The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-11-23
SOUTHERN PRISON-PENS.
Experience of anAnderson-
Vile Prisoner In Dixie.
NO. XIII

W. Anil
The prison during September and October, 1854
was under the control of very corrupt "ring."
The police, the nurses and the sergeants, or the
parties that took charge of the rations, all in
the ring. There may have been a few good men
among them, but as whole they were corrupt. 1t
was thought that the raiders and police were in
league. Thieving was still carried on, and regu-
lar whipping-post was established. You could go
to the Chief Of Police and lay in complaint
against man. and get him whipped as much as
you liked, or you could buy him off for small
sum.
One evening, Just after my two companions and
myself had lain down for the night, we heard
somebody taking some wood that we had procured
to warm up our soup with. We only had an arm
full of sticks but it was of great value to Our
door was partly closed, but we knew some fellow
was stealing opr wood
ssBig Ja,- 1ssFe eAIled him) and myself held a
short consultation and agreed to make simultan-
eous charge through the door and capture the thief
''Big Jaw" sprang out at the door and seized hold
of the chap. He commenced trying to get away,
when placed myself before him, with my cane
drawn. told him if he didn't stand would brain
Hlul On luc rpOt. A1C IOOAcO db dig Jaw, NuOec
appearance was that of powerful man, and his
voice coarse and rough. Then he looked at me,
standing in threatening attitude, brsndishing my
cane over his head. He yielded to our united
force, and begged for mercy.
We took time to look at our prisoner. He
was powerful young man, from Indiana, about 6
feet high, healthy looking, and would weigh about
$50 lbs. He had been q prisoner only about 8
weeks and was In possession Of all his muscle. If
he had known that big Jaw' was only shell,
and that I was hardly able to stand alone, he
would no doubt have resisted, but he was entirely
deceived in us. noticed -Big Jaw attempted to
shake the young Hoosier, but the only result was
to set "B.g Jaw" himself all of atremble, while the
Hoosier was hardly moved in his tracks.
We called policeman, and told him we had a
thief, and we wanted him taken to the whipping
post. The police took charge of him and we re-
tired for consultation. After thinking the matter
over, we concluded not to appear against the fel-
low, as the offense small, and we hated to have
man whipped for trying to steal little wood, the
penalty for theft being from to Is lashes on the
bare back We called to the policeman, who
stopped until we overlook him.
The prisoner was transferred to "Big Jaws'
charge, and the policeman and myself held
consultation. told him we didn't want the man
whipped. The policeman seemed willing TO do
anything we asked of him. he would take the
Hoosier before the Judge or turn him loose.
Finally it wss agreed to let him get away from
us and see him run. The policeman went back
and took charge of the fellow and started on to-
wards the Judges stand. The moon was shining
"a 4ba-a Dc Of oil
along the route. Our Hoosier was no doubt dread
ing the whipping he would be likely to get, and
looking out sharp for . chance to bolt.
The policeman had been holding his arm, but re-
leased it and pretended that something attracted
his attention, and turned to look, when the fellow
gave one tremendous leap into the air and darted
off like a deer. He lodged around among the
prisoners and we hslloOed to ''stop him, catch
him." &C., and the policeman made some show of
running after him, but he was soon out of sight,
and suppose congratulated himself that he had
escaped punishment "by the skin of his teeth"
We had received word in the prison in the fall
of 1864 that Abraham Lincoln and George B..
McCIellan were the candidates for the Presidency.
There were new prisoners coming in all the time,
and all the news we received was through that
channel. We never got to see a newspaper but
once, that remember. Some prisoner had one
in his pocket when he entered the prison. 1t was
read and re-read until it was worn out. There
wasn't single item In it but what was read. Whata
great place 1t would have been to circulate medical
almanacs, tracts, or the Bible !
Politics began to demand our attention, and the
merits of each candidate were discussed. In Or
der to get an expression from the inmates of An
dersonvilIe, the polls were opened one morning
and voting commenced in good order. A great
many wouldn't go to the polls at all, as they were
ION the fence" The voting was carried on with
considerable interest, and it can be said to the
credit of the prisoners, that there was very little
electioneering done. Everybody was ahoweo 10
vote his sentiments.
The polls closed in the evening, and there were
several thousand votes counted out, and Lincoln
stood about to l for Mcclellan, showing that
Abraham Lincoln had friends even in that horrible
place.
The prisoners clothing was about worn out.
The weather was getting cold, the nights getting
longer 1t was in October, and we had given up all
hopes of an exchange. My clothing consisted of
a pair of pants, almost entirely gone. Ny shirt
had departed in the SIMMER. 1 had q cavalry
Jacket and an old hat. 1 had been barefooted for
six months, and could hardly keep warm.
Hunger cold and vermin were three enemies hard
TO battle against.
Our men were still dying, and through the care
lessness of the rebels they would lie two or three
days before they were removed, and our poor half
naked men would take the poor dead mems clothes.
The argument was that the living needed the
clothes worse than the dead.
One morning swoke and there laid three dead
men before our entrance. They had died during
the night, and somebody had laid them there. One
of them had good pair of cavalry pants, and the
termination was great for me to exchange with
him. No one attempted to move them during the
dav NIGHT came, and was in hopes they would
he removed by morning. but when morning dawn
ed they were still there.
Hooked at the pants once more, and debated the
question with myself couldn't get my courage
up to the stickingpoint and the body laid all day
unmolested. When the sun warmed me up had
no inclination to exchange, but when would get
up chilly, the temptation was great
NIGHT came around again, and 1 left the clothes
updisturbed. The next morning when ! got up the
bodies were still there, but the pants were gone.
Some one had exchanged, but didn't leave anything
to show for it. During the day the bodies were
taken away to the cemetery.
great many of the prisoners that were without
shelter and blankets, burrowed in the hillside.
They would dig into the hill, and then slope the
bottom of the cave upwards so that it could be
kept dry, and they would lie in their caves the
greater part Of their time. Sometimes these bur-
rows would cave In and smother the inmates The
prison was full of these underground dens, and at-
ter the pen was cleared of all the prisoners human
skeletons were found in a number Of these holes.
The poor fellows had crawled into them and died.
was lying in my shanty one day, when dis
covered by some gnawing that rat had taken up
Quarters with u.s. waited until my two compan-
ions were outside and then examined the rats re-
treat. / found he had hole in the ground under
the plank slept on, and after watching the hole
for some time l was rewarded by seeing his rat
ship stick his nose out and look at me. judged
by his head he was fat, sleek fellow, and would
make good meal for about one man. l tried to
hit him a crack over the head, but he was too
quick for me, and Immediately retired to his sub
terrannean retreat. l heard my companions COM
ing back, and carefully placed the plank back in
position and laid down upon it. 1 was too selfish
to ask them to help me kill the rat, for fear they