American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1868-08-08
From the Columbus Enquirer
A TERRIBLE STORY.
A CARD FROM TIE COLUaRUs
PRG&ONHRS---TST NOUS RARs-
CAL AND MILITARY RULE IN
GEGEseSaa>
,ITIY o. 1868

july %, 1865.
Upon VSun4ing our personal lib.
erty, We, the undersigned, known as
the ColmbuS prisoners, deem it
proper to publish the following bret
account Of our arrest and confine-
ment 10y the military authorities.
During the night of the 30th of
! March, George w. AShburn was as,
SaSSinatrd, i'll a low negro brothel,
in Columbus, Georgia. On the 9th
day OF April, thirteen citizens were
arrested by Captain Mills, Of the T..
5. Army. On the 10th they were
released under bond. -Four of this
number have never been rc-aIreStpd.
The man Mills stated that he did
not know the charge against the
party arreStedj but no one believed
him, and the fact is only mentioned
to show the character Of the proceed
ingS On the l4th cay OF May four
arrests were made: on the 9th,
four; on the ID Of June, four more
on the 18th, seven, followed the next
day by two Others. On the 9th.
another and the last arrest occur ed.
These arrests were made by order Of
Gen. Meade. Several OF the under
signed have in their possession writ
ten orders which show this fact. The
arrests were made without warrant,
affidavit or charge. No preliminary
examination was held. We were
kept i'll total ignorance of the er
pd'fe evidence against us, and the
names Of our aCcuSerS were concealed
from us, No one who has followed
the trial will be surprised at this ap-
parent neglect.
While we were clamoring for the
charges against us, Joe Brown,
Whitley, Major Smythp, and others
We're Suborning Betz, Marshal, Ben ,
nett and Amanda Patterson. The
evidence for the prosecution acllnow-
lodges that disclosures were made |
under threats of imprisonment. This
Is bad enough, but a worse feature
is, that the date Of these disclosures
is placed by the witnesses themselves
to the arrests of majority
Of the prisoners. The question natu-
rally arises, Upon what foundation
we're the arrests mace? OF the
persons arrested on and
since the 14th of May, four were
sa10rnc3 By bribery and torture ant
trcatS.
Nine, after confinement in fe,ons.
cells and much suffering, were re
leased, without any eGplana ton what
'ycr. The remaining uine are the
slgncrS Of this card. The prisoners
arrested in May were at Fcrt Pulas-
Il before heir removal to Atlanta.
Their cells were as dark as dun.
TeonS, without ventilation, and but
cur by seven feet. No bed on blan.
iet was furnished. The lati0nS con
listed Of a slice Of .tat porh three
INES each week, and beef too uR-
.ouad to eat the remaining DAYS. A
'iece Of bread for each meal, soup
or dinner and coffee for. breakfast
IniShcd the bill of fare. An oil |
8Stey cdR was given to each pris- "
uer, and in this YES sci both coffee d
nd soup were served. |
1t may be said that the soldiers !.
eceived nothing better; but these
ItlzenS were not sol lierS, and their v
'iendS were able, wiling and anXi. l
rs to give them every comfort. v
' hy were they delicd the priv Il
'gc! Refused all communication II
18th their friends, relatives or coun -
81, they were forced to live in these
els night and day, Frustrated bv r
aaf, and mIdlened by myliads of y
asquitoeS. The calls of nature y
ere attended to in bucket, which ~
rs remoN ed but once in twenty i.
'ur hours. "
At Mcpherson Barracks, we were '" ",
aced in cells FIVE feet and eleven e,
cbes wide ~ ten feet long These .,
Ills were afterwards divided, re. :,
icing their width to ttro feet and -
u inches. This is terrible, but true.
pom the airiya. Of the officer sent Il,
ON Washington to investigate the ~
rest, the partitions were removed. ~
either bed nor bedding was fur ~,
shed for from two to five DAYS. /
e were not permitted to see our No
ems, families or counsel, until II,
ter memorials TO Congress had ~
cu%ed tie whole country to the -,
ormlty Of the outrage. Even after =,
Is OUR LETTERS, breathing the Ior
lection ahd sympathy of a wife or ma
other, were subjected to inspection. f.,
The prison sink was immediately wi
our cell doors, and emitted il,
'ncA which WIS horrible. At tunes, ~,
zen some humane soldier WAS will. II,
: to transcend his orders and give ~,
Il breath OF fresh air to soothe our III
'tended, bursting veins. we would t;a
K him to close the door. prefcrring bo
risk SuiforatiOn rather than endure IN,
, intOicTable smell. lug
During all this time we were irno ~
1t OF the charges against us. Or. H.,
lrSe we accepted the common ri h,.
r That our arrest grew out Of the -
rider Of Ashburn: but after our "
InSel was permitted to visit us no
tnIlc line Of defense conld be cal
nned in the absence of all specifi bee
ions. str
y q were furnished with a copy Of Y
charges against us on the 18th Yo
Of June, orr trial having been of I
for the 29th. The Intervening ocr
was Sunday, aud we were one as
ldred aud forty miles from the Fl ID
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