1T