The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-08-03
GFor the News.
GFor the News.
SOUTHERN PRISON-PENS.
Experience of an Anderson
vile Prisoner in Dixie.
NO XVIII.

! AZ ~ - l.
The execution of the e-prisoners took place on the
11th of July. They were confined in the stocks
about 10 days, and at the expiration of that time
Capt. Wurz called on some of the leaders to know
what uust be done with the prisoners. He said
he wouldn't have anything to do with executing
them himself, but he would turn them over to our
mercy. The great majority of our men were un-
willing to pardon or receive them back again, and
after holding council of war, it was decided that
they should suffer the penalty of death.
| Capt Wurz sent lumber into the prison and the
police erected a gallows, with room enough to
hold six men. The seventh man had been shot by
the guards, either by accident design. After the
gallows was completed, the Captain took the GRIM
nals out of the stocks and marched them into the
prison. They were then marched up to the gallows
and made to mount the platform, and were arrang-
ed in q line, each man in front of his rope.
AS soon as Capt. Wurz had placed the men on the
scaffold, he turned to the prisoners and said: 81
now turn these men over to you just as took them
! from you. 1 wipe my hands of their blood and
recommend them to your mercy" He then march
cd his outside the gate and locked it, and
then he and his men mounted the sentinel boxes
to see what we would do
1t is question as to what the real thoughts of
the criminals were. From the best evidence l
could get, they expected to be forgiven, or rescu-
ed by the mob. 1t was apparent by their actions
that they thought farce and after the priest had
said mass for them they didn't appear to realize
that they were face to face with death.
climber jim" passed to one end of the stage and
began to place the ropes around their necks and the
caps on their heads. They seemed then to compre-
hend that they were going to be hanged. They
had hoped and expected that they would be releas-
ed, that it only to frighten them that the gall
lows had been erected.
One of the condemned men, a very large man, by
the name of Curtis, suddenly jumped down off
the PLATFORM the heads of the spectators, and
ran When he started it was so unexpected to the
spectators that they stampeded before him. Prison
ers were as thick as they could stand all around the
gallows from 100 to 300 feet deep, and the direc-
ton that Curtis took when he jumped from the
galows was through the thickest of the crowd.
The men parted to let him pass, and everybody
commenced hallooing, 'catch him stop him kill
him !" while his friends urged him to escape.
Those who couldn't see wnat was the matter
were panic-stricken, and in making room for Cur
tbs and his pursuers they over enc another and
the sick and wounded were trampled under foot.
All over the ground, in the direction of the stamp
EIDE, were numbers of the wells that had been dug
for water. There were no coverings or curbng
over many of them, and the men crowded and
jammed one another into them. Several
were badly hurt, and two were reported killed or
drowned.
Curtis ran to the lower part Of the prison and
plunged into the swamp. He mired down and
was recaptured and taken back to the gallows.
The rest of the cOnvicts had remained standing un-
der the charge of few policemen. The ropes were
adjusted around their necks, the caps pulled down
over their faces and climber Jim" stepped off the
platform. The prop was knocked from under it,
and five of the wretched men were dangling be-
tween heaven and earth.
Morsby's rope broke, and he fell to the ground
with dull thud. He was stranged some, but
revived He protested his innocence and begged
for his ife but climber Jim" told him he too must
die, and he was again placed on the scaffold and
launched into eternity. May L never be called to
witness another such a scene! If they were inno-
cent, what horrible death to die by the hands of
their comrads in armsl But if guilty, as found by
sworn testimony of witnesses, they certainly de-
served punishment of some kind.
About the middle of July the scurvy made its ap
pearance among the prisoners. Until you could
see case of it, you could form no correct idea of
it, will try to describe the disease. 1, generally
made its appearance first in the lfmbs-the ancles,
calves and thighs The first intimation was SINH |
lar to rheumatism. The parts affected would swell
I'D and become very painful, and In from 24 to As
hours would turn purple or almost black. The
blood would stop circulating and you could stick
knife-blade into the bone, or cut a cash an inch
deep and not draw blood The leaders of the legs
would contract until mans feet would be drawn
up under him and in that condition they became
almost helpless.
1t was but a few days after the first appearance
of the disease until hundreds of men were afflicted
with the loathsome malady. There was no such |
thing as getting well of it after it once got hold
of you unless you could get kind of vegetable
diet 1t went on from bad to worse until death re-
leased the victim.
1t is horrible to think that the rebel authorities
permitted that terrible disease to take OFF thousands
of our Union soldiers to their graves when it was
in their power to save them-when the remedy was
in sight of US, and when without any cost, the
lives of 5000 men could have been saved.
If the sick could only have had little vinegar,
or soured water from corn meal and molasses, or
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