Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-08-30
Wirz Handcufrsd 70 Prevent Him
from Committing Suicide.
He Wants Them Taken Off.
SERGEANT BOSTON CORBETT RECALLED.
Rebel Offien On the Witness Stand.
NINTH DAY.
UNITED STATES MILITARY COMMISSION
GEN. LBw. WALLACE, President,
Col. N. =. CHIPsAN, Juaos Advoeaies.

OF ladies were present. and the orderies IN attend
ance were kept busy In providing seats for them.
At twenty minutes past ten O'Clock the read
ing Of the testimony taken yesterday was com
meuced, and concluded at twenty -nvo minutes
past eleven o'clock, when ...
Cen Thomas said that he understood the pris-
oner had been handoufed while In the Old Capt.
toll and had therefore been unable to attend to his
proper business connected with his trial. | do
not know who has charge Of him. He thought
there was no necessity for keeping on the hand
cuffs. He therefore made the suggestion that the
prisoner should have every facility to write aud
attend to his business connected with his arraigu
ment before the Court
Col. Chapman said the prisoner had been placed
In close conf nement aud handcufs put on him at
the suggestion Of the counsel for the prisoner On
the evening the gentlemen abandoned the ease
they stated that the prisoner was in a very bad
state Of mind, and they were afraid he would
commit suicide II len TO himself Col. @. said he
told the keeper Of the Old Capital prison, aud
that night the handouts were not put on him, but
a guard placed In the room with him subse-
quently the handeuhs were put on him In the
prison. It was not unusual to handcuf prisoners
charged as this one Is, and certainly such treat
ment was not new to the accused
Col. @. thought the Court could not dictate as
to the treatment Of the prisoner after he was
taken from the courtroom. Col. O, said he was
not disposed to show any cruel or unkind treat
ment toward the prisoner, and II was only mat
ter OF precaution and prudence that the hand
cuffs were put on the prisoner to prevent him
from doiug violence to himself. He was very
sorry to learn that the handouts had injured the
prisoner last night.
Gen. Thomas said the Court had nothing to do
with the prisoner after he left here; but the
counsel for accused had stated that his wrists
were injured by the handouts last night.
hr. Baker said: The evening referred to the
prisoner was in very bad state Of mind, and
threatened to commit suicide, and he suggested
the prisoner was In better state Of mind now
II was suggested for temporary thing only
He said the prisoner had made no conn mplaints he
had received good treatment He thought there
was no necessity to put hand-cufs on him here
after.
ALEXANDER W. Parsons
Testified that he had been Lieutenant Colonel
Of the 0jth Georgia volunteers, rebel army; was
on duty at Andersonville in 1864 was post com
man Ter part Of the time. The rebel Secretary Of
War gave witness instructions to report to Gen.
winder, who sent witness to Andersonville.
Capt. WirL was the frst prison commander. He
1854 Gen. winder said there were three dis.
tinct commands at Anderson ville-the comman-
der Of the post, of the prison, and Of the troops
Witness received q communication from Gen.
wnder. In which he stated that rs Captain wirz
was old prison offcer, and capable OF COM
mandlng the prison, he had therefore given him
command OF the prisoners wirz after that was
In charge Of the prisoners. The prisoner took
command OF the prison and prison guards after
he reported to witness for duty. The instruc-
lions witness had were to fIrnish troops to guard
the pTis9n The troops ware detailed and turned
May or lst OF June. Captain sydney winder
laid out the prisaa !! was made Tor 10000
prisoners. There were afteen or twenty negroes
at work there. Witness knew Gen. winder.
He was in command Of all the prisons, aud had
control over everything
Witness. had much diGcalty in getting trans.
portation to the prison. When he could get
| train he would have II loaded with lumber and
sent to the prison for the purpose Of erecting
shelter for, the prisoners. When witpesS was
about to erec. the sheltaF, General Windsr came
tLere and relieved hiIn. At that time there were
ade: Richard B. Winder was the quarter master
at the prison. He was in charge Of the bake
house, lqraishiPg fgal, and " The duties Of
or two from the prison there was q much larger
stream and much better place for = ~, sou. Wit
ness suggested that 10 General Winder. Had
very few Inferior wagons and poor means Of
transportation, Witness was there In the better
days Of the stockade. While he was there some
trees were standing inside Of the stockade Gen.
