Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-06-26

Thank God the world has at last an authen-
tic and official statement Of the treatment of
Mr.. Davis during his Imprisonment in the case
mates OF Fortress Monroe. 1t Is no fiction; no
story of a Northern correspondent, but real
impartial, authoritative statement OF the Sar
geon of the Post at Fortress Mon,'oe, aeho attend
ed Mr.. Daris for seue,, long months after his
captirity. The account has just been published
In the North, and what we give below is copied,
word for word, from the Surgeons own state
ment, as published in the New York World
1t needs no comment--it forms the most cold
blooded, infamous and deSilish atrocty that
was ever perpetrated on earth. The blood runs
cold at the recital of such torture and suffering.
| Talk of Libby Prison, of Andersonvie-b
| what were all their imaginary horrors compared
to the story below. They pale into insignif-
canoe. All we ask is that every person in the
South will read this and as he does let him re-
collect that these are the words ofa Yankee sur
geon, who cannot be suspected of any sympa-
| thy with Mr.. Davis and therefore does not make
his treatment appear as bad as it really was-
Where is the shame of the North when such
| barbarism and torture is allowed to be visited
upon a poor helpless defenceless, manacled
prisoner. NV
HOW MIR. DAVIS WAS CONDUCTED INTO PRISON
| NAY 81, 1S65-The procession into the fort
General Halleck and Charles A. Dana, then
Assistant Secretary of War; Colonel Pritchard
of the Michigan cavalry. who Immediately eff
fected the capture, being the officer in com
mand of the guard from the vessel to the fort
First came Major-General Miles holding the arm
of Mr.. Davis who was dressed in suit of plain
Confederate gray, with a gray slouched hat
always thin, and now looking much wasted and
very haggard. Immediately after these came
Colonel Pritchard accompanying Mr.. Clay with
guard of soldiers in their rear Thus they
passed through files of men in blue from the
Engineer Landing to the Water Battery Pos
tern; and ON arriving at the casemate which
had been fitted up into cells for their incarcera-
ton, MIR. Davis was shown into easement No
two, and Clay into No. four, guards of soldiers
being stationed in the cells numbered one, three
and five upon each side of them.
HOW MR. DAVIS WAS PUT IN IRONS-AN Off
CIAL STATEMENT. =
On the morning of the 22d of MAY, vet bit
ter trial was in store for the proud sprit-a
trial severer, probably than has ever in modern
times being inflicted upon any one who had en-
joyed such eminence. This n,orniu0 Jefferson
Daris acds shackled
Captain Jerome E. Titlow, of the Third
PENNSYLVANIA Artillery entered the prisoner S
cell, followed by the blacksmith of the fort and
his assistant, the latter carrying in bis hand
some heavy and harshly rafting shackles As
they entered, Mr. Davis was reclining on his
bed feverish and weary after sleepless night
the food placed near to him the preceding day
still lying untouched on the plate near his bed
side.
'.Well?a said Mr. Davis as they entered,
slightly raising his head. .'e.
II have an unpleasant duty to perform, SIR
said Captain Titlow; and as he spoke the SEN
iOr blacksmith took the shackles from his assist
| tant. tsal u
Davis leaped instantly from his recumbent
attitude, flush passing over his face for mo-
ment, and then his countenance growing livid
and rigid as death. s..l11s.e }8Ii
| He gasped for breath, clutching his throat
with the thin fingers of the right hand and
then recovering himself slowly, while his vast
ed figure lowered up to its full height-now
appearing to swell with indignation and then
to shrink with terror, as he glanced from the
captains face to the shaekles-he said slowly
and with laboring chest ~
My God You cannot have been sent to
iron meY'l f1 III -
Such are my orders, sir, replied the officer,
reckoning the blacksmith to approach, who
stepped forward, unlocking the paddock and
preparing the fetters to do their Office These
letters ace,e Of heauy iron, probably 1ue-eighths
Of an anclt IN dlchness and connected together
by a chain Of like ,ceght. I believe they are
now in the possession of Major General Miles,
and will form an interesting relic.Iq b95nI, p
This Is too monstrous, groaned the priso-
ner, glaring hurriedly round the room as If for