Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1865-08-28
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2G

| WASHINGTON, Aug. 2G.
| The Wertz commission met this a. m., and
| after the reading of the record of yesterday,
DR.. a. w. Barrows. who having heretofore
been sworn, identified certain paper ofler-
ell rs in the handwriting Of Josiah IL.
| White
The Judge Advocate accordingly moved
to amend the first charge, i'll which tho
prisoner is asraignel by substituting the
name of Josiah II. White rs one Of the
prisoners with whom the defendant Is
charged with cOLsplring to cause the death
of men IN prisons.
Mr. Baker objected to the motion to sup
ply the lnsnoner. He argued that the pris
oncr was arraigncd on these charges by or
der OF the President, and that until the orig
inal authority should supply the deficiency,
no further testimony could be received nj
tecting DR. White and the prisoner AT the
| bar
The Court ovcrrulcd the objection where
the name of Dr. White was corrected.
DR. Barrows further testified that at An
| jacksonville prisoners were arrested for buy
| ing green corn which the guard took away
| from them.
The slops of the cook house were thrown
| into the stream which run through the pris-
on, the cxhalatous of which were terrible
and very unhealthy. Besides the sinks over
| flowed, owing to the rains, and rendered the
premises still more intolerable. Human
bodies sometimes lay unburied for three
DAYS. The stencil was terrible, seriously
affecting the atmosphere, and was worse
| than that from any dissccting room. Com
plants were frequently made to high quar-
ters Dead bodies were frequently found
in the morning among the living. The
largest number of deaths in the stockadc for
one day, in August, 1864, was 2Os. The
| witness found Capt. Wcriz in charge OF the
Iprison when he went there and left him
there at the time he made his escape. Ra
lions were cut off from the entire number
OF the thirty thousand prisoners for an en-
tire day, owing to the alleged otlcnses of q
few others. The witness remembered that
Wertz said to him, that Inc was of more ser
vice To the confederate government than any
of the rebels in the front
Cross examined by Mr.. Bakcr.-Was 6
medical student at Amherst, Mass, on tn,
breaking out of the war and had been ionizel
since lie was mustered out on the eth oil
December last Witness had never seer
our men in the army wearing the hall ans
chain, nor had lie seen them punished il
any other way than detention in the guar,
iaIouse he had seen men IN our hospitals at
Tiocted with typhus, but none Of the case.
were 50 bad as those at Andersonvillc oul
cases were primary, while those in the rebe
prison were secondary.
Cross questioning was further continued
to show that the .rpl hospitals were de
ficient OF medical remedies
The Court then, ut o'clock, took u recess
till O'Clock
On the assembling of Court the cross
examination OF DIR. Barrows was resumed
Living in dirt, and owing to insufficient med
icincs and diet, the chances of recovery wer,
against those who had syphilis.
The questions and answers were numer
Gus ON the point involving the treatment o
syphilis.
Assistant Judge Advocate lie did no
see the relevancy Of the questions.
Mr. Baker replied that he had asked wit
ness with what disease the patients suffered
and how the disease manifested itself aftel
the patients went to the hospitals, an,
whether syphilis was owing to the vaccin,
matter used upon them. He was cross ex
amining witness on that very point.
The Court-You do not give the witness
an opportunity to answer; you frequently
put words into his mouth.
Mr.. Baker, nave n right to thus draw
from him any information he has.
The COurt-We are disposed to he yer,
liberal, but you must not suppose at thu
same time that we will not take exceptions
as to the manner of examining the witness
The witness said the rebel force at Ander
sonvillc was between 5000 and 5000 men
fuel for them was cut by large force o
colorcd men. There were axes enough t6
supply our men for like purpose. Thu
witness gave as his honest opinion, that i
there had been proper food, clothing, quar-
tiers and other necessary supplies, from Z;
to 80 per cent. Of deaths might have been
prevented.
Nearly 800 out of 400, who ACCOMPANIED
him TO Andcrsonvillc died in n few DAYS af
ter they were paroed The oath New Yori
Battery, captured at Plymouth, were ncarl,
annihilated at this prison.
The Commission here adinurned INIT