The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-08-26
WASHINGTON, Aug. q

sumed before the Wertz Military Commission
this morning. 1t was with reference to the
condition of the prisoners at Andersonville.
| According to his narration, the scurvy was
next to rottenness, with which many of the
men suffered. Many starved to death because
of the unwholesomeness Of the rations, and
in consequence gangrene ensued. There were
frequent amputations and re-amputations OF
| limbs.
| The Commission then took a recess till
o'lock.
DIR. A. w. Burough testified to having been
sent as prisoner at Andersonville, detailed as
a surgeon in the prison, but after being there
about six months, escaped. He gave an in
teresting account of how Union prisoners who
attempted to make their escape were punis shed
with the stack on the chaingang. He testi-
fed as TO the insnfhciency and unwholesome
character of the ration and the absence OF
medical supplies, and gave sickening ac-
count of the cruelties to the prisoners. Blood
hounds were actually employed to capture
escaping prisoners. Among other things he
said that the men were vaccinated with i'm
pure matter, from the effects of which rhany
died. When the prisoners were being re-
moved from Addersonville, one of the Uhion
prisoners fell back, when Wertz knocked him
down and jumped on him.
| ne cOuIt room was cfOWueu Win speCta-
tors this morning including many women
Capt. Wertz was bought in at few minutes
| to IL 0 clock. The record of yesterday hav
| ing been read at length, the examination OF
| DIR. John c. Bates was resumed.
| Speaking of Andersonville prison he said
the scurvy there was nextto rottenness. Some
of the patients could not eat, because there
| was no mastication. Their teeth were loose,
| they frequently asked him 10 give them some
thing to eat which would not give pain
| While DIR. Stevenson was medical director
he did not manifest much interest in the re-
lief of the necessities. The ra,ions were less
than twenty ounces in twentyfour hours. He
did not know but what man would starve to
death on it. Sometimes the next was good
and sometimes bad. In consequence of the
unwholesomeness Of railons some of the men
starved to death. The amputations and ream-
puiatlons owing TO gangrene wounds were
numerous. There was plenty of wood in the
| neghborhood which might have been cut to
answer all demands. There was on one oc-
sion an altercation between DIR. James and
Captain Wertz.
| On going into the hopital DIR. James learned
that his chief clerk had been ordered TO un-
dergo the buck and gag. The clerk was
bucked and was sc, outside the gate On in
| quring, Dr. James found tina, the clerk had
failed to report man that was missing. DIR.
James wrote letter speaking OF Wertz's tyr
amy and the clerk still continued to be pun
| ished.
| A sketch in pencil. drawn by one ofthe in
mates of the prison was exhibited to the wit
ness. who said there is DIR. Bates, No. !, ex-
amining a quarter of beef Here is Dr. Bates.
No. ,, giving meat and bones to cripples. 1t
was his prerogative to examine and supervise
! tl..4r ueu rat tn hal "A
he would frequently 60 to the place and some
| times 70 or leo would surround him implor-
ing for bones. He was represented as dis
| tributing bones. that WAS OF frequent occur
ence. The sketch Was accurate as far as it
went, but it was not filled in. There oueh,
TO be 20 or 80 figures in the space where one
\ appeared. Men, as sketched hobbled along
on crutches, others crawled on the ground
with tin cups in their mouths, because they
could carry these articles in no other way.
| They wanted to mash up these bones to pro-
cure their contents for food.
Mr. Baker remarked that DIR. Bates looked
much better on the witness stand than he did
in the sketch
| Witness thanked the gentleman for the com +
pliment.
I The Judge Advocate proposed 10 offer in
evidence a morning report of the surgeon act
ing as officer of the day, and asked the wit
ness to examine the hand writing.
Mr.. Baker objected, saying the prisoner
was charged with conspiracy and murder. If
defendant had Gems 2ne with other parties,
these must be before the court. No court
| could put in testimony in relation TO
other parties and try them in their absence.
whatever was put in must bear on the person
before the court. He asked whether the court
could try persons not before it. The evidence
sought to be introduced was not strictly appll-
cable to the defendant. There was nothing
| to connect Capt. Wertz with the morning re-
port and with the Surgeon in charge.
| The Judge Advocate supposed the gentle
man was perfectly aware that parties to CON
| spiracy could be tried singly. To save time
| he would recommend to the counsel to read
Russell on crime and Starkey on evidence.
Mr.. Baker-Ihose authorities showed that
where conspirators were to be tried the court
might, on application of the counsel, elect to
separate and try the parties separately. But
in this case the alleged conspirators have
never been beforethe court 10 ask for sepa-
ration. They were not even in custody-they
were at large. 1t was not known that they
ever would be tried in civil court !; he could
ask that the charges be quashed.
The court decided to admit the paper,
which was read as follows:
FIRST DIVISION, =. >. A. HOSPITAL, sept.
5th, l854.-.Sir As an officer of the day for
! the past twenty -four hours, have inspected
! the hospital and find it in as good cond dition
as the nature of circumstances will alloH A
majority of the hunks are still unsupplied
with bedding, while in border of the divis-
ion the tents were entirely destitute of hunks.
bedding or straw, the patients being compell-
ed to lie upon the bare ground most earn
estly call your attention to the articles of
diet the corn bread received from the bakery
being made up without sitting, is wholly unfit
for the use Of the sick, and often as in the
last twenty-foar hours, upon examination,
the inner portion is found to be perfectly
raw. The meat (beef) used by the patients
| does not exceed two ounces daily and for the
past three or four dayS no -four has been
issued. The corn bread cannot be eaten by
many, it being SO bad as to increase the bowel
disease, of which a large majority are suffer
i ing, and it is, therefore, thrown away. All
the rations received by the way of sustenhnce
is two ounces of boiledbeef and half pint of
rice per day. Under these circumstances all
the skill that can be brought to bear upon
their cases by medical officers will avail
nothing
| Ano her point to which feel it nv duty to
call your attention, is the deficiency Of medi-
cine. We have but little more than the indi
genious barks and roots with which to treat
the numerous forms Of disease to which our
attention is daily called. For the treatment
of Wounds ulcers, &c., we have literally
Z - AZ n ~