Daily national Republican. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1862-1866, 1865-09-06
Trial Of Henry Wirz.
TnIRTEENTH DAY
UNITED STATES MILITARY COMMISSION
GEN LBw WALLACE, President,

|
crowd, as usual was very large. r.g
| The reading Of the testimony Of yesterday was
concluded at 10 minutes Of IL, when Mr. Baker
said, on looking over the testimony, he found so
much OF It was illegally In, The thought two-
thirds Of IT, he would ask the court 10 reject 1t.
He thought In a civil court II would be stricken
out. . WE
| Assistant Judge Advocate Hosmer said the gon-
tleman should state his reasons for such motion.
Mr.. Baker said many OF the questions asked
were leading ones, and much Of the testimony
was what was told to the witnesses and hear
say evidence.
Assistant Judge Advocate Hosmcr said the
Court would Judge as to proper evidence.
.-F JOSEPH ADLER
testified that he had been In the military service ;
| was u prisoner at AndersOnville Had been In
the hospital for two or three months as nurse.
Tho sick were treated very bad in the hospital.
| They had to lay on the ground with little or
clothing or blankets, and the food was very bad.
In June there were twenty -four rainy days;
| about two hundred sick were lying out without
shelter wirI took command about the last Of
OF March or first OF April. The first day he said
he had to muster aud count us all, aud unless he
| got through by 2 clock the prisoners should
have no rations that day. He did not get through
and the prisoners were kept without ratiOrl
| that day.
A man named Stevenson died he had respect
| hDle ClOlnes on. "lInesb IcVuesteu Jhpl. WIFI
to let the clothes remain on the body. He said
he would. WirE, with two soldiers, (robels,) J
went out aud took the clothes from tho mau and
buried him naked. Witness saw man whose
| throat had been torn to pieces by the dogs; his
clothes were all torn of, and the marks Of the
dogs could be seen. Capt wirz, Drs. White and
Stevenson were there, at the time: wira said :
| at serves the d-n dog right The man died
the same day. Had heard complaints made to
| WirI in regard to rations
A friend Of witness was lying on the ground
nearly dead with tho diarrhea. He could not go
down to the sink to do his business. The sick
man asked WirE to give him piece of bread, he
was sick, aud not able to 80 for his rations.
Wiu struck him over the head with his riding
| whip, and the man swooned. lie was taken to
the hospital, and died shortly after. Knew a
man who was lying in tle stocks senseless. Out
Of the Il captured with witness, about l2 only
were living now. Witnesssa two or three men
reaching over the dead line for water. Heard
wirz tell the sentry to shoot them. The sentry
fred and lstruGkIon man. Witness recognized
Captain Wlrz, aud heard his voice when he or
dered the sentry.
Captain wiri told the sentry II man had his
arm over the dead line, he must shoot him, ., !
he would have him punished unless he did. A
number Of the prisoners had made a petition TO
be sent to our Government for exchange. The
petition went to Wirz, but he never sent IL. Wit
ness saw the crippled man called ChickAmauga
shot.
Capt wirz ordered the sentry to shoot the mau
The sentry fired and killed him.
Cross-eNamined There were about one doy \
beds in the hospital In the month Of June. Tnr
was before the hospital was enlarged. Witness
was in the hospital until the latter part Of
August. About seventy five to Il hundred pris-
oners were in u ward. Award would accommo-
date about fifty or sixty men comfortably. A.
one time about two hundred were lying outsid
without any shelter DR.. White was in char 9
then. TIE hospitals had no flooring. They W, e
made Of canvass tents, which were very b i.
Daring rain the ground would be wet and muddy.
Sometimes they had NO medicines at all. In
| hn prar wi hnu Utadt tafn Ia
twenty days. Had seen wrz standing by wh'l
prisoners were being stripped. When witnc .
saw the man who had been torn by the dogs, lie
heard Wirz say It served him right, and ha
"wouldnt care II all the id Yankees in tire
stockade were served the same way In dig
ging the tunnel the dirt was hauled up In havcr-
sacks and spread about the stockade, 30 that It
would not be noticed. The tunnel was dug with
sticks, knives or anything We could get our
hands on to dig with.
