Charles City intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Floyd County, Iowa) 1864-1866, 1865-06-01


We're Z. S. soldiers had been ia
ken prisoners in battle were thrown
into Andersonvile prison and othel
dungeons under rebel authority, and
put in stockades without any shelte,
whatever were robbed of their cloth
ing, except shirt and pants were lit
orally starved were compelled I.
4 burr0w 'in-.thc ground as last re
sort for protection against the frost
cold and inclemenoies of weather
had greedily devonred mice, rat, cat
dog and snake meat to satisfy the crav.
ings OF hungur and for the want oi
food and shelter became so reduced in
animal vitality that the blood did not
circulate to the extremities, and our
limbs became swollen and perished
upon us. Hundreds died in prison,
and only $50 made our lines at Viii
mington by regular exchange
Such, Mr.. Editor, is the matter con.
tained in these mems testimony.
Their photographs are being taken
and these dispositions printed upon the
back of them. As soon as they are
out, | shall send to your Office some
OF the copies in order that your town
readers may see these men. Now, |
suppose no one can deny that it would
be true type of high civilization
for onr people, in whose interest these
men have undergone this untold suf.
fering, to provide, for as many of them
as shall recover, home
Col. Geer, who has been appointed
by the war department to operate un-
der the auspices of the Sanitary Com
mission, is to work energetically rails
ingya fund of money to be expended
in purchasing, somewhere in your
western country, lands whereon to
build a town for the benefit of father
less spldiers-ercct houses, build
shops and lay off farms, and say to
the men, go in and take possession of
them /; ace 'cW start you IN business.
Col. j. J. Gcer is fighting Methodist
minister is the author of that work
called Scenes beyond the Lines, or
things seen in Dixie )" has been in
the prisons, penitentiaries, dungeons,
swamps. and has been chased by the
blood hounds of the South. A gener-
Gus public only needs to be told of his
humane project to make it an early and
happy success. / said to my militia
ry companion on my way back to the
city: "Sir, the bloodthirsting tiger
and poisonous snake the horrid
savagcs who sneak, burn, plunder
and wet their lips with scalps of
babes and women in truth, | never
read of kind Of animal or race of
men that had not some attributes of
compassion and mercy, and displayed
them when fighting with foes. Now,
how does it come that it is left for
this day and generation to produce
species Of beings unlike anything
known before on earth, who have little I
by little, inch by inch, actually tor.
tured by exposure, starvation and by
every other inhuman cruelty. down
into their graves, thousands of Union
men. American citizens, without excl
ting from their exccutioners one emo
tion of sympathy for their victims ! |
don't comprehend it, do you?"
The Colonel replied, When was
in prison at Macon, Ga. l was thrown
into a room without chairs, without
bed, without anything but an old car
pet sack full of lice. One day reb-
ell officer came into these quarters
aud, after looking around, said, What,
you Gank, hayn't you got no bed p
| replied. No, sir This rebel officer
then said, ! have a brother who
was taken prisoner recently. He was
sent to Camp Chase, and is up there |
in Columbus, Ohio is given lis lib
erty on parole Of honor, walks the
streets, carries his side arms, aud has
plenty Of good things TO eat" The
Colonel, looking me in the eye, said,
/" Sir, when | heard that rebel tell of
the leniency aud humanity of my Gov
ernment, and when | was in that very
room experiencing, in my own person,
the rigor and inhumanity of his Gov
ernment, my blood ran cold. | asked
him. how do you explain it, sir. when
confederate soldiers are taken pris-
oners by the United States Govern
ment they are treated kindly, but
when United States soldiers are ta-
ken prisoners by confederate authori-
ty they are treated. as you see, worse
than hogs? The rebel said, will
tell you. When you'uns take we'uns
prisoners, you'uns treat we'uns with
the respect we'uns desarve, but when
we'uns take you'uDs prisoners, we'uns
treat yon'uus with the contempt you'uns
desarve.'"
Said Col. Geer, "that man struck
the keynote of this whole matter.
The long era of dongh-faceism and
s,,bserviency of the North to the arro-
giant demands of Southern slavery,
had impressed the masses there that
they were superior to us in rank.
birth and blood, aud that our kind
nesscs to their soldiers were but acts
of acknowledgement Of that super.
ority. and that we accepted their treat
ment of onr soldiers as something
rightfully belonging to Yankee sol
diers"
/ trust the high elevation that
awaits Jeff. Davis will settle this
question ofrank. What, hang JEFF. Da-
Wis I? Yes, hang him first, because he
is JEFF Davis. Hang him because he ap
plauded the gibbeting of John Brown.
Hang him because he did his all TO
destroy the only free government that
blesses earth. Hang him because he
coolly. deliberately murdered sixty.
four thousand soldiers and no cries
of home, mother. wife or child. could
release them from his tortures Of
death. Hang him because he gave
license TO the assassiu's blow that
killed Abraham Lincoln. Hang him
for filling his wife's clothes with trea.
son. Hang him 10 prevent the cop.
perheads voting for him for President
in 1868. Traitor, assassin, fiend ;
hang him ~ w.