The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-04-28

Gen. Winder was at Salisbury in December and
stopped the erection of buildings for the prison
Morfitt complained to Winder that Gee took
more authority than belonged to him-Mortitt was
senior officer to Maj. Gee-Winder said let things
go on as they had been-the difficulty between
Maj Gee and Maj. Morfitt was in regard to wood
Gen. Winder sustained Morftt
Witness mentioned several battles he had been
in, in the federal service Had never known any
person refused permission to give prisoners any
thing-never knew any act of cruelty on the part
Oh MAJ. Gee toward prisoners-nor any restric-
tlons but what was necessary to keep the prisoners.
CROSS EXAMINED.
We had plenty of rations-more than enough
sometimes-don't know that the other prisoners
had so much-[w WITNESS described the manner of
drawing rations, through the sergeant-majors.]
The men were in the habit of 6 hanking,' and
this became so common that Maj. Gee put stop
toit-sometimes, by this practice 500 or 900 ra-
tions were drawn more than there were prisoners
they were counted and the correct number as
certained
John A. Snider sworn-was conductor of wood
train on the w. N. G. Railroad daring the time
the prisoners were at Salisbury-testifies that
there were three engines belonging to the road at
that time-two for mail trains and his, which was
used for wood-this train under the control
of Capt Goodman-the road was in very bad
condition, so that it almost impossible to
run a train on 1.-THE bitches were filled up and
the mud and water covered the track in many
places-there as many construction hands
on the road as could be obtained-one of the mail
trains was stopped sometimes and used as con-
structiOn train-there landslide at one time
near Salisbury that took week to clear away
his train made sometimes one trip and sometimes
four trips day, according to the breakdowns
they had-there was not sound car on the road
most of them had flat wheels-wood was cut at
two places, at one by negroes and at the other by
whites-siNty prisoners sent with the train
to load and unload the wood under guard
teams were impressed to bring the wood to the
railroad-several prisoners escaped on the trips
for wood, at one time 10 or 12-the guard was no
guard at all-the prisoners had the guns as often
rs the guards-these guards were called Home
Reserves" While out, the prisoners bought
whatever they wished-witness made it a rule that
the party that loaded its car first might trade
first-they all traded both at the depot and at the
places on the road where the wood was loaded
had seen one prisoner carry in as many as fifty
pies that he had bought-saw them carrying in
things they had bought, every day-they bought
pies, cakes, chickens and sometimes Ii tie bacon
sometimes this wood detail stayed out all night
on account of the train breaking down-remcm
hcred three nghts-prisoners who came out to
often-they did it openly.
This train was sometimes taken to haul lumber
from Maroney's mill, 65 miles above Salisbury, to
Maj. Chsman at Greensboro, when thus employ
e. there train hauling wood-saw orders
from Chisman to haul this lumber, with threats
to impress the train if it were not done. There
was another mill two miles nearer Salisbury, but
don't know who controlled it, Hauled one load
of lumber from this mill to the arsenal at Sails
bury-the mail trains carried the freight also on
this road sometimes brought box car from
third Creek, to Maj Myers-they pushed me very
tight, both day and night-on Saturdays hauled
wood to the company's work shops-this was
brought about 25 miles-they had wagons at the
post that were hauling wood most of the time
they hauled the wood about four miles.
The ties on this road were nearly rotten
the cars, wheels and engines were in very bad
condition, and it very difficult to keep the
track. In loading the cars, the guards frequent
ly laid down their guns and raced with the pris-
oners in loadng-there was sometimes sergeant
and sometimes lieutenant with the guard, but
but there difference.
CROSS EXAMINED.
l took out 60 men with me-prisoners that car
ried the wood in, traded whenever they wished.
l had generally eight cars in my tran-carried
cords of wood to each car. At times there were
as mucn as lUU cOTuS OF WOOu III INC pTlSOH "Oou
yard, at other times it ran very low. There was
not plenty OF lumber at Maroneys mill-some-
times there was not enough to load the train
there not much at the other mills it was
hauled away fast as sawed-most OF it was car
ried to Grecnsboro-some of it carried to
the arsenal at SaIisbury-my train did all it could.
The lieutenants and scrgea' IS were present
when the prisoners were trading-heard the guard
say it was against the rules to allow this trading,
but they did it.
REDIRECT.
kept a memorandum of the wood hauled to
the prison-from the 18th of October, 1861 to
the 4th of March, 1865, carried there 5,O76 cords
this did not include what hauled to the
workshops. There only few loads hauled
after the prisoners lcft-don't remember how
many.
COURT.
The wood was hauled for Capt. Goodman, the
quartermastcr at Salisbury, for the prison-not
including what hauled for the shops-my
train was used only for this purpose.
The journal of Wednesday then read, after
which the Commission adjourned to Monday
morning, 10 o'clock.
TTJST ARRIVED AT