Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-07-10

finally jerked out of the water and
ordered to return to his ordinary work.
The poor wretch crept Off apparently
thankful for any escape from such tor
ments. Captain Joseph Rittenhouse
was officer of the day, and his orders
were carried out by Corporal Spear.
During the latter part of last Octo-
Der was placed in irons and compel
led to work, with an armed sentinel
over me. did not know the reason
for this, for was unconscious of hav-
ing given offensc, and had conformed
to every regulation. L was then
closely confined and allowed to COM
municate with no one for four months.
The pretence for this, afterward
learned, sprang from an attempt of
DIR. Mudd to escape. N
Colonel st. George Leger Grenfel,
aged sixty-five years, was taken sick
and went to the doctor to get excused
from work. The doctor declined to
excuse him. He then applied to the
Provost Marshal, who said that he
could not excuse him it the doctor
couldn't. Grenfel then tried to work
and failed. Then they took him to
theguard-house, tied his hands behind
him, tied his legs together, and put q
rope around his waist There, We're
three officers, heavily armed, who
drove spectators from the wharf.
could see and hear from my window.
The Colonel asked them If they were
going to throw him into the water,
and they answered "Yes.n He then
jumped in, and because he could not
sink, they drew him out and tied
about forty pounds of iron 10 his legs,
and threw him into the water again,
and after he had sunk twice they
pulled him out again, and then COM
PEELED him to go to work. The Off
GERS who had him in hand were Lieu
tenant Robinson, Lieutenant Pike
and Captain Geo. w, Crabb, assisted
by Sergeant Michael Gleason and AS
sistant Military Storekeeper G. Il.
Jackson, who tied the iron on his legs.
Captain Samuel PEBBLES tied up Gren-
fel for saying that "he was capable of
doing anything" Colonel Grenfel
was forced to scrub and do other me-
NAL work, when he proved he was so
i'll as to have refused to eat his rations
for a week. All of the officers hated
Grenfel, on account of letter which
appeared in New York paper, which
they said Grenfel wrote, about tying
up the prisoner Dunn-which letter
was truthful, as Others and myself
were witnesses to the details il related.
One very stormy night, Grenfel, with
four others, escaped in o small boat,
and was evidently drowned near the
fort. His escape was discovered, but
the storm was so severe that it was
deemed too dangerous to pursue them,
although q steamer was at the wharf.
Grenfel frequently declared his inten-
ton of running any risk to escape,
rather than, to use his own words, "to
be tortured to death at the fort.''
These are only two or three instances
of the many acts of cruelty practiced
at the fort. During my imprisonment
at Fort Jefferson, worked very hard
at carpentering and wood ornamental
work, making great many fancy
boxes, &C., out of the peculiar wood
found on the adjacent islands; the
greater portion of this work was
made for officers. BY my industry in
that direction, won some favor in
their eyes. l was released in March
of the present year by Executive
clemency. u n st GA
| GSigned] EDMAN SPANaLHR.