Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-02-28

| THE HORRORS OF A SOUTHERN PRISON.
| BY MRS. Pp. DoSSEY.
Michigan has a most picturesque and
inviting landscape, and our western cou-
sins are SO given to hospitality that it is
a charming state to visit. There gath
cred the details of the following striking
and pathetic illustration of that noble
patriotism which SO distinguished the vol
unteers of every state in our late war.
A captain in Chicago regiment related
to relative his experience in Anderson
vile. 1t is incredible what he suffered.
Could men with human hearts invent
such torture? At one time rebel guard
held up before him letter. He had not
heard from home for weary months, and
there, almost within reach, he saw the
precious little packet in which loving
wife had written what would solace him
for many weary hour to come. "Nice
little wife, isn't she?" chuckled the
wretch, with meaning sneer that made
me long to throttle him, were the cap
tain's words. See sent me a pile of
greenbacks," coolly drawing out the crisp
notes. Don knows the letters wuth
anything to me now; like it?" for the
first and last time that name-my own
in her well known hand, betrayed me in
to exhibiting an emotion that had re-
solved no cruelty should wiring from me.
/ begged for that letter with tears. "No
you DON'T" sneered the fend, tearing it
into tatters in leisurely exultant way
before my eyes. "Yanks no business to
have letters, anyway" 81 never" con-
tinued, "heard soldier who had been in
a rebel prison relate his experience" !"
You never have?" exclaimed cousin.
"Why, there is Lucian, in the sitting
room. He has been in Libby, or the
same thing, and he was with the soldiers
that captured jeff Davis. If he is not
too modest he can tell you great deal,
but he is not fond of spinning yarns, as
he terms it." My interest in q lively
discussion upon editors and publishers
tagged instantly. made an excuse to
visit the young folks in the sitting room,
where music and merriment made the
bright day seem more gladsome still.
"They tell me-" began, without pre-
face, "1that you helped take jeff. Davis"
eyes" answered Mr. Smith, quietly !;
az belonged to the 4th Michigan caval-
ry. suppose you read the published
account; it was perfectly accurate.
"How do you relish the fuss he made
about his hardships after your experience
in rebel prison2" There was no anger
in his brief reply, but unutterable sad
ness in his look. He had won the noblest
of all graces, patience, and with those,
too, who had wronged and tortured him
almost beyond belief.
But tell me all about your imprison-
ment."
81 can not" heanswered, with smile !;
"the simple truth is too bad to be repeat
ed. can give you twenty incidents just
as they occurred to me, and you will
think l am spinning yarns
By no means. l have abundant
proof in all that I have read and heard
that nothing is too bad to be believed"
Here, then, is fact of which / was
witness, one day: A rebel captain came
into our prison followed by small dog
He went out, but the dog never did, and
in fifteen minutes after not an atom of
him could have been found he had been
eaten without cooking. Ahl" he shud-
dered, turning from the loathsome re-
membrance, "that is nothing, absolutely
nothing to what saw. selected it be-
cause it seemed more credible than any
of the others; judge what they were."
did you believe the excuse since of
fered that the rebels had no better food
to give you
81 have no doubt that they were de-
prived of all luxuries, but they had
enough that they might have given us,
which we should have been only too
thankful for. No, they know that they
were without excuse. They had room
enough, yet we were crowded, fifteen hun
dred men of us into single room right
opposite the Libby prison, that was SO
small that we never could all lie down at
once. Some were crushed, when those
who were standing fell, from exhaustion,
or when there was rush and scramble
for our scanty rations, or for water. Now,
supposing they had no food, as they say,
we know they had water always, and in
abundance, but they never allowed US
enough. Some did not get any; some
had just enough to torture them, and for
purposes of cleanliness they never gave
us any yet it was always in sight, as if
to tantalize us. They took from us, too,