Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1869-06-29


streets. That over / remained
few minutes, when Ritterspaug
(who worked at the theatre wit
me) came, and meeting me, said
81 have given nsy evidence, an
would like now to get some of th
reward
l walked out with Ritterspaug
for half an hour, and on returnin,
to lie down left word that if an
one called for me to tell them that
was lying down. Two hours afte
L was called down stairs to see TIVE
| gentlemen who had called for me
They said that / was wanted dowI
street. On reaching the Sidewalk
they placed me in a hack and drove
| rapidly to Carroll Prison, where
was confined a week. Three DAYS
afterwards Detective, or Colonel
Baker came to my room, and ques.
toned me about the sale of horse
and buggy (Which belonged to
Booth, } and / told him all about it
freely and readily. On the day fol-
lowing was called into the office
of the prison in order to be recog-
nized by Sergeant Dye, who mere
ly nodded his bead and left. Dye
subsequently testified that he was
sitting on the steps of the theater
just before Booth fired the shot, and
to seeing mysterious persons about.
] was allowed ON the fourth day
of my Imprisonment to walk the
prison yard, but from that evening
1 was closely confined and guarded
until the next Saturday at midnight,
when 1 was again taken to see a de-
tective, who said: "Come, Span
gler, I've some jewelry for you"
He handcuffed me with my arms
behind my back, and guarding me
to a hack / was placed in it and
driven in it to the Navy Yard, where
my legs were manacled and pair
of Lille handouts placed ON my
wrists. was put in boat and
rowed to a monitor, where l was
taken On board and thrown into a
small, dirty room, between two wa
ter closets, and on to a bed of filthy
life preservers and blankets, with
two soldiers guarding the door. I
1 was kept there for three days. L
had been thus confined three days
on the vessel when Capt. Monroe
came to me and said: "Spangler,
I've something that must be told,
but you must not be frightened. We
have orders from the Secretary of
War, who must be obeyed, to put a
bag on your head" Then two men
came and tied up my head so Sc
curely that l could not see daylight.
l had plenty of food, but could not
eat with my face so muffied up.
True, there was small hole in the
bag near my mouth, but / could not
reach that, as my hands were
wedged down by the iron. At last,
two kind-hearted soldiers took com
passion on me, and while one
" atched the other fed me- On Sat
urday night a man came to me and,
after drawing the bag so tight as to
nearly suffocate me, said to the
guard, Don't let him go to
sleep, as we will carry him out to
hang him directly" 1 heard them
GO up On the deck, when there was
a great rafting of chains, and other
noises; and while i was trying to
imagine what was going on, and
what they intended to do, I was
dragged out by two men, who both
pulled me at times in opposite
We, however, reached
q boat, in which l was placed, and
were rowed a short distance,I could
not say then where we stopped, for
my face was still covered. After
leaving the boat, I was forced to
walk some distance, with the heavy
irons still on my legs. / was then
suddenly stopped, and made to
ascend three or four flights of stairs;
and as l stood at the top waiting,
some one struck me a severe blow
on the top of the head, which
and half threw me over,
when | was pushed into a small
room, where / remained I'M
conscious for several hours. The |
next morning some one came with
bread and coffee. remained here
for several days, suffering torture
from the bag or padded hood over
my face. 1t was on Sunday when
it was removed and | was shaven.
1t was then replaced. Some hours
after Gen. Hartranft came and read
nae seven charges that / was en-
gagged in plot to assassinate the
and the day following
was carried into a military court
and still hooded before all its mem
bers. / remained but a short time,
when / was returned to my cell for
another night and day and then
again presented in this court. Mr..
Assistant Judge Advocate,
read the charges against me, and
asked if L had any objection TO the
court, and l replied ''No, and made
my plea of mot guilty" They then
wished to know if l desired coun-
sci, and, when l answered affirma-
lively, Gen. Hunter, the president
of the court, insisted that | should
not be allowed counsel. He was,
however, overruled, but it was sew
eral days before | was permitted
legal aid, the court in the mean
while taking evidence with closed
doors. On every adjournment of
the court, if only for an hour, l was
to my cell and the closely
fitting hood placed over my head.
This continued till June 10, 1865,
when 1 was relieved from the tor
ture of the bag, but my hands and
limbs remained heavily manacled.
On one Sunday when / was con-
Rned at this place (the Washington
1 was visited by gentle
man of middle stature, rather stout,
with full beard and gold-framed
spectacles. He noticed my mana
cles and padded head. l afterwards
learned that he was Mr.. Stanton,
the Secretary of War. 1t is proper
to state that when the hood was