The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1865-09-04

WASHINGTON, Sept. 2.
The. Military Commission reassembled


The Military Commission reassembled to-
day.Ls i LAkssE q A4AAEs =
Mr.. Osbelcher testified that he was pris-
oher at AnlerSOnyille from the Sth of March
| until September, 1864 On one occasion Werz
came into the stochade, when cripple, walk
ing on crutches, approached, and asked to go
out. The sentinel fired, and shot him In the
jaw. The cripple was known by the name OF
| sfChicamauga.0 While the prisoners were
being divided into squads of hundreds, one OF
the men, owing to sickness, did not fail in, and
Wefz Threatened to shoot him, and did shoot
him. The prisoners were kept in the sun all
day, and We're not allowed to procure water.
Ii the squad could not give a sati factory ac-
count OF any one of their missing number,
they were deprived of their rations. There
were $4,000 prisoners there at one time. He
had heard Werz say that he was killing more
Yankees than those who were serving at the
'front.' Witness had seen 20 or 80 shot over
the dead line. One was shot while he was
merely stretching his arms beyond the "dead
line. Another was shot at for trcading over
the lines He heard Capt. Werz order the
sentinel to shoot the cripple.
James FL. Davidson testified that he was
taken a prisoner to unreasonable on the 8th
of March. He described the filthy condition
of the prison. For week he drove the dead
wagon. y Sometimes twenty-five were thrown
into the wagon at one time; and, on the re-
turn, he would bring wood and rations i'll the
same cart. He had seen the rebel soldiers
with shirts, blankets and shoes on them that
were sent them by the Sanitary Commission
for the use OF our men. Capt. Werz, he knew,
made breakfast ON some of the crackers,
cheese and beef sent there for our prisoners.
He saw 400 or 500 boxes at the depot with
supplies, marked 81. S." He had seen the
hounds there. One of the dogs badly tore
the flesh from a mans leg; another man was
hanging up bis clothes, which he had washed,
to dry, when one the pieces blew oyer the dead
line. He stepped beyond the linesto get the
piece, when he was fired upon, and shot in the
breast. Another man had reached beyond
the dead lire for some crumbs of bread, when
he was shot in the head. Werz shot a man a
short time after he assumed comm and of the
prison. The man was sick, laying on the
ground, and asked Werz for something, when
he shot him. Werz remarked that he was
killing more Yankees than Lee was at Rich
mond. Food was SO scarce at one time that
some of them picked up particles of food that
had already passed through the system. The
graveyard comprised Is, or 80 acres and
when he left Andersonvile ON the 18th OF
September last, it was about two-thirds full.
The grave-diggerS were Union soldiers. The
dead were buried about two and half feet
Deep. Some were buried with and some with
out clothing. Men were buried in the trench
es On one occasion $50 bodies were put into
a single trench.
Thomas Hall testified that he was prisoner
at Andersonville.' He had charge of a squad
of prisoners, but only one out of the entire
number survived They gave him. another
squad from the new stock. The men died off
rapidly. "a good. many sunk down from ex-
hauStion and starvation, and could not get up.
Capt. Werz threatened that, if they did not
rise, he would blow the brains of the God
damned Yankees. Werz threatened to fire
grape and canister into them. He had seen a
mans leg that had been almost torn off yone
Of the dogs D. Men were Eaccinated in their
arms, and soon sores appeared twice as large
as a. silver half-doilar, filled with maggots.
He heard a sentinel remark, after shooting a
man, s1'll have Through for that and, if l
thought could get a Through for sixty days,
/ would shoot another" . - ~ & ibs III
90 DIR. William Balser testified that he attended
alarge number of the cases from Anderson
vile, and out of $500 of the released prison
ers, there were not 200 that did not require
medical treatment, and that the bones had to
be removed from different parts of the bodies
of the sufferers r. lapfr So. s9ilg4A At-
# James Clancy, who was prisoner at An
Jacksonville, testified to the shooting of the
men across the dead-line; also to the facts
previously established.
I'D Oliver b. Fairbanks was prisoner at Libby
Prison, and afterwards taken to Andersonyile
The treatment at the Libby was better in
every respect than it was at Andersonyille.
He said that Capt. Werz generally saluted
them with, You damned Yankee sons of
bitches The step-father of the witness died
while in prison from starvation. His step
father made statement about three minutes
before he died. The witness placed his hand
on the paper, and wrote what was now pre-
sented to the Court, as follows
81 CAMP SwASPTER, ANDERsoNvuLE,
: q. - = N-s-s Aug q, 1864. Z es
Oliver, l died from sheer starvation, and
don't for the world tell your mother of the aw-
full condition in which l am compelled to uie
(Signed) RICHARD FARCLoUGH.
The Court then adjourned over until Tues
day.