The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1865-06-02

furnished with what was called corn
bread, very coarse. have known
prisoners to be without meat three OF
four weeks at n time. We hal q few
potatoes OF The worst character. A
meeting OF prisoners was held and o
rcnonstrmcc sent TO the authorities
Colonel Ould replied that the treat
'nent was good enough, and better
than that of rebel prisoners. After
being there five months, was taken
sick with dropsy from the had treat
mcnt aEd sent 70 hospital Wlilr
there | saw men brought in from Bell,
isle in a starving condition, and ont
# forty, at least eight or twelve
tied the tirst night. The surgcon
told me their condition was prodnced
hy want OF proper treatment. Two
vt onr prisoners escaped, which made
MAJOR Turner, I'm charge of the pris
on, become passionate and insulting
He removed us tion the hospital to
Libby Prison in 81 wet room; some o 2
the sick were in q diving cond On,
md compelled to remain there TWEEN.
w -four hours without coats or NOR.
sci to eat, "a punishment for the
escape of the two officers. A Col
Fowler, on being demonstrated with.
said "thc treatment was too damned
good for yon Yankees" A man
.coull not possibly live on the rations
or days we lived on what was called
corn bread, which appeared to he meal
and bran mixel, AMI baked in rough
.condition-on that and water alone.
Captain Emery, another prisoner, tes
titled substantially to the same treat
menf. The money belonging to the
prisoners was taken from them. and.
therefore. they coul not buy food
The bearing Of the Keeper was very
rude, cursing and abusing the nris.
oncrs. After the battle of Chicka.
mauga. fifteen or sixteen Of the sick
were tied on cart to heep them from
falling off, although there were am-
balances near by not IN nae. They
were tied on like bags of grain Tho
Committee Of the rebel Senate knew
of their horrible treatment, Int did
not notice them on their visit lie
asked Turner for medicine, but he
said he had none to give him An
inspector of tho prison, named Trr.
ner, sail the object Of the trnatmput
was to kill the prisoners. addino:-
at Ia good enough for Won Yor
had no business to come here. IfI
had command I would hang all of
Won"
BENJAMIN Sweeney, formerly color
seargeant in the army and prisoner oi
war for five months in Belle Isle in
1868, testified there were ahout l3,-
600 prisoners there. II was in Win
ter. about one half had shelter. Hal
about half enough food to live on
Had seen men starved To death; the
bodies Of those who died were allow
ed TO lie eight or nne davs IN trench
es without heing buried They would
not allow us to bury them The wit
meas had asked special permission IN
do so. and was refused; he hclped "a
carry ont ton 10 twenty per lay Saw
mon SHOT dend without canse or prov
ocatior IIis weight was reduced
from l7o to l23 pounds. Dill not
think he would have lived there many
months longer
WIN Bull. who was prisoner nj
Andcrsonville for eleven months. ties
titled treatment yerv ponr: men bad
mo shelter, but were compelled to I've
| in the swamp. Their blankets, hats
caps and clothing in general and mon
cv was taken from them Ratinns
about one halfpint Of corn meal. tive
ounces Of bacon and one-halr spoon
| FIJI of salt for twentv.four hours -
The bacon was alive. Once IN .
while we got hold OF good piece, bu'
not often. The treatment killed mar
Off The largest number of deaths
in dav, to his recollection, was 1888
starvation was the cause, The enemy
said they did not care damn whcth
er Yankees died or not. Howell Coht
made speech there in Fc ruarv.--
lis remarks were bitter, he said Tho
(; treatment was best they could do, l
| the authorities looked alter them I
little more probably they would far,
better. IIo only said a few words
aud did n IT seem To care much ab0u
the prisoners The heat was very in
tense. The water they had to drinl
| lad been made filthy by garbage into
the creek, The reply to the remon
STRANGE was, they "didn't care d
for Yankees When the witness
went there in June, as many as sis
" eight were shot dead u day. Ii
nan got halt q foot over tue dead
inc. or near it, he was shot II wat
said they got furlough Of thirty days
for shooting Yankee. Cobb, in hi'
speech, said something about a piar
TO burn and plunder the North.
ant tell what were the words used
Tho treatment OF sick prisoners was
very poor. They got piteh-pine pills
for everything. They got no regu
lar medicine. Not cent Of the pris
oners' money was returned 70 them
For nine months the witness had moth
ing to wear but pair of drawers and
shirt His cloths were taken from
I'm. lie lay on open ground fol
| hat time without a hit OF shelter. -
Thousands were in the same fix. a
I ItAI ID. H.