The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1865-08-30
The WIzTEfnI.


neE which read as follows: Ia 4 ..
OLD CAPITOL PRIsoN. 10 an
~. M,4AslE11rsseToH,i D. G., Aug. %.
So se;; ~. &. iCgt!gllG9l, Judge AdVoedt,
Mttndty Commission
g most respectfully ask the Commits.
sion, as Iam here aloue, TO send foi
my counsel, MeSsrs. Schade tSsBakeF
as understand that on, my most fer.
vent entreaties they have consented
again to appear for me! They under.
stand my whole case and Know nav
witnesses and papers,. Hoping that The
S.enlnllssl9l Will grant myirequest,
Most respectfully, rla
Your obdient servant,
10Y tI=5f Old HENRY WIRZ, 81
10 Late Capt, and "A. A. &C.. S. A. 4
MaI.-Gen. Wallace said If there was
no objection the gentlemen would be
sent for. fatia5 ~ ~ <,
No objection being, made, and the
Commission being disposed to afford
every proper means for defence, an or
derby was dispatched for Messrs. Baker
IL Schade. 2 n 4 q :.
The courtwas then cleared for about
three-quarters of;apa hour, and when
the doors We're opened the record of
yesterday was read. rLy+ ..
D Messrs! Baker 81 Sehade again ap-
SONA4 JOE WITT
The room was more crowded than
hereto forel with spectators, many woL
mentbeing in the crowd.
DR.. y! g. Ray was called and being
examined by Assistant Judge Advo-
cate Hosmer, testified that The was on
duty at AndersOnville-thn he was
under the immediate charge of Surgeon
Stevenson. The hospital was In a de-
plorable condition, there not being n
sufficient supply of tents and hunks
and the men even had no comforts. He
was told that there were believed to
be from 81, 900 to So, 900 prisoners. He
did not find difficulty in obtain
ing medicine excepting. a few of the
rarer articles. The men presented the
most horrible specimens OF humanity
ne ever saw. A n large number ofthem
were affected with worst form of scuryy,
He attributed the sickness to long con-
hnement, exposure and the absence of
the comforts of life. There were mag
gotS in the swamp near the hospital the
malaria from which had most fatal
effect upon the patients. The insects
Or white ants with wings were such as
result rom decayed animals and veg
etable matter. They were SO numer-
Gus that tt.was dangerous for man to
open his month ut shutdown. The wit
ness heard there was a dead line and
that one Of bis patients was killed. but
he did NOT See him shot-he stated the
circumstances under which the prison.
ers were when Wirz had command of
them and while he was in the 0dminis-
tration of his duties MS surgeon. All
the surgeons came to the conclusion
that Wirz had full authority over the
prisoners under Gen. Winder. he had
seen the chief clerk of DR.. James, buck
cd and on tnquirfng the reason was in
formed that the punishment was in
tlicted by order of Capt. WfrZ.
Cross examined by Mr.. BAker-The
Hospital fund about Which he had tes-
titled and with which delicacies for the
sick We're purchased, was in existence
when he went TO Andersonyille, during
the month of February or March lnst;j
5000 in Confederate money was drawn
from the fund Mt TINT time: q one doll
lar greenback would purchase SO of
Confederate money. The witness WAS
Mt ndefsonYille six months and the
buclSing was the only instance ofpun-
lshment. he had seen. The medical con-
ditipn of the hospital was better after
DIR. Clayton came there. Capt. Wirz
exercised no more influence over the
E3rner physicians than he did over DR..
Clayton. Hos p Fl a tf5ei9 =
At i o'clock the Court took arecess
until O'Clock. ny
On the reassembling DIR. b. A.Van-
1erkieft testified that he was on duty
1T Annapolis from May %, 1888 to May
IS 1865. He attended to more than 1000
of the returned prisoners from Ander-
sonYille. They were suffering from
chronic diarrhea, scnrvy and other dis
SeaSeS. Some were in a dying condition
and others had to be treated In hospital
before they acquired strength enough
TO be taken home. The disease from
which death ensued, more than from
any other cause, was chronic diarrhen.
This resulted from insufficient and inn
proper food and Exposure. Very
little attention was paid to their
condition ut AndersonVille. L He was
shown the photograph of a living skel-
eton and said he had seen many of the
prisoners returning in similar condi-
lion. az 80
Cross-exanined by Mr.. Baler-He
knew Officially that the men were from
AndersonVille; had seen men reduced
to the condition represented in the
Witness was regularly
educated in Germany as physician.
Martin L. Hogan testified us to his
having been a prisoner at Anderson
vile. The men We're in n miserable
us bad Us possibly could be;
the men We're SO thick they could
scarcely elbow their way along; some
lay in their own filth, calling for water
and food, but no attention was paid
them. He alsa testified to the misera7
BILE quality of the food and its injurious
effects; men afflicted with scurvyI
would crawl upon the ground; very
many men were insufficiently clad ahd,
hadsnp shelter but sburtowed in the
ground; MS to the, hounds, he was
brought back to prison by their agency;
he had seen Capt. Wirz with hounds
trying to strike the. track of an escaped
prisoners for attempting to escape from
prison, about the Sth of October, 1891,
after the most obscene abuse from
Capt. Wirz, he was fastened by the
neck and feet, and remained in that
position Gs hours; he heard Capt. Wirz
give orders that he should not have
food, but he did get it from some pa
rolled comrades, who stole it for him.
Gross-examined by Mr.. BalSer-Wh
helesoaped he took with him knife to
protect himself from harm If necessary.
1t was confederate surgeons knife
which he had taken without leave. His
Gompanion attempted to assist him,
provided him with revolvers; five loads
were fired at the party who first Pur-
T.. II.