Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1865-03-22
From the Irasburgh Standard,
ANDERSONVILLE RAIDERS.

ANDERSONyILLE RAIDERS.
There was a certain class of low lives,
who called themselves men, who would
steal, rob and kill their brother prisoners
for little or nothing Others called them
Raiders" City roughs, N. Y pickpockets,
mean, unprincipled, good nothings,
who were never brought up to anything
else but to rob and steal from good honest
people. They would arm themselves with
clubs and knives, and in the night when
they saw any one that they thought
had little money they would
demand it, and if the least resistance was
shown they would knock them down at
once and take it. Cups, haversacks and
blankets mysteriously disappeared. They
would steal them from one part of the
camp and sell them to the other. Some of
them we're SO bold they would lift" things
in broad daylight, right before our eyes.
If any one was caught in the act, a cry
was immediately set up, "a raider, raid
err" The thief hearing this would gene
rally start off on the run. A crowd
would start off on the run, and soon run
him down. When caught, he was placed
astride rail. or pole, against his will.
and amid shouts of 'How are you, thief ?"
Good for you" "How do you like your
boss p and tobacco cuds flying all around
his head, he was rode through the vairi-
GUS parts Of the camp After he had
rode long enough to get the rail tired he
was taken from his elevated position and
forced to hold still while they shaved his
head. They would then ask him, allow
are you bald head ?" Don't you
feel old ?" and abuse him generally One
ride on the wooden horse and one good
lather and shave would generally cure
their getting rich at the expense of other
folks. Sometimes they would be put in
irons and kept all day, and sometimes
made to wear board on their back with
THIEF painted on it, and carry heavy
log back and forth. Sometimes these
raiders would murder their mess mates,
cut them in pieces and bury them under
their tents. When a new squad of
prisoners came in they would watch them
and if they found any one that had
watch or anything else they waited, they
would watch their chance and five or six
pounce on to him and take whatever he
had, perhaps leave him dead on the spot.
Six of these murdercrs we're identified
and tried by our own men and sentenced
to be hung. On the 18th of July the
rebels furnished timber and cur men made
a gallows. They were all hung together
side by side The prop was knocked out
and FIVE were swinging at the same time;
one broke the rope and run half way
across the camp before he was caught.
He was marched back and hung with the
rest of his companions. He must have
felt awfully when he saw the other FIVE
strung up by their necks and knew how
certain it was that he had got to share
their fate They owned up that they had
been murdorers and hoped that others
would learn a lesson by seeing them die.
After these six men were hung, police
guard was appointed and at night, raiders
were looked after. The guard got extra
rations and only had to stay on guard
two hours in day. They carried small
billet Of wood TO knock down thieves if
they came in contact with any. Some
times the thieves would come around and
ask the loan of cup or spoon just for a
few moments, and when they had got it
would run off and never come back again.
There were thousands of men that did
not have cup, spoon, knife or fork, or
the least thing to do their cooking with,
and had to depend upon what they could
borrow. 1t seemed hard to refuse to lend
to such men as those, but there were SO
many dishonest ones that we could not
tell who to trust and did not make prac.
tice Of lending to any one that we did
not know. Sometimes those that had no
CUPS had TO give half their rations for tho