Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-10-05


There was detail of one hundred men to
clean the camp. 1t was very hard mat
ter to obtain shovels and picks, but he
finally succeeded in obtaining about seven
ty-five. 1t was common thing to see
about some of the things broken
About forty or fifty boys were in the
stockade and Wirz requested DIR. White
to take them into the hospital to help the
nurses or cook. He said if he had his way
he would send these boys into the Union
lines, as it was no useto keep them prison.
ers of war. They would only get sick and
die. The boys were taken to the hospital.
On one occasion the witness was sick
with dysentery and asked the Doctor for
some medicine. The Doctor said he had
been sick with the same disease himself
but had no medicine He told theswit-
ness to get blackberries. The witness did
SO and was cured. A chain gang was
formed under Winder's orders. When
the plan had been matured by the prison.
ers to escape Captain Wirz said he would
abstain from shooting as long as lie could.
The witness, among other things, testified
that the hospital attendants serenaded
Captain Wirz and Surgeons Stevens and
White.
Gross examined by the Judge Advocate:
The witness came from Germany in 1862,
and gave the particulars of his entering
the United States service. He applied to
Captain Wirz for clerical duty, stating in
his letter that he was acquainted with
about four languages. Wirz had: the
power to both issue and stop the rations
of the prisoners, and he exercised it.
Wirz never signed or approved the requi-
sitions for hospitals. -
Judge Advocate Chapman here asked
the witness question relative to General
Winder about the chain gang.
The witness commenced speaking about
some other matter and had evidently be-
gun long story, when Colonel Chapman
requested him to cOnfne himself to the
question.
Mr.. Baker wanted his witness given an
opportunity to explain. If the gentle
man, (Chipman), did not treat the wit
nesses fairly, he Baker, would put no
more upon the stand.
Maj. General Geary thought Mr. Baker
ought to have more sense. He was be-
coming tired of the course of the counsel
for the defense and would not stand it any
longer. At 9very turn the counsel threat
ened the Court. 1t was little too much
and he was disposed to stop it if nobody
else would. 1t was an outrage on the
Court.
Mr.. Baker replied that he had not
threatened the Court.
The President informed Mr.. Baker that
he had been repeatedly told he must make
his objections to the Court not to the
Judge Advocate.
The ecross-examination of the witness was
then resumed.
Wirz was on duty at Andersonville from
the 4th to the 3Oth of August.
Geo w. F. Reynolds testified that he
was taken prisoner as. a spy in Tennessee.
He made his escape, but was re-captured
in Mississippi and sent to Richmond He
was afterwards transferred to Anderson
vile, where he arrived in June, 1864. He
acted as prison sutler and also as a mag
istrate. Men were brought before him for
stealing, who were punished by fogging
and being set to work A number of men
were banded together, and took by force
what was not their own, such as watches,
money, clothing, food and tin cups. A
police force was organized to put down
the raiders. This police force were called
regulators. On one occasion the raiders
tried to put down the regulators, when the
latter called for and received assistance
from Captain Wirz. Eleven of the raid
ers were arrested, of whom six were hung.
and five were pyaced in the chain gang
THE witness said there were five or six
working shoemakers in the stockade, and
as many tailors and two watchmakers.
Witness also testified that the streets of
the camp were filled with soup iobbers,
and at the roughly constructed tables
could be bought coffee, tea, cream, eggs,
&c. There were 500 bakers in the stock
ade who sold pies and cakes. There was
plenty of flour, saleratus, &c. Witness
had an establishment called a novelty
store. He had Il greater variety Of arti-
cles than any other prisoner in camp; had
hams, chickens, pepper, sorghum, beans,
peas, &c. besides medicines. Witness
further testified that there was half mil
lion greenback currency in camp, barber
shops, clothiers and brokers. The latter
engaged in buying paper money, checks,
gold and silver There were also iewelry
shops in camp and in one of these he saw
fifty watches and number of breastpins
and rings to be repaired; the owner of
this shop kept journeymen. There were
also gamblers who had runners to hunt
out victims; aud many other thing, show
ing that extensive trade and theft was
carried on at the prison. The men suffer-
ed from exposure but he couldnot say that
they suffered from hunger. Witness said
there were about 1000 dealers in various
kinds of food and goods at the prison.
The court then adjourned.