Winder told witness that he had absolute dis
| eretion In the location Of prisons.
Mr. Baker objected 10 the witness stating what
had beon told 10 him.
The Commission oyerruled the objection.
Witness drew bill for an injunction to COM
| pei the rebel authorities to abate nuisance by
| abandoning the prison. Witness drew the bin
| and went to see the Judge Of the District Court,
who appointed a day to hear the argument Of the
from Howell Cobb, asking him II the bill was to
| be charged TO him. Witness told him Il was
| Cobb replied aud said that the witness should
not prepare bill from his Government Wit
| ness thought he would be court -martialed, and
retired from the case.
| Cross-examined: Witness knew Of tho prison
being made one third larger. Witness thought,
after the prison was enlarged, 1t would accom-
modate about ten thousand prisoners. Witness
had II enlarged without any orders at all.
Captain WirI had no authority to enlarge the
prison. He never tried to prevent lumber being
| used, so far as witness knew. Witness did not
deem 1t proper to Interfere with the Internal ar
| rangements OF the prison. Never saw any
| ders forbidding acts Of kindness. II was u good
idea to locate the prison in the woods. The
prison was located In poor section Of the cOun-
| try. Witness considered the prison nuisance
by reason OF the dead being buried near the sur
face. The stencil was horrible The prison,
which was only capable OF holding 10, oOoat one
| Iu answer to questions by the Court, witness
stated that General winder had the command OF
all prisons west Of the Mississippi. Had seen
order from the AdJutant General assigning him
to such command. When witness was in com
mand Of the troops he had about three hundred
and hny under him. When he was placed in
command Of the post he had about one thousand
communications direct TO General winder, He
was the high authority. Never went beyond
him. Had Communications with General Cobb
and General Mercer about the prison. Witness
does not know who originated the dead line 1t
was done some time after wirZ came there. II
must have been the work OF the commanding
officer Of the prison. Witness never saw a dead
! line before.
| By Mr.. Baker: The dead line was made OF a
piece OF scantling. Before the dead line was es.
tablished the prisoners came very near tearing
| down the whole stOckade.
Question by Mr.. Baker: Was It not more hu-
name to establish the dead line and forbid the
| prisoners passing 1t, than 1t was TO shoot them
| for attempting to oscapeI
| Objected to by the Judge Advocate
The Commission sustained the objection.
| BENJAMIN y. CLARKE.
Testified that he was In the rebel service In the
Medical Puryeyor's Office. The supply Of med
icines for the Of the armies was limited. Il
was always tho intention to furnish the same
medicine to Federal prisoners rs tOIhe COnfeder-
ate soldiers. Witness was In charge Of the sup.
plies at Greensboro when they were surrendered
| TO the Federal Government About three car
| loads were surrendered.
| Cross examined: The chemical part of the
supplies were imported by running the blockade; {;
some were furnished by the COnfederacy, and
were raised In the country. Witness thought
| the imported supplies were required more than
the others, The South never fully succeeded
| In manufacturing med iolnes The native med.
cines were very defective In quality Sup.
| plies were limited, but they managed to make
| ont were compelled 10 ecOuOmiEe When Ordera
were made, they were filled as best they eould
| be. requisitlon from AndersUuyille would
have been hlled as soon any other order, n
the supplies were sufficient The Surgeons at
Audetsonyills drew on the nearest Medical Pur-
VeyOr ..'.
by the Court Witness always issued the same
medicines TO the Federal prisoners as to the con
federate soldiers. Witness had been on duty at
| Rlchmood, Wilmington, aud Raleigh. Witness
don I remember Of having furnished apY sn pplieB