The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1876-01-26

terred TO the statement Of DF Jones
one Of the witnesses on WHz's trial
who bad been sent by the Confeder
ate Government to make a report q:
to the condition of A Andersunviile, bni
whose report never reached the Con
federate autboities That report had
in the hands of the Judge Advocate
been mutiIated, aud DIR. Jones hao
called the attention Of the couft to
the fact, one Of the suppressed state
ments being that honesickness anc
disappointment among the prisoner
had been mgredeslructiye OIL life than
any physical cause
During the whole three months oI
Wirz's trial, the Federal Government
with all means st its disposal, had
not produced asinSle witness to con.
meet the name of Mr. Davis with a
single atrocity. Even on the day OF
his execution, Wirz had been offered
a commutation-of his sentence if be
would impiicatc Mr. Davis, but Wirz's
answer to his counsel was, "M7.
Schade, you know that | ALWAYS told
YOU that | do not know ANYTHING
about JetferSon Davis; he had 10
connection with me as TO what was
done at And.rsonville would not
become a traitor against him or aHy-
body else, even to save NV life. u
But what Wirz, within Two hours of
his execution, would not say for bis
life, the gentleman from Maine saws
to the country for the sake of keeping
bis party in power. Sensation.
Sir, Christianity is fulsehood, hu-
manitv is lie, civilization is a cheat
or the man who would not make i
false charge for his life was never
guilty Of wilful murder.
Mr.. Hill went on TO argue that, on
the logic of Mr. Blaiue's speech
(holdlog Mr. Davis responsible for
the acts of Winder), President GraoJ
might be held responsible for the acts
of McDouald aud joyce, aud be ask
ed whether Mr. Blaine meant to es-
tablish q rule of construction that
would authorize the country to ar
rainge President Grant for completely
in the whisky frauds Was Mr. Grant
responsible, be asked, for the Credit
Mobiier for the Sanborn contract :
or for the frauds in the District Of
/ Columbia. aud yet Mr Grant had
absolutely sent 10 the Senate Of the
! United States for Confirmation for
high Office, the name Of man Al
/ luding to Alexander r. SHEPPARD, Of
Washington " DO stood charged be-
fore the country With the gros>esJ
! specuIaiions and frauds On this Dis
triet, after the charges uad been
made and while they were pending.
He Hill vas neither the author
nor the disciple Of such political log
| ic. but if the eenIlsmaa's fBlaine's
proposition with regard TO Mr. Davis
were true, then by the same logic
General Grant, instead Of being en-
titled to third term, was entitled to
twenty terms in twenty penitentiaries
Laue hter.
The argument was false it was a
libel on American rules Of law, and
was without precedent 10 precedent
for il could be found in any civilized
country. He Hill acquitted Gen
eral Grant of completely in the whis-
L. r-a,d a., crd ba r.a,s d, e.c,,,;,,oI VI
Davis of completely with any atroci-
ty anywhere. Mr. Hill proceeded
to quote the law of the Confederate
Government on the subject of the
treatment of prisoners, in which it is
provided that rstions for prisoners
Of war shall be the same 10 quantity
aud quality as those furnished to en-
listed men in the army of the Con-
federacy- That law, be said, was
passed by the Confederate Congress,
was approved By Davis, and was, So
far as Davis agency was concerned,
executed The gentleman from
Maine has gone so far as to say that
Mr. Davis had sent General Winder
to AndersoDville for the purpose Of
organizing a den of hOorrors. The
answer to that was an order locating
prisons, which Mr. Hill proceeded to
read, and which provided that they
should be in a healthy location. with
plenty of pure water, . running
stream, and, if possible. trees, and ID
the immediate neighborhood OF grist
and saw mills. That, be said, did
not look like organizing a den OF hor-
r0rs. Mr. Blaine had said that no
Confederate prisoner in the hands of
the Federal authorities had suffered.
but that they had always been al
lowed TO buy whatever they wanted
The only answer be would give to
that was that be himself bad once
had the honor Of being 10 prison in
the North, and on the first day of
his Imprisonment the Cfficer in charge
Of the prison had kindly told him be
would put him on AndersonviIle fare
and would not allow him to buF
anything. He Hill only got re-
leased, from imprisonment after ten
days effort before General Dix, of
New York
He then proceeded to discuss the
cause Of the horrors of Andcrsonville.
He said that the first cause was tho
want of medicine. but whose fault
was il that they could not get medi-
cine? They didn't have medicine in
the Contederaey, and the Federal
Government had made medicine con-
traband of war-a thing which no
country on earth bad done before
not even the Duke of Alva. Even
the general officers had instructions
TO examine women passing the lines,
to search their petticoats even, so as
to prevent their carrying medicine to
the Confederacy. Who, be asked,
was responsible for that? There was
also another misfortune, and that
was he want of clothing. Clothing.
of course, bad been made contra band
of war He declared that whatever
horrors existed at AndersonviiIe, not
one of them could be attributed TO q
single order of the Confederate Gov
ernmeat, and that every one of them
grew out of the necessity OF The oc-
cssion. which necessity was fastened
on the Confederstes by the conduct
of the other side.
IL Il -tf.J N. DI.s.o - ,,ao.