White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1865-08-24
ANDERSONVILLE TORTURERS.
What Was Meant by the Dead Line.
How Oar Men Were Buried.

| HOW OUI Mcu
A correspon lent of the N W York Eve.
ming Post gives the following account OF
what was known as thse..deat iiue at
fthe Andersonvils, slaughter pens
l have heard mnch Of what Is termed
the "dead line;" few. however, know
what is meant BY it. Alter the COM
pletion of the prison snd its use, those
confined there were accustomed to ap'
proach the stockade and look through the
opening between the posts, or talk to out
siders. After the assumption Of COM
mand by Major Wertz, he caused the
prisoners to be notified that il they ap-
preached within thirty feet of the stock
sde, they would be: shot by the guards
upon the outside. This limit of thirty
feet was unmarked by any line whatever;
it was ideal, and left to the arbitrary de-
termination Of men on guard; majority
of whom were as incapable of Judging
of distances. or of this distance Of thirty
feet, as were the poor prisoners who were
doomed ifthey transgresssd it. The con-
sequence was that weekly. yes. almost
daily. the prisoners were shot down by
the guards when these thought that they
had transcribed the imaginary line which
separated thirty-seven Thousand human
beings from eternity. s'' ''@ht
Upon one occasion, q prisoner who
had been confined there for more than a
year, rendered desperate by hunger. want
and filth, prsferring death to life SO
unutterably miserable, sitter writing a
last fond letter to his wife in Indiana. and
bidding his friends around him farewell.
deliberately advanced toward the side of
the stockade and calmly awaited the we'll
directed shot Of the sentinel. that released
his soul from the tortnres which he could
not endure and which bis manhood sunk
under. ."H7i" "a'i . 5'sa. ','. $50 &.
The southeast corner Of the interior ioi
the stockade was the favorite spot for this
kind Of practice by the executors OF
Wertz's will; for at this point the brook
or stream which l have already refer
red to entered the limits of the prison.
Here the water was less tainted and be-
fouled by the drainage Of the hill, and
afforded a somewhat more pslatable
drink; of courss this point was sought in
preference to any other. But wo to the
unfortunate wretch who ever reached with
his arm beyond the prescribed bodhds to
dip up cup of better water than the rec
king current below him offered !! A senti.
nel's bullet sent one more spirit tremb-
ling to It's God, while the wretch's body
lay prone and washed in the very water
THAT his less fortunate comrades must
drink, until necessity forced its removal
How many were slain in this manner
will never be known until the records of
book unscanned by mortal eyes be
made up of figures of living light.
At short distance from tho stockade
was the field where the remains of the
dead prisoners were supposed to be bu-
ried. Il As if the tortnres and degradations
Of their wretched life were insufficient.
the eliminating stroke was given by their
mode of interment. In long bitches,
scarcely two feet in depth. without coffin
or cover, without even the ordinary de-
cent composing of Limbs. but carelessly
hustled into the bed which was to be their
last, thirteen thousand eight hundred
shrunken, ghastly bodies have been toss
ed; and there they lie. an "army of mar
tyrs." whose cry will go up to heavens
gate in unceasing peals, asking vengeance
for the "deep damnatiou Of their tnking
off," 40 s'i.' .'-a a.f-'" -"~.
| l know not wha. the benevolent mission
Of Capt. Moore may have accomplish
ed in this dreary cemetery, but / do know
that thtee months sgo at least one.ten,h
Of the whole number there lying were ex.
posed. the dirt which had been carel,ssly
thrown upon them having settled or
| washed away. while legs and arms pro-
truded here and there, as signal posts Of
downtrsmpled humanity. natural monu-.
ments OF 6endish cruelty And over this
Aceldama Of the North's best and bravest
could be seen the shadows Of the Thousand
buzzards' wings. as they slowly sailed
above the fostering heaps, or sat and gazed
upon others who had followed to this
disgusting banquet Of death! '." ''' -'+
For this. and for more that this, has
Wertz been summoned to account. II
will not snswer to plead for him that he
was the servant of others in authority,
and acted under orders. It will not do
to say the Confederate Government knew
all this. and fsilei to apply a remedy
Until it is shown that man must lose his
manhood. and hum anity its feelings. that
the officer must become brute and blind
ly obey. when bis instincts and his duty
force him to resist or resign, the world
will not hold him guiltless who tramples
upon all decency and outrages all sensi-
bility. by reducing prisoners Of war to q
condition little better than that of Gagged
hyenas. The wall of bereaved wives,
and the pleadings Of orphaned children.
Joined to the stern dictates Of justice, de-
mand that punishment should be meted
to him who showed no mercy upon the
helpless aud unsrmed prisoner. whom
the fate of war had thrown in his power.
If / have added anything to the informa-
tion Of OF our readers, my purpose is fully
accomplished by the brief and hurried
notes that l have thrown together at, your
suggestion. ~. ~ .'. ~ 'r -. a,'
Speaking ofthe late election. the Louis-
vile Journal says: eve have for some
time been trying, not wholly withon
success, to convince ourselves that the
number of actual rebels in soul has been |