The weekly North-Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 186?-1869, 1866-05-02
NO.. 1S.

ed who, on discovery, was handled roughly by
the officer, when Maj. Gee interfered to prevent
it. The recruits were foreigners, Irish, French
and Germans. At one time, at the Office heard
Gee say that he would no. allow the prisoners
treated roughly-that the rights Of prisoners were
sacred-that they might escape if they could and
it was his business to keep them If he could A
prisoner named Bracket frequently went out Of
the prison and returned-Maj. Gee put stop to
it when he found it out-heard Maj Gee order
prisoner to be fed from the cook house, on being
recaptured and brought in after being out three
weeks.
Witness gave other instances of Maj. Gees
kind treatment of prisoners, and described the
manner of the escape of many.l There was q.
s. flag that was brought out of the prison, which
was festooned around the bed of witress-sup-
poses Maj. Gee saw it, as it was right in front Of
the door. Describes the kind of troops on guard
at Salisbury. Also, the palisade, substantially as
testified to by other witnesses.]
There was plan for escape before the witness
wenroutside, and clubs and other missiles were
prepared-did not think his parole required him
to disclose this plan-he did not disclose it
never betrayed any prisoner who tried to escape,
to Maj. Gee or any one else-it was known that
Bracket W, mt out, he had been seen by prison off,
cials in the tOwn-witness was never required by
Maj. Gee or any other officer there to do anything
unusual for prisoners of war;.
Have seen prisoners have pies, cakes, chickens
and other eatables and take them into the prison
did not see them buy them-had seen things
brought into headquarters, that were coniscated
to protect the rights of the suffers Had carried
in things to prisoners himself; on Christmas eve,
carried in SALT bread, rooster and hen.
Whenever there was firing at night Maj. Gee
got up to see what the cause was. Witness stat
ed that in his mess they had singing, violin play
ing and dancing-in the cook house they had
theatrcals-but when Maj. Gee found that the
guards gathered in there, he stopped it-descrb-
ed the condition of the prisoners who went with
him to Salisbury-they were poorly clad, having
sold their clothes at Danville.
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-Morfitt was
senior officer to Maj. Gec-Winder said, let things
go on as they had been-the difficulty between
Maj Gee and Maj. Morftt 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
of Maj Gee toward prisoners-nor any restric
tions but what was necessary tokeep the prisoners
CROSS EXAMINED.
We had plenty of rations-more than enough
sometimes-don't know that the other prisoner
had SO much WITNESS described the manner o
drawing rations, through the sergeant-majors.]
The men were in the habit of " fanking," ani
this became so common that Maj. Gee put stoI
to it-sometmes, by this practice, 500 or 600 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 woot
train on the w. N. C. Railroad during the timt
the prisoners were at Saisbury-testiies thai
there were three engines belonging to the road al
that time-two for mail trains and his, which was
used for wood-this train was under the contro
of Capt. Goodman-the road was in very bad
condition, so that it was almost impossible to
run train on 1.-THE bitches were filled up and
places-there were as many construction hands
on the road as could be obtained-one of the mai
trains was stopped sometimes and used as q con
struction train-there was a 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 breakdowni
they had-there was not sound car on the road
most of them had fiat whees-wood was cut al
two places, at one by negroes and at the other by
whites-sxty prisoners were sent with the trair
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 nc
guard at all-the prisoners had the guns as often
as the guards-these guards were called Home
Reserves" While out, the prisoners bough
whatever they wished-witness made it rule tina
the party that loaded its car first might trad,
frst-they all traded, both ut the depot and at thu
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 carryin il
things they had bought, every day-thcy bought
pies, cakes, chickens and sometimes Ii lie bacoI
sometimes this wood detail stayed out all nigh
OH account Of the train breaking down--remcm
bered three nights-prisoners who came out Il
carry in wood traded aso-had seen them do i
often-they did it openly.
This train was sometimes taken to haul lumbe
from Maroney's mill, Is miles above Salisbury, Il
Ma. Chisman, at Greensboro, when thus employ
ec there was no train hauling wood-saw ORDER
from Chisman to haul this lumber, with threat
to impress the train il it were not DONE Their,
was another mill two miles nearer Salisbury, bu
don't know who controlled 1t. Hauled one l0a(
of lumber from this mill to the arsenal at Sails
bury-the mail trains carried the freight also OF
this road-I sometimes brought box car iron
third Creek, to Maj. Myers-they pushed me yer,
tight both day and night-on SATURDAYS hauled
wood to the company's work shops-this wa
brought about 25 miles-they had wagons at tn,
post that were hauling wood most of the time
they hauled the wood about four miles.
The cross ties on this road were nearly rotten
the cars, wheels and engines were in very bat
condition, and 1t was very difficult to keep tn,
track; In loading the cars, the guards frequent
Oners in loading-there was sometimes a sereean
and sometimes lieutenant with the guard, bu
but there was no difference.
CROSS EXAMINED.
look out 10 men with me-prisoners hat car
ried the wood Il, traded whenever they wished
had generally eight ears in my train-carried
cords of wood TO each car. At times there wer
as much.as 100 cords of wood at the prison WOO,
yaro, at other times it ran very low. There wa
not plenty OF lumber at Maroney's mill-some
Tunes there was not enough to load tile train
there was not much at the other mills, it wa
hauled away as fast as sayedi-most OF 1T WAS eaf
ried to Greensboro o'--seine Of it was .<afried /,
the arsenal at Salisbury-my train did all 1t could
The lieutenants and sergeal is were presen
when the prisoners were trading-heard 4he guar,
say il was against the rules to allow this trading
but they did it.
REDIRECT.
kept o memorandum of the wood hauled {,
the prison-from the 18th Of October, 1854, I,
the 4th Of March, 1885, carried there 5O76 cord
this did not include what was hauled TO tn
workshops. There was only few loads haule,