The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1866-11-21
che Eorrors Of the Drv Tortugas,

+ and barren island almost known, there languis
IN Illegal imprisonment several hundred Stat
prisoners. Sent thither by military commits
slons-tTlbunals that have been denounced b
the United States supreme court as unknown
, to and unwarranted by law, and from who's
) commitments that court has released all poHli
cal prisoners confined in northern penitentia
ries-these men are now undero going. anc
have undergone, torture at the hands Of bru
tai officials (disgraces to the uniform of a
soldier that make life intolerabe, and which
would, if exposed rouse the horror and indig-
nation Of the ciyil:sed world Confined on
this desolate spot, with no means Of communi-
cation with their friends, many of them en-
tirely innocent Of charges for which these
military courts, . so-caled, " have condemned
them, they are exposed to crueties and pun
shments at the hands Of brutal sergeants and
commissioned officers, administered at their
caprice and whim, for comparisons of which
we would have to 90 back to the Dark Aces,
/ or search the records Of the Inquislon
A short time since we saw letter from an
intelligent State prisoner, confined upon the
Dry Torugas man Of veracity and charac-
ter, giving an account of the inhuman and
barbarous punshments inflicted, not only on the
poor Confederate prisoners confined there, but
on the federal soldiers of the garrison. The
recital the writer gave of the facts, of which
he had been an eyewitness, was sickenina,
and made one blush for humanity 1t was a
tale OF woe that would have melted heart Of
stone-the atrocities committed there by
omted States officers and under tie United
States flag, haunting IN idle mockery as the
guardian OF liberty, the protector of human
rights. lie gave the names Of the sufferers,
the dates when the tortures were inflicted, the
names OF the brutes in human shape who
ordered and executed them. 1t seems that
the devllish tyranny Of tie jaiIors wreakcd
itself alike on United States soldiers and Con
tederate prisoners.
In August last, while party Of prisoners
were unloading vessel, some Of The crew
gave them Iiquor and one of the poor uufor-
Inmates became hclpessly drunk In this
condition he was tied up by the thumbs BY
order Of the officer Of the day and kept sus-
pended for hours, the cords cutting the flesh
to the bones, and until the poor wretch, to all
appearances, was dying. Then the command
ant, brgadler-g general, accidentally passing.
and observing the mans condition, ordered
him to be taken down and he was conveyed
to the hospital with one of his hands disabled
for life. He had been suspended this way for
hours. Could the Russian punishment Of the
knout be worse than this Was the thumb
screw applied 10 Dr.. Muddto extort from him
the names Of his accomplices in his attempt
to escape scyerer?
But another case which the writer Of the
letter saw, and we have done with this shock
ing recital; for though re could quote other
instances OF bagbaTlty that would startc the
demons IN he'll, we shrink from the melancholy
record. It was that Of United States sol
der, who for some trivial offence, some petty
neglect of bis equipment, was lied up by the
thumbs for hours. Manned, with the tcndons
OF his arms stretched and displaced, his hands
useless and IncaPacltated, he was ordered to
pick up forty pound ball and carry it for a
certain number of hours in the broiling son.
Ills hands refused their drty-they could
clasp nothing, much less lift a forty pound
shot, and the poor fellow said be could not
He was then ordered to DC lied taken to the
end of the garrison wharf and there bound
hand and foot, with rope around his neck. he
was thrown into the water, to be duckcd until
be promised to carry the ball. The seyercst
''' - WV 4NlSI nay NIlCu
marine was noted for its barbarous
panlshments, was keel -hauling," to which
The terrible !" cat" was a mercy and excel
hauling dragging man under the vessel
was identica]ly the same punishment this poor
wretch Of a soldier was subjected to bv hi,
officers at the Tortugas. He was allowed to
sink several moments. and then, being drawn
up he was asked If he would carry The ball,
Ll's noun ana IafoaO oe'ns n,led with water
y. ~ eoulu lo' = once reply ana ne was again
Inen :" - Si"H, - second l,'ne ne was
- i. = " CO. 'l.'4ipS Souie gesture Oh assent
~ w t.an 1,' = 40 y "'"i 'oF'oief' ho
STb ',,s,e'' H., H. al
.rna-s,o ,"'i t anu ''g slIi''5"I ones are
a. I.,.'e ~ - '1s 'I'elieu h'hG'eGn'"
WI o2, u.'oi e - S' 'e DIy
~, nv 14N9ls' Ian - moaning
pIrn, ',I s" $3.50 81 '.9 neSIo sis'e-|nG
1870. o''ls' Pol'ioa' iSoi9"l
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1arrors bo,a .ls'','' s'e'S 'ese
- TTaitoJ ctotas IT, 80. - ~, ll''T T- .s
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