Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1876-01-20


, - 49,
truth os history. He Or. HIM did
not want 70 unfeId the chapter on. ths
other side. He was - Anesiean Who
ho0ored bic eoasssy snd his ehoSeeoun.
try, and il vas NOT pleasant for hi@ 30
bring forward pcoef that any portion
Of bis country had bcen guilty Of will
full crime or uillful treatment. of poor
manscIed priscsers. Most ofthose bor.
rors were insepasabls frosa 1 -seass q
war and be wanted the people 70 recol.
lect that % that hereafter they shosld
not be hurried into aoothsr vas. Still
- . ses-o4tothe gentlenan's (Blains'sl j
seate0ent abost Andessooville, b. would
rod selns estEaces froos htts1 writ.
IN By . eenfe6eGnts sneHeen, vbo uns
. prisoner of var q El1irA He Nd
portions Of that letter In which it wai
stated that the usostality q Blairs waS
M les than. st Asdesvosville. ,oaa -R
Mr. Pistt of Nsv Yosk. asked hin
who WAS The author Of the letter.
Mr.. Hill replied that be did not know.
Mr.. Piats declared, ~ living within
thirty six miles Of ElmirA, that the
statements vsre unquali6edly falss.
Mr.. Hill replied that he did not cay
that the statements were true, but only
that they were - good - the state
ments made on the other side. He
merely used them a. . set-o6. But,
after all, Whist was the test ~ TO the
degree Of misery suffered in northern
and southern prisonsp The test was
the result. The report Of Mr.. Stanton,
secretary Of war, (the republican side
of the House will believe bim), exhibi-
ted the fact that Of the federal prison
ers in the hands Of the confederate su-
thorities during the war %, ,576 had died,
and that Of the onfederste prisoners in
federal hands 26.4S6 had died. Sur.
geou General Barnes (he supposed the
republicass would believe him also) had
given the number Of confederate pris-
oners in federal hsads during the war
- 22O, 900, and of federal prisouefs in
confederate hands 1t $4,000. There.
fore, out Of the $4,000 prisoners in
confederate hands only 22.576 had died,
while out Of the $4,000 confederate
prisoners in federal hands 26, 436 had
died. The ratio vas twelve per cent.
Of confederate pgisoners in federal hands
died, and less than nine per cent. Of
federal prisoners in confederate bands.
And, my friend (addressing Mr.. Blaine
with great emphasis). who u the nur.
dererP / would believe Surgeon Gen.
eral Barnes in preference TO any Positi-
clan over there. The gentleman Mr..
Piatt) says he lives thirty.six miles
away from Elmira. Perhaps be could
have smelled the small pox that far
He certainly could not have seen il; and
I venture TO say that if the small pox
was st the prison camp. no one could
have got him nearer than thirty -six
miles. He 10 . v.snderful witness.-
Laughter But it 10 mot equs! to the
mutilxted evidence which the gentle.
man from Maine introduced Yesterday.
We know how our prisoners suffered i'm
Federal hands, If We choose TO tell.
Thousands Of our poor fellows came
home FROM Elmirs, Fort Delaware and
other PLACES with their fingers frozen
of. with their toes frozen OF and with
their teeth fallen out But the great
question is at last, Who was responsible
for that state Of things, and that is
really the only important question. Mr.:
Hill went on to discuss the history Of
the exchange Of prisoners, dwelling on
the fact that the cartel. which was es-
tablished in 1862, was interrupted in
1858, and the federal authorities r.
fused to continue The exchange Of pris-
oners, and alluded to the fact Of Mr.
Alexander II. Stephens, vice president
Of the confederacv, having been CON-
missioned BY President Davis in July,
1868, to come I" Washington and con-
suit with the federal authorities in re.
gard to the exchange Of prisoners, quo.
ting Mr. Davis letter to Mr.. Stephens
that his mission Was simply one Of hu'
uanity and had no political aspect
But when Mr.. Stephens appealed u
Admiral Lee for perm ission TO 60 uE
to Washington in the steamer Torpedo
Admiral Lee returned him this answer
.'rhe request Of Alexander H. Stephens
is inadnissible. Gideon Welles, Secre'
tary Of the Navy" The next effor'
in the same direction was made in Jan.
uary, 1864. when Mr. Robert Ould, con
federate agent Of exchange, wrote n
the federal agent Of exchange, prcpcs'
ing, in view Of the difficulties attend
ing the release of prisoners, that sur
geons Of the army on each side should
be allowed to attend their own soldier
while prisoner in the hands q the En-
emy, and should have charge u theil
nursing and medicine and provisioas
which Propositioa was also rejected.
Az this point of the debate Mr.. Hilri
hour expired. but By unanimous con
seus he was allowed 10 proceed withou
any limitation - TO time.
Mr.. Blaine asked him whether be had
not been . member Of the Confeder.t.
Senate. .
| Mr. Hin replied that he had been.
Mr. Blaine then proceeded 3. quot.
. resolution offered in the Coufedxrat'
Congrrss BY Senator Hill, Of Georgia
to the following effect: That ever,
person pretending 70 be soadier or o(
Seer Of the United Seates Vho shall b
captured on the soil q the Coufederst
Ssat~s after the LIST of January, l06S
shall be presumed 10 have catered u
territory of the Cosfedsraas S1nae
With intent 10 szeits insuFrssGioa a,
10 abet murder, and thas unless sstis
fAet0sy proof b adduced TO tAe eoasra
" before the military cours befor
, which his trial shall b had h a.