The tri-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1866-1868, 1866-03-27


was never in the prison while Gee was there,
but went on the parapet. saw the prisoners and
they seemed to be in a bad condition-some were
nearly naked-the mud 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. 1 carried provisions
to the prisoners before Maj Gee went there
didn't carry any afterwards because heard that
it was not allowed. This was general rumor.
don't know as to the deaths in the prison.
made rough estimate of the number from the
utes after got there-it had been going on,
should judge, ten minutes before got there. 1
couldn't sec 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 if the
prisoners did not go to their tents. Some of
them said they had no tents to go to-
CROSS EXAMINED.
The firing continued 10 Is minutes after
got there-it lasted in all 20 to 25 minutes-Col.
don't know that I order
to impress cattle there-I heard they were
impressing cows and 1 had cow and 1
that there would be COW allowed to
every four in a family-I was told that 1
taken to supply the ARMY don't know whether
milk cows were taken by military orders 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 1
did not leave Salisbury, which then intended to
do. This was the only flour knew of and got
it by special favor.
Citizens 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 boot
maker had plenty of work, but my trade
would otsupport me-mcal was $50 per bushel-
cannot tell what an ordinary laborer could make
per day-aS a bootmakcr worked for less than
the labor was worth because the military had me
in their power and had to work low A journey
a tlf
boots which took him two days-a barrel OF flour
was worth at the same time 500. The witness
gave the price of various other PARTICLES in Salisbury
at that time. There was plenty of wood around
there-some right at the town. have seen groves
near the prison cut down by the soldiers. There
was much suffering among the people ofthe town.
can't tell to what eXtent-I don't think beet could
have been bought in market while the prisoners
were there. There was Il 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 l know of was not
present at any meeting to get provisions from
Richmond. saw the prisoners when they first
came passing into the prison-they were badly
clothed, cmaciated, and some needed help i'll
wakiny-some were hatcss and shoeess-some
had only pants and shirts, Others had blowses also.
They generally walked very slowly-the last that
came were better Off than the frSt-those who
came after the fight around Petersburg better
clothed There came from five to eight hundred
per day-sometimes there two arrivals of
about that number i'll the day. The large lot was
arriving about ten days.
1 never heard any thing between Major Gee
Captain Goodman in regard to supplies for the
prisoners Teams were very scarce around there
all the best horses had been impreSsed-some
before and some after the prisoners arrived.
frequently saw prisoners going into town for
water-the citizens grumbled at this good deal
"because they exhausted the wells and made them
muddy and damaged the pumps. 1 saw some
prisoners going about the town-some were pa
rolled to work in the shops there,-axes and lum-
Der and everytl ing was scarce.
twas almost impossible to buy axe, or lum-
Der to repair house-there were few nails, but
they were high The The merchants occasionally .sa
ade l don't know the amount of quartermas-
ter's stores there l was in one of the ware
houses used by the quartermaster, and saw very
little in that. In the commissary store there was
sometimes little flour, meal and bacon-don't
know the amount The market of the town was
supplied by country wagons-the supply
nothing like being equal to the demand. THE
witness again mentioned the price of several
articles among the rest $50 for pair old boot
legs. Supplies bought with Confederate
currency. People were not anxious to sell to the
government and would not sell to it II they could
help 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 also
an apprehension of the prisoners breaking out.
Colonel Bradshaw ordered that all citizens keep
their muskcts loaded by them-there were orders
to go to certain points upon certain signals. The
point to which l was to go WAS in the street near
the stockade-if the signal had been given
should have lain still. We to meet at this
point to keep the prisoners back if they made II
break. THE witness gave explanation con-
corning the home-guards, and also the grounds
for experimenting an outbreak.
did not see Colonel Stowe fire prisoners,
nor order the guard to fire, but he lcveled his
gun and threatened to fire. There firing
at the spot where 1 was, except by the artillery,
which fired before 1 got there. The firing
on the south-sidc of the prison and some by
the cook house. l didn't know the price of
eggs at that time there. There no able
bodied men i'll Salisbury except n few eXcmpts.-
j think the number of these was about three.
There were some able bodied men in the govern
ment shops, who stlid in the town-there were
about 300 men in the town-not more than 100
of whom were ablc-bodied. l never much
scarcity anywhere in my life as in Salisbury, dur
ing the time the prisoners were there. The
witness gave an incident showing the scarcity of
Greensboro to Danville he could not get corn
for his horse at but one place, and there he took
enough with him to last three days.
REDIRECT.
The commssary and quartermaster depart
ments had agents in different parts collecting
supplies-I do not know the amount of !, minis
sary and quartermasters supplies at Salisbury.
THE COURT.
Lumber was very scarce because the govern
mcnt took all the lumber that was made. The
sutferingS there were cause. both by poverty and
the scarcity of provisions. The quartcrmastcr
had six fine fourmue teams, but they were taken
away and old teams substituted. l know that
teams were impressed because 1 heard Captain
Goodman read an order to impress all the teams
within 20 miles of Salisbury.
On motion, the Court adjourned to 10 o'clock
Monday morning, April End, 1866.
"A genuine case of trance is reported
from Guidford, England. An old lady, after
being for long time in a low state of health