The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-10-13

WAsHI10fcH, Oct. IL.
The Wirz military commission reassemblet
to-day.
In the Wirz trial this morning letters were
| read BY the prisoners counsel written by tie
prisoner to the rebel authorities suggesting Ar
improvement in the quality Of the bread fur
nished the prisoner, and an increase Of blan.
kets, also urging supply Of shoes for paroled
prisoners who were as work for the Confer.
cy, thus saving expense and relievinRirebe
| soldiers.
Col. 7. G. RuAin testified that he resided
near Richmond and during the war was 1t.
colonei IN me subnstence department Of the
Confederate service. There was de6cienc,
of chmnaisssry supplies and from the he,;n
ning OF the war more or less scarcity. HI
wo0Id not say that any one wss on the min,
Of starving, but that there was much nriya.
ton. Thirty thousand barrels of Aour had
accumulated at Richmond in the spring 81
1854, but the whole Of that was consumed by
Union prisoners, therefore, the army of Gen.
Lee had to subsist on corn bread. The mea,
had to be brought from Georgis At Cold
Harbor, vegetables were so scarte that Gen.
Lee made an urgent appeal to the War De.
partmenf. The men for want df vegetables
we're suffering from scurvey, diarrh9a, &c.
and their recovery was necessary in order that
they might return to the field The commits.
sary department then imported onions from
the island of Bermuda through the blockade.
The witness also testified that supplies were
short throughout the entire South for reasons
which he stated
Cross-examined by Col. Chipman-Wit.
ness knew nothing about the Andersonville
prison, but the prisoners we're removed from
Richmond because the supplies were pr;nci.
pally drawn from Georgia He hid not know
that any Of the confederate soldiers starved
because OF the insufhciency Of fbod, but he
had heard that some Of them lost their lives
because of its unwholesomeness.
X. p. Kellogg, who had testified for the
prosecutor, vas called for the efense.
Questson-During the time ybu were a,
Andersonville, did you ever heat or know OF
Capt Wiz kicking, striking or shooting a
man so that he died?
Answer did not
Cross-examined-Wirz had q character for
cruelty and brutality and was prdfane TO the
prisoners They were badly treated and nat.
urally supposed that he was responsible for
the abuses. Sherman's rsiders, Who had
been brought In, were robbed OF nearly eve
rything they bad; some had on merely shirts
and pants Witness did not ~ that Wirz
did not kill or shoot any one, bud that he did
not zee h1m do IT.
At the suggestion Of Judge Advocate Chin
man the cross-examinatiou of the witness
was suspended. in order that the book writ
ten by Mr.. Kellogg, relative to the sufferines
Of and cruelty to the Union prisoners at An.
dersonville, could be sent for.
Major J. B. French. an oficerIin the CON
federate comn,issary department., testified to
the deficiency of supplies in the winter O,
1863 and the spring of 1884.
DR.. Ray was called for the defence. Cant.
Wirz, he said, was sick two thirds, if not the
whole of September. He had never been in
the Andersonville Hospital until called upon
to see man who had been wounded with a
pistol or revolver. Witness said he told Can't.
WIrz that he ought to have his right arm treat.
ed, but the Captain thought it wbuld get well
BY his own treatment. He did as Capt wirs
requested.
Mr.. Baker here exposed h,s right arm
which is much swollen and inAaned. DR..
Ray, after looking at the arm, said il was as
bod - the 6rst day he saw it. He looked on
it as dangerous ulcer. Two of the fingers
were disabled, then as now. He thought the
prisoner could not strike anybody with tha,
arm or with any thing in it. He might fee bis
defend himself, but could not grappie any one
with that arm