The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-03-28

saw no resistance on the part of prisoners-heard
them cry out don't shoot-did not see Mai Gee
during the firing. saw him soon afterwards at
TIE gate-most Of the firing was on the south side
OF the prisoIi-Inostly by the Senior Reserves
didn't see any citizens firing on tse prisoners.
was never in the prison while Gee was there
but went on the parapet. I saw the prisoners and
they seemed to be in o bad condition-some were
nearly naked-the mud was nearly two inches
deep in the yard-some of the prisoners lived
in holes in the ground-some made bricks of the
mud and built arches over the mouth of the hole
they were much crowded. Icarried provisions
to the prisoners before Maj. Gee went ther~-
didn't carry any afterwards because heard that
il was not allowed. This was general rumor
don't know as to the deaths in the prison-I
made rough estimate of the number from the
graves. The firing continued ten or fifteen min
utes after l got there-it had been going on,
should Judge, ten minutes before got there. 1
couldn't see over the whole ground, but so far as
could see there was no resistance on the part OF
the prisoners. saw Col. Stowe running round
on the parapet and threatening to shoot II tue
prisoners did not go to their tents. Some OF
them said they had no tents to go to.
CROSS EXAMINED.
The firing continued 10 or Is minutes after
got there 1t lasted in all 20 to IS minutes-Col.
Stowe was 1t. Colonel in Hoke's regiment.
l don't know that 1 ever saw an order
to, impress cattle there[ heard they were
imprcssing cows and l had "a cow and
went to see if could keep her. heard
that there would be one Cow allowed to
every four in family-I was told that l
could keep my cow The beef cattle had all been
taken to supply the ARMY don't know whether
milk cows were taken by military orders or not
PROVISIONS were very scarce about there knew
of but one place where flour could be had, and
made arrangements to get flour barrels in case
did not leave Salisbury, Which then intended to
do This was the only flour knew OF and got
it by special favor.
.Citzens.l had to bring in provisions by stealth.
had provisions brought In at night-this was to
prevent being annoyed BY borrowers, for provis-
ions were very scarce and those who had were
continually annoyed by persons wishing to bor-
row.
was exempted from military service as a boot
maker l had plenty of work, but my trade
would notsupport me-mealwas $50 per bushel-
cannot tell what an ordinary laborer could make
| per day-as boOtmaker worked for less than
| the labor was worth because the military had me
in their power and l had to work low. A journey
| man bootma>er got $50 for making pair. of
| boots which took him two days-a barrel OF Hour
was worth at the same time S20t. The witness
gave the price of various other in Salisbury
| at that time There was plenty of wood around
there-some right at the tOwn-Ihaye seen groves
near the prison cut down by the soldiers. There
| was much suffering among the people of the town.
| can't tell to what extent-I don't think beetcould
| have been bought in market while the prisoners
| were there. There Was mob raised, that broke
/ into houses to get provisions about twelve months
| before the prisoners came. There was none while
| the prisoners was there that know Of-Iwas not
| present at any meeting TO get provisions from
| Richmond. L saw the prisoners when they first
| came passing into the prison-they were badly
! clothed, emaciated, and some needed help in
| walking-some were hatless and shoeless--sOmt
had only pants and shirts, others had blowses also
| They generally walked very slOwly-the last that
came were better off than the frsi-tbose who
came after the fight around Petersburg were better
clothed. There came from five to eight hundred
| per day-sometimcs there were two arrivals Of
| about that number in the day The large lot was
| arriving about ten days.
| never herd any thing between Major Gee
and Major Myers or between Major Gee ant
Captain Goodman in regard to supplies for the
prisoners. Teams were very scarce around there
all the best horses bad been impressed-somt
before and some alter the prisoners arrived.
frequently saw prisoners going into town fo
water-ihe citizens grumbled at this good dca
because they exhausted the wells and made then
muddy and damaged the pumps. saw som'
prisoners going about the town-some were pa
rolled TO work in the shops there,-aXes and lum
Der and everyti ing was scarce.
! TWAS almost impossible to buy an axe, or lum
Der to repair a hOuse-there were a few nails, Blu
they were high The merchants OCCASIONAL.
brought on few that came through the block
adc l don't know the amount OF quartermas
ter's stores there. l was in one of the ware
houses used by the quartermastcr, and saw yer.
little in that. In the commisssry store there wa
| sometimes little -four meal and bacoD-dOn'
know the amount. The market OF the town wa
| supplied by country wagons-the supply wa
nothing like being equal TO the demand. Th
witness again mentioned The price of sevcra
articles, among the rest $40 for pair old boo
legs Supplies were bought with Confederat
/ currency People were not anxious to sell TO til
government and would not sell to 1t II they cou
nelp it, because it did not pay as high as Others
There was at one time an apprehension in Sal
isbury of an attack from Kirk. There was ais
an apprehension of the prisoners breaking out
Colonel bradshaw ordered that all citizens kee
their muskets loaded by them-there were order
TO go TO certain points upon certain signals. III
point to which l was to go was in the street Dca
The stockade-if the signal had been given
should have lain still. We were to meet at thi
|. point to keep the prisoners back if they made
break. The witness gave an explanation cor
corning thc hJme-guards, and also the ground
for experimenting an outbreak.
did not see Colonel Stowe fire on prisoners
nor order the guard to fire, but he levcled hi
gun and threatened to fire. There was no riD
at the spot where was, except by the artillery
which was fired before l got there. The irin
was ON the south-side of the prison and some b
the cook-house didn't know the price {
eggs at that time there. There were no able
bodied men in Salisbury except few exempts.-
] think the number of these was about tire,
There were some able bodied men in the govern
| ment shops, who staid in the tOwu-there WEI
about 800 men in the town-not more than II
of whom were able-bodied never saw so niue
5 scarcity anywhere in my lite as in Salisbury, du
2 ing the time the prisoners were there. I'll
witness gave an incident showing the scarcity
} provisions in the country-that in travelling frO
f Greensboro to Danvile he could not get COZ
for his horse at but one place, and there he toJ
enough with him to last three days.
REDIRECT.
: The commissary and quartermaster depar
i | ments had agents in different parts collectir
supplics-l do not know the amount of G., mini
i sary and quartermasters supplies at Salisbury
DY THE COURT.
Lumber was very scarce because the COVER
ment took all the lumber that was made. III
sutferings there were cause. both by poverty al
the scarcity of provisions. The QuarterInast
!. had six fine four-mule teams but they were taxi
u away aud old teams substituted. l know tn
teams were impressed because / heard CAPITA
; Goodman read an order to impress all the tean
u within 20 miles of Salisbury.
On motion, the Court adjourned to 10 o'clot
}. Monday morning, April End, 1866
/. Mayor May of Augusta calls upon Il
} people of that city to put their houses
e order" in view of the apprehended a
e proach of the cholera. All decaying al
decayed vegetables and animal substanc
I are to be removed from the premises of ca,
!, citizen daily. General Brannan has place
" l Il i. nj