Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1865-08-24
American Correspondence Of the Londen Times
The Approaching Trial of Dayis-An
Impartial and Temperate Esti-
mate of Northern Feeling,

nearer, the interest Wnlcn Is lclJ III IL
increases. 1t is thought that by post
poning II public opinion in the North
would soften towards Davis, but there Is
no indication of such change; on the
contrary, circumstances are always oc-
curing which strengthen the general
desire to see the heaviest punishments
fall upon his head. Nothing will satisfy
a very large portion of the people but
Mr.. Davis life. Even the most moderate
men express feeling of anxiety lest the
Government should be contented with
his Punishment This eager craving for
vengence on an individual, notwith-
standing the awful visitation which has
fallen upon the entire South, and which
might seem enough to appeaSe the de.
mands of the most vindictive, may ap,
pear very reprehensible to people in
England, but it is not so unreasonable
as il looks at distance. Not only can
it be explained, but justified; itdoes not
arise from party passion, but from the
remembrance of deeds which are more
horrible than the English public can
have any idea Of and it is constantly fed
by new proofs Of barbarity perpetrated
upon Federal prisoners If there is any
bitterness entertained by the Northern
people toward the Southland very
rarely indeed have | seen evidence Of it
it springs from the same cause which
makes them talk Of Davis as Il being
scarcely human. That case is the in
credible and infamous treatment which
the Northern captured soldiers received
in Southern prisons. The evidence upon
which the charges of cruelty rest is over
whelming and unanSwerable. A SAM
tary Commission was appointed by the
Government 10 inquire into the circum-
stances, and the members of it examined
great many men who had been prison
ers in the South, some of whom were at
deaths door when they told their story.
The testimony has been published by
official sanction, and photographs of
few of the prisoners were pre,fxed to
the narrative. Photographs do not lie
and these pictures Of living skeletons,
covered with horrible sores and wounds
speak for themselves. But still more
painful witnesses against the prisons Of
the South are to be met with in almost
every village In the presence Of poor
young fellows who have returned in a
state of idiocy, or paralyzed, or eaten up
with scurVy. A wretched object was
pointed out to me the other day. There
were still the traces of a robust and
strong man about him, but he was phys
ically wreck, and his mind utterly
gone. When it is considered that at
Andersonville the Confederates put
Northern prisoners on a piece of land
without even tent to cover them, that
a tropical sun beat down on their heads,
and that they had not food enough given
them to keep dog alive, it cannot cause
that mind and body broke
down.
1t is a fact, and an awful one to real
ize that around that prison-field Of An
$1,000 northern soldiers, tax
en- captive, lie buried. Fever and star
walton laid them low. In the regular
prisons, where at least shelter from the
heat or cold was provided, the men
were huddled together so that it was
almost impossible to breathe in the
rooms. When they went to the win
dows to get fresh air, they were shot
down by the sentinels from the outside.
This crime is proved to have been COM
mitted in scores of cases. The evil
fence, as I have said, is before he
world the southern n, leaders do not at
tempt to deny ~. -. "~V ON" "',.% say they
did as well as they could, and all ones
wishes and hopes would lead one to be-
lieve them. But here again, unfOrtun-
ately, the evidence is too strong in dis
proof Of their words. At Libby, close
to Davis house. the prisoners were lit
orally starving. Their friends in the
north heard of this and sent boxes of
provisions. These boxes were stored in
sheds directly in front Of the prisons,
so that the men could see them from
their windows, but the authorities re-
fused to disturb them The prisoners
died from hunger in sight OF plenty.
The southern defence is that this is q
measure, used because there
had been a complaint about the treat
ment Of southern men in the north.
But it is proved beyond all doubt-and
every confederate soldier, private or Off
Ger, who is questioned on the subject,
admits it--that in the northern prisons
no distinction whatever was made be-
tween federal and confederate; both
were carefully looked after, and always
had proper clothing ard food.
1T is very easy for you Englishmen
to talk about mercy and forgiveness"
said lady, talking Of this subject,
'but how would you have felt towards
the Russians if they mad starved and
murdered fifteen thousand Of your SOL
diers in one prison ? 1t is this feeling
which extends through every class of
society in the north. To condemn it
without weighing the circumstances
which produced it is to do less than JUS
tice to a people who are ready to shake
hands with every southern man, and to
help him with money, provided he was
not leader among them.
As body the Northern people are i'm
patient to be friends with the South. 1t
is only against the leaders that they
bear animOsity, and it is chiefly concen-
trated upon the head Of Davis; for he
lived within stones throw Of Libby
Prison, whence the corpses Of starved
men were daily carted out in large num-
beers. 1t may be asked did Davis and
Gen. Lee know Of the manner in which
Southern prisoners were treated ? The