New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-01-14
NEW ORLEANS REPUBLICAN,. FRIDAY JANUARY H. 1875.

gentlemen shall show his good faith by
taking the oath which oil Of ne take, and
arc glad to take. That 10 . very email ex-
action 70 mako - . preliminary to full
restoration to all rights Of citizenship.
In my amendment have excepted JET.
ferson Davis from its opelion. Now, I
do not place that exception u the ground
was the head and front of the rebellion, be.
cause on that ground do not think the ex-
ception would be tensble. Mr. Davis was
just - guilty, NO more &C, no less 30, than
thousands of others who will get the bene-
it of grace and amnesty. Probably he was
far lees efficient as an enemy of the United
States; probably he was far more useful as
disturber of the cOunsels of the Con-
feder&cy. 1t il not because of any psrticu-
lar or special damage which he above others
did to the United States. or because he is
particularly of any special consequence,
that excepted him; but except him ON
this ground: that he is the author, know
ingly, deliberately, guilty, willfully, Of the
gigantic murder and crime at Anderson
vile.
A member-And Libby"
Mr.. Blaine continued: Libby pales into
ineignifcance as compared to AndersOnville.
Iplace it on that ground, and believe that
60 rapidly does one event follow on the
heels of another in the rapid age in which
we live, that those Of US who were contem-
poraneouely cogriz ant of what was trans
plring there. still less those of US who have
grown up since, have failed TO realize the
gigantic crime which was there committed.
Since the gentleman from Pennsylvania in
PRODUCED this bill, have taken occasion to
read some of the historical cruelties of the
world. / have read over the details of those
atrOcious massacres of the Duke of Alva in
the Low Countries which are mentioned
with . thrill of horror throughout Christen-
dom. have read the d. tails OF St. Bartho-
lomew, which stand out as one Of ,he
anew the horrors of the Spanish Inquisi-
ton, and / here before God, measuring my
words, knowing their full extent and i'm
port, declare that neither the Duke of Alva
in the Low Countries, nor the author of the
massacre of St. Bartholomew. nor the
thumbscrews and dungeons and atrocities
of the Spanish Inquisition begin to compare
in atrocity with the hideous crime of An
Jacksonville. [Sensstion in the hall and gal
North Carolina, unheard by Mr.. Blaine,
that it was an infamous SANDER Thank
God. Mr.. Spe aker, that when this COner ess
was under different control from that under
which it is to day, with . committee COM
posed of both parties, that tale of horror
was placed where it could not be denied or
gsinsayed.
Ihoid in my hand the story written out
by o committee of this Congress- and by
its authority. state that Winder. who is
now dead, was cent to Andersonville with
the full knowledge Of his previous atrocities
and that those atrocities in Richmond were
so bitter and 90 bad that the Confederate
papers, the Richmond Examiner for one.
said when it was done that they thanked
God that Richmond was rid of his presence
We in the North knew from the returning
Belle Isle or Libby. Fresh from these &C.
compliments. he was sent by MIR. Davis,
against the protest of others in the Confed-
eracy to construct this pen of horror at
Andereonville. OF course it would be ut
terly beyond the scope of the occasion, and
beyond the limits OF my hour. to give any
details but one arraigning Mr.. Davis. l
undertake here to cay that do not ask
gentlemen to take the testimony of single
witness. do not ask them to take the
| test mony of single Union soldier. l only
ask them to take testimony of men who
themselves were engaged and enlisted in
the Confederate cause; and If that testi
mony does not entirely carry out and justify
this declaration (which will take the lib
erty to ready, will state that have been
entirely in error in my reading.
| the report of the Committee on the Conduct
| of the War extracts in reference to the hOr
rers of Andersonville, in which 1t is stated
| that no pen can describe, no painter sketch,
NO imagination comprehend its fearful, its
unutterable inlquity. He then went on to
say: will undertake to say that that is q
moderate description of Andersonville, and
l will new read . paragraph from the testi-
mony of William John Hamilton. man
u,oa ;n ho North Gothol,c
! priest at Macon. and Democrat, and when
| you unite these three qualities in . South
! ern priest you will not find much testimony
| in favor of the Republican party. Loud
and continued laughter.
Mr. Blaine then read from the testimony
| of Father Hamilton, a. given in the Wirz
| trial, in which witness related the case of q
young man named Farrell, from the north
| of Ireland, whom he saw smOng the pris-
oners 1T Andersonvilie, suffering very much
from a wound on the right foot, which had
| opened like an oyster, and which had been
simply caused lby exposure to the sun in
| the stOckade. The priest had given him a
stocking to cover his foot, and when he re-
| turned to the stockade the following week
he inquired for Farrell. His companions
told him he had stepped across the dead
line, and requested the guards to shoot him.
He added that the man was not insane when
| he had seen him the previous week.
Mr.. Blaine then continued-1 do not de-
sire to 20 into such horrible details from
any purpose of raising q bad feeling. l de-
| sire only to say that the man who admins
! tered that prison was there by order of Mr..
Davis, and was sustained by him, and this
William ]. Hamilton. whose testimony l
have Just read, went to General Howell Cobb,
commanding that department, and asked
| that the condition of the prison should be
| transmitted to the Confederate government
at Richmond. In fact there are . great
many instances and proofs to show that
| Mr.. Davis was in entire possession OF the
| facts in relation to Andersonville. When
| General Sherman's invasion, or some other
| invasion, of that portion of the country was
| under way, and when there was Q danger,
| or supposed danger, that it might come to
that neighborhood, the regular military or
| der, No. IL, dated Headquarters C0nfed-
| crate States Military Prison, Andersonville,
July n, 1861" and signed by Brigadier
| General Winder, was issued in these words:
"The officer on duty and in charge of the
battery of Florida Artillery will, on receiv.
ing notice that the enemy has approached
within seven miles of the city, open fire on
| the stockade with grapeshot, without refer
ence to the situation beyond this line OF
| Defense"
Here were those $1,000 poor, helpless,
naked, starving, sick, and dying men. This
Catholic priest states he went to General
| Cobb to represent to him that if he could
not exchange them they could be taken be-
fore the Union lines in Florida, and paroled
| and let 90 free, and yet if the Union forces