The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-27

where else. Once we started $4,000 Of
them to the coast offering to deliver
them-the siok without any equivalent
but their Government wouldn't take
them-made some excuse or otner."
Reporter-Why not put the prisoner:
to building houses?
ave did that after Grants celebrated
telegram saying that it was better to
keep their men in prison than exchange
the rebels. We put three hundred men
in the woods, and when the war closed
there were long rows OF comfortable
cabins all finished. But the great lack
was axes-you know how scarce they
were. One day l got permission, and
rode over four counties, but could lind
ONLY THIRTEEN AXES.
which l bought With my own money,
and carried them to Andersonville. Let
me tell you another thing. When l
first went there the peas given the pris-
ers were threshed out on the ground
negro-fashion, which left little pieces of
shells, wood, and sand in the soup. L
goes TO Maj. Wirz for fan-sifter. How
can | get oneF says he. "Give me an
order on the quartermsster.' But that
officer sent me to the commssary. Il
have nothing to do with it." said the
commissary. l returned to Maj. Wirz,
who was about to stop the effort, when l
said, Give me an order for one he
gave the order, and the first sitter could
find was pressed into the servlce-put to
fanniug out the prisoners peas. So you
see how hard it was to get anything"
Rerorter-Did many of the prisoners
escape?
"a few of them got away every week.
There were always two or three hundred
OF them outside the pen on parole, cook
ing, working at trades, waiting on the
officers, &c; they could get into the
mountains in single night, go up
through East Tennessee, and escape. Be
sides, the guards were mostly old men
and boy.-home guards, you know,
who wernt vigilant. Bloodhounds?
That's all bosh. I've read accounts of
how we kept packs of bloodhounds
shut up and starved to make EN- chase
prisoners. Now, some of the officers used
to hunt a good deal, and there were four
common fox hounds, sach As you can see
on any plantation; and after the psroled
Yankees had poisoned several by giving
them pounded glass, the rest were smut
I'D in an old cabin for their own safety.
But four of them couldn't kill man
if they caught him. They were never
of auy service catching runaways."
Reporter-Tell me Of Wirz. Was he
cruel?
THAT man will yet be better thought
of than when he was sacrificed to popu.
lar fury. think the Government made
a great mistake, to say the least, in mar
,yrizing him; for history will show that
be WAS not so black rs painted. Major
Wirz was a coarse, uncultivated foreigner,
and when half drunk, as he was pretty
often, he would curse and Growbeat the
prisoners land guards too) when things
did not 60 to please him; but never did
| see him strike, kick, shoot, or otherwise
abuse prisoner. Indeed, / never heard
of any shooting at prisoners, except IN
one or two caSes OF deliberate
Reporter-Ah! that dead line!
"Tbe dead line was wise and benet-
cial arrangement. There was one at
Point Lookout and at Fort Delaware in
the Federal prisons-the object being to
restrict the inmates from approaching
within certain distance OF the guards.
At Andersonvlle the dead line consisted
of a line of short stakes driven IN tho
ground twenty feet from the stockade.
Every prisoner knew what 1t was Tor. II
was necessary, tor if the 80, 900 to- 900
prisoners were allowed 10 approach tie
wall they would quickly overpoWer the
so or 100 guards on duty. Occasionally
man would grow so homesick and
weary of prison Ii e as TO walk over the
line and coolly dare the sentinel TO Kill
him. Such instances occur IN all prisons
give YOU my word | never saw any
Of our officers or men needless Y abusive
of prisoners. When we first went there
with our minds iull Of the sutferIngs OF
our boys in the chilly Northern prisons
we thought We should not care how badly
the Yankees were treated; but 10 few
weeks We came to regard them as fellow
men, whom we must hold as prisoners,
bu: not numerically or inhumanly NAL
treat"
Reporter-Wh What sort of man WAS Gen.
Windcr?
IAN old granny. 1t is a mistake to
accuse him Of cruelty of disposition; his
worst fault was keeping lot of Balti-
more Plugs constantly about him in
various poSitions-whom he allowed to
manage almost everything-hlmse!t in
cludcd. Gen. ID. IL. Hill, who knew
Windcr in the 'old army, says he was
noted for his kindness, which was re-
gardcd Is amounting 70 weakness. lie
was the last man IN the
word for the place; he loved his ease too
well to give personal inquiry into abuses
he was rs incompetent rs baby IN pro-
yid,nr for an emergency; and he left the
practical details to his Plugs and his
sons. who employed their time chiefly IN
drinking and gambling. Winder, you
know. WAS post cummandant in Rich
mond before going to Andersonville. AT
tina, time he was much censured for let
ting any body and every bod y pass through
tie lines. 1t may be he divided tho
fees with the plugs, who were then
acting Ms detectives, thus putting himself
IN their power, for certainly they mad
wonderful influence over him. | think 1t
is IN this particular President Davis was
To blame; his obstinacy IN retaining
! Winder in command at AndeEsonville
after he mus, have known of his uaht-
ness
Boston Wool Market.
| Tho mnol markei has had fair week :