Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1865-10-20
The WirZ TLiai.

The trial of Capt. Wirtz, before the mlll-
tary court at Washington, is stih in progress
In the report of the proceedings on the 4th-
instant, we have the following testimony on
George W. Fechnor, (who was taken prs
oner while a spy in the National service,)
regarding life, manners and customs IN the
Anoersonville stockade':
According to him it Was much like acon-
pact city There were thirty three thousand
prisoners the pen was laid out in streets,
aud most Of the vocations known to city life
were carried on within it, There were about
one thousand regular dealers, including bank
era. brokers, provision merchants, bakers.
taiiors, shoelnakers, BARRIERS, jewellers, soup
iohhers, gamblers &c, who kept open shops
and Offices, and did a thriving business. -
a. Gi4ese establishments could be bought it
Que had the money, all the necessaries and
many Of the Injuries Of life. The witness
himself kept shop and drove heavy trade,
He said there were about half a million.
dollars in greenbacks in the prison. The
prisoners had also among themselves regu-
lar judicial and police organizations, and at
one time Eve disorderly characters among
them who had been found guilty by a jury
of their fellow captives, we're hung. He
himself acted as a magistrate. He had known
suffering among the men from exposure, but
could not say that he had witnessed it from
hunger .-....t .; .-...-r, .a;'.r If.
His personal narrative is interesting and
consisting Of escapes, captures, trial as spy
and other experiences of the soldier in secret
service. Regarding accommodations for
prisoners within the stockade, he declared
that there were upwards Of fifty wells and
four hundred and fifty springs. There we're
about twenty vacant lots within the enslosure.
Parties "holding" lots were accustomed to
traffic in them, by regularly conveying one
to another for q small consideration 10 mo4-
ley. The ''shanty'' Of the witness was on
the main street, and was about SIX feet
square. Wagons loaded with wood and pro-
visions were common on the streets, driven
! by Union prisoners, who unceremonious!y
ran over their comrades if they did not get
out of way He also stated that the prison
cotained 500 balehouses, most OF them about
eight feet by six in size the largest, howeg-
er, capable of baking 1900 biscuits at
time. 4 thimtie-tuil of whiskey could be
bought for S. A good meal, consisting Of
ham, eggs, coffee. steak and onions and po-
;atocs, could be bought u. tie gestalrapts for
| $40 greenbacks Or $40 Confederate, The
bakers sold pies Of peaches, apples and black
berries, BARRIERS acted as doctors There
were upwards Of twenty barber shops, where
hair was cut and whiskers dyed. In fact,
he concludes ''Andersonville was city
ali it lacked was women" -~.f .,. .'r.s. d..
TIE Safirtz trial was .commeqced on the
2Gth day Of August. The prosecution en-
anlied one hundred and twenty-five witness
es: the number Of days required for which
was twenty three, the record making two
thousand eight hundred and sixiy-eight fool
soap pages The defense was opened on the
26th day of September. The number Of
witnesses sehpened is one hundred and SIX,
and examined tlrs far seventeen, and fifty
Ave have reported themselves. r '-T ..