Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-08-09

stream COZ filth audssdiseaseLl At any
time, 1RdsE the most rigid hygienic re-
strictionsa il ia difficult to maintain
health and cleanfiness among 3 large
body ofomed4Awhat do you think was
the eopdiaion of 81 200 halEnaked, half
Starved Enens without .any police reguls-
tions, under no moral or restraining in
fuences7 IL the remnant who were
finally allowed 70 pass out of this mill
fary Golgotha weren Wild beasts, IN
washed, hefouled devils, no thanks are
to be given to Henry. Wertz for lack Of
effort to produce such a consummation.
When it rsined, as It does In that cli-
mate almost continually during the
spring aud fall lmonthsy ahs soil within
iths inelosnre was one mass of loblolly,
soft mud, at least fifteen inches in depth,
through which stalked and staggered
the gaunt, half-clad wretches thus con.
6ned. Fhs stencil from the prison could
be perceived for tRo miles. and farmers
living in the peighborhoQd began 70 fear
fos the health Of their families.
As As q sconseqds1cs of tkis, tbs hospi
tals-facetious was Wertz in horrible
hdmauity--xeres esoEded to repletion
with tha emaciatsds starred and diseas-
| ed men who were tumbled into them.
The hospitals we're constructed Of
logs, unheWed, the interstices untitled
and open, admitting the rain, withoual
| Hoors, cots, .hunks or hlanksts, filthy
| aud fetid with the fostering, putrid bodies
E'cf the sick, the dying and the dead.
Words fail, language Is irnpotent 70 de-
scribe enc of these dens of disease. aud
death. 0aIaonee mustered the. courage,
! Northern friend, to enter one of them,
1 to visit one who was tenderly reared, and
walked in tbejbest raakslof Connsctieut
societg9 Iabslievsd ] had seen before
1 this what I desmsd to be human wretch:
1 sdness in its worst forms. thought
| that ! could nerve myself to witness
I mortal ago6y and wretchsdeess 4and
idestitution, as i had heard il described,
bHithout blanching or trembling. But If
the condensed horrors Of hundred
"black holes" bad Been brought before
! my mind 20 prepare me for'the ordesl,
they woald have sfailed3 to realize tbs
facts. aa / saw them, face TO face. 4 !.
can pot, 10 q daily paper, read By in
j nocences and virtue, detail, what met ny
i sight on the occasion / refer to. I'win
not Pollute any page, sassths records Of
the courts that must try the culprit for
the crime Of torture by disease and 9Th,
| with the details, of that caravansary oi
| horrible, Intentional slaughter For fs1I
that some may thiak Ifhave exaggera-
1 ted, an spisodsJihere Wills perhaps, dis
pei such illusion. Convicted By the
horrible fact that was . stencil in his
nostrils, General Winder, then Commits.
saFy General gofs prisons, 2 but having his
headsna artsK8 at t.Andersonyille, vas fore
ed, hy deceneY, not humanity, for this be
\ himself asserted, to ask the aid Of the
presiding elder Of the Methodist Church
Of that circuit, to adopt some means to
Alleviate sths miseriss and soeGhe the
wretehedness of the poor inmates of
that Andersonville Hospital. This gen.
tlemAn Invoked the cooperation Of the
women Of Sumter county, who responded
I kithAeiothiDg and necsssariss only, lfoI
these .alone, are allowed. to the amannt
-ef four wagon loads. Upon the day ap-
pointed, four ladies, accompanied b
their husbands, went 70 the prison and
sought from the Provost Marshal pasI
20 take their benefaotions to the siel
prisoners. 1t was refused with curse
| The party proceeded to Winder's head
! lqusrters, where Henry Wertz was II
y company with the General Tho de-
mandlfoE azpasE was repeated, Under
, stand, the ladies we're present, and tbs
/, treasons given why the party were there
Fin accordance With Wfndsfs special re
lquess. 70 their astouishment they wer,
met with this neply: stsG---d d-rn yon
haze you all turned Yankees here2o,
mo, General" responded the spokes
man OF the party, ~ am not as yoi
know, nor are amy here present; w
have come as you requested rs, througl
, Rev. Mr.. d., to hriHga necessary articles
: for the Federal hospital, and ask pas
, for the purpose of delivering them.
'Tt's d-d lie. / never gave per
mission for anything Of The kind. Be oi
! with you, all of yon.""4s.. asss sa-.1ss
Il. As this fearless display of MARTA
vslor and gentlemanly bearing was no
sufficient, Henry Wertz essayed TO, an.
! did, eclipse his Gsneralinap profanity en-
lindeceuey@-andI here assert that if : th
. lowest sinks of the most abandoned par
of your city were CLEANED, they coul
6 not surpass the ribald vulgarity an
fendish profanity of this jaslor, exhibit
ed in the presence of refined and C4loJ
/ al ladies.Hua1 at bio suaacl. - 4
Il Shocked, terrified, beaten TO the YER
|, dust With modification, the party retire.
!. i and, foiled'in their efforts to succnr til
sick. or alleviate the torturss Of the dy
|. ing Union soldier, they gave their load
! of clothing and food to the passing col
! umn Of Federal prisoners, on their wa
o 70 another place-Millen. They at lesi
: had the satisfaction Of knowing ths
= some we're benefited, even If thsy ha
s failed in. their efforts for those who mo-