Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1865-05-26
Trial of the As.nssIns.

18th OF April he searched the baggage OF
Arnold short distance from Fortress Mon
roe, and found papers, clothing and navy
revolver. The court here produced the
pistol, which the witness identified; 1t was
loaded then, as it was at this time. The
court ordered the pistol to be discharged.
Two other witnesses testified as to the
shocking treatment Of the sick and wound
ed Union prisoners, both in the hospital and
at Libby prison. They were told by Major
Turner, the keeper of Libby prison, that
the treatment was good enough for Yankees.
Out of forty sick men broughtin eight or
twenty died the first night. The weakness
and elnaciation of the prisoners was owing
to the bad character and insufficiency Of
food. They were told that the bad treat
ment was in way of retaliation, on the
ground that the rebel prisoners had been
treated worse than Union prisoners.
Another witness testified that the Libby
prison was mined, and that Major Turner
informed him that he had seen Gen. Win
der on the subject. The fuse was ready for
the mine at the time of Kilpatrick's raid.
Voltaire Randall testified: Knew pri-
soner. Found in his carpet bag some pa
pers, letters clothing and revolver and
cartridges. The revolver was handed him.
Major Marsh testified: Was an officer in
Maryland regiment from 1861 to March
3lst, 1864. He was prisoner of war and
confined in Libby prison from the 18th of
June, 1868, until the 2lst Of March, 1864.
To Judge Advocate Holt: was detained
when captured two weeks at Winchester,
on account of ill-health. My health i'm
proving, | was compelled to march to
Staunton and was treated kindly on the
road by the escort. At first rations at Lib
by Prison were small but tolerably fair-a
half loaf of bread was given each man,
with four ounces ofmeal and several spoons
full of rice. After four months meat, as q
regular thing, was stopped. Then we were
deprived of wheat bread and furnished
with what was called corn bread, very
poor article. l have known prisoners to be
without meat three and four weeks at a
time. We had few potatoes of the worst
character. A meeting of prisoners was
held and a remonstrance sent to the author
tiles. Col. Ould replied, "The treatment was
good enough, and better than rebel prison.
ers got" After being there five months
was taken sick with dropsy from the bad
treatment and sent to hospital. While
there | saw men brought in from Belle Isle
in starving condition, and out of forty at
least eight or twelve died the first night.
The surgeon told me their condition was
produced by want of proper treatment.
Two of our prisoners escaped, which made
Maj. Turner in charge of the prison, pas
sionate and insulting. He removed us from
the hospital to Libby Prison, in wet room.
Some of the sick were in dying condition,
and compelled to remain there "a hours
without cots or a morsel to oatas punishment
for the escape of the two officers. A Col.
Fowler, on being demonstrated with, said,
'the treatment was too damned good Tor
you Yankees" A man could not possibly
live on the rations. For days we lived on
what was called corn bread, which appeared
to be meal and bran mixed and baked in a
rough condition.
Capt. ENERGY, prisoner, testified sub
| stantially to the same treatment. The
money belonging to prisoners was taken
! from them, and therefore they could buy
no food. The bearing of the keeper was
very rude, cursing and abusing the pris-
prisoners. After the battle of Chicka-
mauge 10 or l6 of the sick were tied on a
cart to keep them from falling off, although
| there were ambulances near by not in use.
They were tied on like sacks of grain. The
committee of the rebel Senate knew of their
horrible treatment, but did not notice them
on their visit. He asked Turner for medi-
cine, but he said he had none to give them
An Inspector of the prison named Turner
said the object of the treatment was to kill
| the prisoners, adding, sit is good enough
foryou. You had no business to come here
| If | had command would hang all of you.'
Benjamin Sweany, formerly color SER
geant in the army, and prisoner of wal
| for five months on Belle Isle, in 1868, testi-
fed: There were about $4,000 prisoners
there 1t was in winter. About hold had
shelter; had about halt enough food to live
on; had seen men starved to death. Bodies
| q Al. 1;n1 al 70 Ia
eight or nine days in trenches without be-
inc buried; they would not allow us to
bury them. Witness had asked special
permission to do so and been refused. He
had helped to carry out ten to twenty per
day. Saw men shot down without cause
or provocation. His weight was reduced
from 170 to l23 pounds. Didn't think he
would have lived there a month longer.
Wp. Bull, who was prisoner at Ander-
sonville for eleven months, testified: Treat
ment very poor. The men had no shelter,
but were compelled to live in swamps
Their blankets, boots, caps, and clothing In
general, and money, were taken from them
| Rations about half pint of corn meal, two
| ounces of bacon and half spoonful of sail
4 for twenty-four hours. The bacon was
\ alive Once in while we got half of q
| good piece but not very often. The treat
ment killed the men off. The largest mum
Der of deaths in a,day, to his recollection
was one hundred and twenty-tbree; starva
/ tion was the cause. The enemy sait
they "didn't care a damn whethe
Il the Yankees died or not" Howell
Cobb made speech to them in February
His remarks were very bitter. He said tn,
treatment was the best they could do; tina
if the authorities looked after them littl
more probably they would fare better. HI
I only said few words, and did not seen
| to care much about prisoners. The hea
was very intense. The water they had t,
drink had been made filthy by garbag
/ thrown into the creek. The reply to tn
remonstrance was, "they didn't car
damn for the Yankees" When witnes
went there in June as many as or wer
/ shot dead day. Ifa man got half foo
over the dead line, or near it, he was sho
1t was said they got furlough of 80 day
tor shooting Yankee. Cobb in his speec
said something about plan to burn an
plunder the North. | can hot tell wha
were the words used. The treatment G
sick prisoners was very poor They 60
pitch pine pills for everything |; they GO
no regular medicine. Not cent 0
prisoners money was returned to them
For months the witness had nothing t,
wear but pair of drawers and shirt; hi
clothes were taken away. He laid on til
open ground for that time wthouta bit 9
shelter. Thousands were in the same fix
A corpse of man who died in the morn
! ing could not be approached within twent
feet, and pitchforks had to be used to carry
! the body to the trenches. Clothing sen
there by our Government was taken by tn
rebel Captain in charge. Over half tn,
deaths were by starvation. The food wa
| the nanse nf their SiokneSS. and after thel