Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-09-04
Trial orOnnt. Wirtx.

Mr.. o. 5. Bellertestifed that he had serv-
ed In the 10th, Illinois Cavalry, and was a
prisoner at Andersonvile from the Sth day
of March until September, 1864. He
thought that Capt. Wirtz assumed COM
mand about the 1lth of April. On one oc-
casion Wirtz came into the stockade, when
a cripple walking on crutches approached
and asked to 90 outside. The request was
refused, and the cripple said he would rath-
er be shot than stay there. The witness
soon heard Wirtz halloo to the sentinel to
Tel .Tl that man if he did not 90 back he
would shoot hun" The man did not re-
turn;-wheh the sentinel fired and shot him
In the jaw. The cripple was known by the
name OF Chlckamauga. Wirtz afterwards
threatened to shoot the other men If they
did not go away. On another occasion,
while the prisoners were being divided into
hundreds, one of the men, owing to sick
ness, did not fall in. Wirtz threatened to
shoot him, and did shoot him. The ball
went through the mans hat. The pris-
oners were kept in the sun all day,
and were not allowed to procure water.
if they could not give a satisfactory ac-
count of any one of their number missing
they were deprived of their rations. This
was the case for three days early in July.
There was not sufficient room in the prison,
scarcely enough for men to stand upon.
The limits were enlarged on the north side.
lhere were $4,000 prisoners there at one
time. He had heard Wirtz say he was kill
ing more Yankees than those who were
serving at the front. Witness had seen
twenty-five or thirty men shot over the
dead line, and others fired into who were
not over the dead line.
Cross-eXamined by the defense: Ques-
tion-Were there not desperadoes there
| an tvh hO cfa
fenses, and was not the cripple to whom
you referred one of them? Answer There
were Troublesome characters there, but
don't know whether that man belonged to
them or not. i don't think that cripple
on a crutch was good man to steal
| Laughter.
During q further examination the wit
ness spoke Of anian at whom the sentinel
fired.
Question-Dd you see the ball hit him
Answer-A man must have very good eyes
| to see ball when it tstrikes man. laugh
| ter 49,
The witness gave vari6us instances of
men being shot. One was shot while he
was in his tent, for merely stretching his
arm beyond the dead line. Another was
shot at for treading over the line. He heard
| Captain WirtZ order the sentinel to shoot
killed and others taken to the hospital.
James III. Davidson testified that he was
member of the Iowa cavalry, and taken
| as prisoner to Andersonville on the Sth of
March. He described the filthy condition
of the prison and the great mortality
among the prisoners. For week he drove
the dead wagon. Sometimes twenty-five
men were thrown into it at a time, and on
| the return he would bring wood and rations
/ in the same cart. He had seen rebel sol
| diers with blankets, shoes and shirts on
them sent there by the Sanitary Commits
sion for the use OF our men. Capt. Wirtz
he knew made a breakfast on some of the
crackers, cheese and beef sent there for our
prisoners. He had seen four or five hun
\ dred boxes at, the depot with supplies
They were marked "U. s." 1t was COM
mon for men to be put on the chain-gang.
One man died on the chain-gang with an
| iron collar around his neck He had seen
hounds there. There were two kinds
catch dogs and bull terriers. One of the
dogs badly tore the flesh from
mans leg Another man was hanging
up his clothes, which he had washed, to
| dry. One of the pieces blew over the dead
line. He stepped beyond the line, to get
the piece, when he was fired upon and shot
in the breast. Another man had reached
bread. when he was shot in the head
Wirtz shot a man short time after he as
sumed command of the prison. The latter
was sick, lying on the ground, and asked
| Wirtz something, when WirtZ shot him.
| WirtZ remarked that he was killing more
| Yankees than Lee was at Richmond. This
was said inAugust. Wirtz at the time was
with the witness in the graveyard in the
wagon with the dead men. The witness
had seen men starved. to death. Food was
so scarce at one time that some Of them
picked up particles Of food that had already
passed through the system.
On his s-examination by defense, the
witness said the graveyard comprised
Twenty-Five or thirty acres, and when he
left Andersonville, on the lst of September
last, it was about two thirds full. Witness
had never seen Wirtz shoot more than one
man. The grave diggers were Union sol
diers. a. ..s. lL. +. - 4 ,. ..7.it .ADw o,5.
BY the court: The dead were buried
about two feet and half deep. Some were
buried with and some without clothing.
| Witness had never seen any of the dead
Stripped before they were buried. Men
were buried in trenches; on one occasion
$50 bodies were put into single trench.
Capt. j. III. Wright and Col. Farming,
formerly In the Confederate service, testi-
fled as to the signature of Gen. Winder and
Capt. Wirtz, to consolidated return for
August II last, which was exhibited to
them. .ilsy.H t', ."s. edF r'14i
Maj. Hosmer, assistant Judge Advocate,
was sworn and testified that he obtained
the paper from the Chiefhaving custody of
the rebel papers at the War Department.
The paper was read, in evidence andois as
follows:
Consolidated Return for the Confederate States
Military Prison, Camp Sumter, Ga, .lor the
month of August, 1864.
Prisoners ON hand on the last of August,
1864, in camp, 29,9S5; in hospital, 1880 !;
total, 46,9l5. Received from various places
during August, 3,07S reeaptured, a; total,
30S2., Making in. the aggregate, 49,997.--
Died during the month of August 2, 993;
sent to other prisons, 20; exchanged, 81; es-
capped, 80; making 3,061. OF all of which
there are, on the 3ist of August, in camp,
29,473; in hospital 200; total, 3l,693. The
same complaint has to be made against the
carelessness, and insuffiOiency of the guards.
i OF the 30prisoners who escaped III of them
died while on their parole OF honor not to
escape as long as they were outside.s The
balance (l9l escaped, some, by bribipg the
sentinel with greenbacbs, some by simply
walking off from the guard while returning
from the place where the tools are Deposit
ed at night that are used on the stockade In
the day time. Perhaps % more escaped
during the month, but they were taken up
by dogs before the daily return was made
ont For that reason thew are not on the