The Portland daily press., 1865-10-14
BY TELEGRAPH,
The Trial of Wer<.
TO THE DAILY PRESS.


WASHINGTON, Oct. 13.
In the Werz Commission to-day, Mr. Schade
read two letters from the letter book of Cant.
Werz One dated December, 1861, is address
ed to Assistant Quartermaster Nicely, and saws
Werz had received eighteen packages of cloth
ing for Federal prisoners, Including blankets,
shoes. socks and shirts, and would proceed Ia
distribute them without DELAY. The other ~
dated January Goth, 1866, was addressed ID
Assistant Adjutant Thomas, asking that the
guard to escort men in gathering wood. be in
creased from twenty-five to sixty.
Benz. f. Leller, of Pennsylvania. testified
that he was admitting clerk in Werz's office
he was also ward-master, having CHARGE OF
one hundred and fifty men and twenty nurses.
There was much trading in hams, pork. bacon,
flour, meal, peanuts, sweet potatoes, cigars, to-
bacco, &c. Clothes were taken from the dead
by our own men, and sold to the rebels; reb-
els as wen as Yankees were forbidden to wash
in the streams Werz made Intellectual efforts
to impress five hundred slaves, for the purpose
Of eniarging the stockade, and our own men
refused to work for fear of compromising
themselves.
Among other things the witness said Werz
condemned the rice and corn and bread, re-
marking that he would not feed his negroes
on them, and that the man who sent the corn
meal to Andersonville should be court mar
tailed, as they were robbing their own govern
ment. Werz was sick during August, and of
and on in July. The treatment Of prisoners
was better at Andersonvile than at Belle Isle.
as at the latter place men were starved to
death.
BY the Court Witness made money by
trading IN greenbacks and Confederate money.
He started in business by selling his overcoat
for twento- five dollars. lie bought greenbacks
for three dollars and five dollars inside, and
sold them outside at from eight to ten dollars.
He also kept a suffers store, and thus made
some OF his money.
Maj. Gen Wallace asked numerous CUES
items of the witness, to which the latter Ie-
piled that WerZ did not give him any extraor-
binary privileges more than he did to eight OF
ten other clerks. He was allowed to go mile
in the country from the prison. Trading was
contrary to orders, to make money, and he
made it mostly from our own men. All suf
fered in the stockade from want of food, and
he had seen men die in consequence.
| By Mr. Daker-Witness came away from
Andersonvile with one hundred and forty dol
lars in greenbaeks, and a forty-fve dollar
watch.
Judge Advocate Chapman then proceeded
to examine the witness, who said he had seen
Duncan specializing in stolen whiskey and
other things knocked down, and struck a cou.
1
middle of the night and place them in the
stocks.
Mr.. Baker objected to the examination pro
ceeding as to Duncan. The Court overrulet
the objection. sa@ mo
81 Witness resumed, and said that Duncan and
! his right hand man, Kicker, reported the tun
mel, and they would advise Werz what should
! be done to the men for such and such things
Witness, on two different occasions, said DIR
Mudd he d his thumb on an artery, and while
the amputating operator was tying the artery
the Doctor would remove his thumb and lei
| blood squirt in the operators face, and the
Doctor would laugh as if it was. something
| funny. DR.. Carr, rebel steward, would come
! into the hospital disguised as one Of our OWL
men, sometimes in good and sometimes in
bad uniform. Witness saw him twice STRIKE
men over the face with his heavy pistol fol
talking with the guard. That Doctor robbed
a sick man of his buttons. Vegetables were
| also taken from the sick. ~
Cross examined by Mr.. Baker Witnes:
saw Duncan take. the whiskey.a He had heard
Duncan advise Werz to punish with buckine
| and the ball and chain the men who had spok-
en- faVorably of Gen. Fremont and old Abe.
| Mr.. Baker said he had two more witnesses
! to be examined, but owing to sickness they
could not attend to-day. One of them cover
ed the whole subject of Andersonville.
Col. Chapman remarked that the prosecu-
ton was nearly through with its witnesses.
F. w. Hill was called for the prosecution to
impeach the testimony of Geo. w. Frehnor.
Col Chapman asked the witness whether he
knew Frehnor refusing to give dying men food.
Mr.. Baker objected.
Col. Chapman said that Frehnor, alias Bar
on Munchausen, swore that he never saw any
of the prisoners die, and that he never refused
to give them food.
Mr. Baker remarked-Let Frehnor's testi-
mony be read, that it may be knowuafcpm the
record what he did say.
Maj. Gen. Wallace conceded in the view OF
Mr.. Baker. 40 s.s9sssias
Col. Chapman said he wanted to show that
men died before the face of Frehn0r, who re-
fused to give them anything to eat; and also
that Frehnor was gambler and rough gem
orally.
1 Mr.. Baker replied that the fact that Frehnor
did not assist prisoners, and was gambler,
did not effect his credibility. He insisted that
the record of the testimony must be referred
to for the points which, the prosecution want
ed to contradict.
Col. Chapman, referring to the record, asked
numerous questions of the witness, who con
tradicted Frehnor's testimony in the following
particulars: That Frehnor, contrary to his
own statement, was gambler, and everybody
called him Milan man, and that he heeced
prisoners out of their money. As an instance,
a starving man, craving for something to eat.
was compelled to give fifty dollar watch to
Frehnor for two dollars, for which sum Freh-
nor sold him six small cakes at twenty-five
cents apiece and an ounce of butter. Freh-
nor had board, with numbers from six to
nine, where men. gambled; and he was also
in partnership with sutler. Frehnor was
the chief Of the Regulators, who, after the six
raiders were hanged, robbed and stole more
than the raiders themselves. So far from
Frehnor giving food to hungry men, witness
said man was lying near Freenors shanty in
starving condition, and having been appealed
to that the man might be furnished with food,
Frehnor remarked, i"let him die-I don't cate''
The man died.
| Col. Chipman asked what was the character
of Frehnor's partner.
Mr.. Baker objected ytsg e,a.sfs
The Court said it was not a question.
Col. Chapman then said he would waive it;
he only wanted to show that birds of a feather
would fock together. = st4A =
Mr.. Baker--But the birds were obliged to be
at AndersonVille is ~.
Cross examined Witness lived in Philadel
phia and was at Andersonville from june tc
September, 1854. He was often in Frehnor's
| saop or shanty, which contained onions, to
bacco, eggs cheese, butter and many othel
| things. Frehnor was known by that name
and not as Ross. The sign on the shanty was
Frehnor & Co.
The Court adjourned until tomorrow.
Washington Correspondence.