By the Court: The dead house was near the
hospital. That was the only building near the
stockude.
By Mr.. Baker Over fifty out of the squad OF
seventy -one that witness was captured with died
at Andersonville.
wM. II. JENNINGS,
(cOlored,) testified that he had been In the s.h
United States cOlored Infantry. Was captured
in Florida. Was taken to Andersonville Wss
there about one year. Had seen Capt. Wirz when
they arrived there. About one month after wit
ness was put in the stockade he was put to work
at digging u ditch. Witness had been wounded
In the thigh. The wound was bleeding and
painful.
Witness had been whipped by order of Capt.
WirZi got thirty lasbes because he as not able
to go to work was whipped on the bare skin by
man named Turner. Was then put In the stocks
and kept there a day and night without anything
| to eat or drink. Had seen u man who was torn
by the hounds, who died shortly afterwards
was whipped during the month of March, he
thought, though he was not certain. He saw
Capt WirE at the gate when tho man who had
been caught by the hounds was brought in had
seen men who had lost their arms from vaccna
tiOn. Witness Vaccinated himself.
CrOss-eNamined Witness never had his wou nds i
dressed. Was compelled to work by Captain
Wrz
By the Court: The man who whipped witness
said that 1t was by Wirz's orders.
THOMAS N. WAY
having been sworn, testified that no had been In
the United States service In an Ohio regiment.
Was II prisoner at Audersonyille, and knew Cap
tain Wirz He put witness In the stocks for
eight days. Was tied up by the thumbs for nf.
toen minutes because he was sick and not able
to stand up In the ranks. Witness could not use
his hands for two months after he was tied up by
the thumbs.
When witness made his escape and was recap
tured, WirZ said he should be pnt In tho stocks
four days. At the end Of four days he was taken
out Wirz told four men to take him to the stock :
ade. Witness said jestingly, Il am much Obliged
to you Captain for having me carried; am not
able to walk Wirz said, "You Cd d-n
Yankee son Of b-h, puts you In the stocks
Tour days more, and II you give me any more lip
| will shoot you.h Witness was then taken back
and put in the stocks. Had to lay there with his
face to the sun. Knew young prisoner seven
teen years old who was caught by the dogs and
torn TO pieces; he died Immediately Witness
had been caught by the hounds three times.
Witness heard WirZ give orders to shoot men.
Had been bucked and gagged because he was late
at roll call. Witness had seen many prisoners
punished in that way. Witness was told by the
guards when men were shot that they were or
dered to do no by Captain Wirz. Witness dc.
seribed his experience with the ball aud chain,
which was put on him fir try ing to escape. At
first Ave men were chained by Que foot % u large
ball. small ball being attached % the other foot.
Tho number was increased, and four men were
hitched to large ball, each with u small ball
attached to the other foot, and they were formed
into a Chain gang by putiug iron collars
upon their necks attached to each other by ohaius
two feet long. Witness was confined in this man
ner twenty-five days, being liberated ono hour
out of every i've hours,
The Court here took recess
At two clock the Court reassembled, and the
cross examination of THOMAS N. WAYS was con.
tinued by Mr.. Haker.
Witness said the hrst punishment inflicted on
MIN was some time In July. The next act was
being tied up by the thumbs Ia a day or two ar-
lerwardS tho next was the ball aud chaiu, which
was kept on him twenty Ave days. Was in the
Stocks four days at each time. The punishmeuts
were inflicted for trying to get away. Witness
knew OF the attempt to tunnel out aud turn the
guns on the guards; was not concerned lu 1t.
Witness had been chased by the hounds
lIhe witness was here taken sick ON tho stand
laal NUaf