The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1880-09-16
SMALLPOX, SCURVY, ETC.

~ ErElg taken verbatim from my journal notes,
even date h. As.
SMALLPOX, SCURVY, ETC.
t., IIh.-Shocking reports of the raw
Il restilence, both in this pen, and the
remain SO closely at my bunk, or
ing 10 and fro in the yard. | had no idea
Wa, so much sickness prevailing until
a,e> Of small pox had been taken from
wn division. Horrible to relate, the
,;fal is full. and men are no longer taken
rutiL dying or dead. One of the small
rrase~ lsince lead Learnt was poor g
Sept directly over my bunk. He was
dirty and annoying while In health,
&C.. had some words about his stepping
INV blankets with muddy feet as he
,~Lad 10 his bunk but after he took the
.rtuI disease felt sorry for him, and
..rnsj 10 lift him down from his tier and
--r him to the gate. Strange to say |
mot realize the danger, though most Of
e prisoners are getting nervous. So are
IN i,arrison. All the prisoners who have
teen vaccinated were called out this
ming. and are now being innoculated by
tennessee carpenter, assisted by several
venkea officials. | refused to take any OF
ta earrupt riruS into my blood, which |
IN 70 keep pure and fresh as long as |
IN \ GOOD many of those vaccinated last
-oaE are now suffering severely liable to
80 their arms. If not their lives. All round
| he barracks men can be seer holding their
t..-a--sg limbs IN eXcruclatlng pains, the
a.-h Frid. the arm swollen, and the sores
-rr-.-reat surely not a great deal less
..~+rring than the actual disease. Some of
imagine there is a design In poisoning
49, prisoners with the virus as these have
.aos significant sneers by the Yankee officials
-~TLat this IS not half as bad as shsppmg
..aH-p4r rotten clothes from Canadn to
r.t,ryu. and other Northern cities, like Jet
tr-s aqent, Blackburn, tr7ed to do" Yet
Ituubt If this be so. Surely a sense of self
rr,rvation, will make them do everything
s,ble to stay the plague because their
ism men here are 400 Yankees on the Is
.aIH must fall with us.
One thing is unquestionable, the epidemic
IF small pox, scurvy, f~evers, and e~rysipelas,
|. +, terrible; especially among our poor boys
ia the other pen. 1t is said as many a.
.rty corTses have been hauled down to the
START for shipment across the river to the
Death pits, as the g.eanings of the prisons
AIT hospital for Il single twenty-iour hours!
Think Of eight cart-loadS @ bodies in each
arl OF dead men, stiff and stark, uncotfin-
Cd. uu,hrouded, unattended, hauled like
I'd .EA NNL OdC ulEOh L h1NA dot AlNO
r... some of them head foremost, face
lwnward. others rolled in like dumping
-1bsh; then a thin layer of dirt, and then
4 II until tomorrow a new layer will DE
uubIed upon them And this is ''civiliza-
a5u, as interpreted by the Best govern
meut the world ever saw Oh! that
| ,as>e daily scenes might be photographed
Just a. they may occur, and the heart rend-
ug picture be scattered far and wide
/ throughout the land Surely shame and
remorse would be stirred even in Abolition
nt bosoms while the effect upou Southern
men ought to recruit our weakening armies
All hundred fold.
CHARACTERISTIC EPISTLE.
/ sometimes wonder if | take too severe a
view Of the conduct Of the Abolitionists,
bat on reading their Journals, and the ut
. ,asanceS Of their leading men, both secular
/ and religious, 1t is not easy to see wherein
ane could exaggerate on the subject. | am
sure, for example, that no degree of section
ii bitterness could cause me to write to one
ltmy Northern relatives, (however remote
the hinship,) who might be captured by our
arce>, such a letter as | have this day re
elyed from a person named - Abbott, oil
Mass, whom circumstances made TO be my
.Fa uncle | have never seen him, and
a B h4FN lIln 10 DG du AUOllllODlSU Ol Tile
I~urtauic type; but as he Is very old, and {
leJr relative, | some time ago addressed
ll a friendly letter, stating a few incidents
nay situation, and that | knew very little
e. ay New England kin, but entertained nc
uh.ld.y feeling towards them. 1t was a
foolish thing to do. See the result. He
Il AN sorry that Ihore ana connection
.-lt are Rebels, or sympathise with the
Nytc.lon. 1t is ole of the wickedesl
t1u-- that ever came over the country
>tg the lives lost, property wasted Set
.hff s,G hdCe COME IL, and all the rest oil
,He Rebel States | think you had better
gaounce your views respecting it; gel
INT OF prison. come North, and be a true
a.on man. All Of us are true Republi
e.as and opposed 10 slavery, buying anC
cling human beings, one of the greatest
curses ever carried on and then above all
that, i come out as Rebels, and Kill
tht9Sansis and tens ot thousands some of
E"ar Jwn blood relations, the S boys,
your own cousins. y Eddy wen,
ont at Is years old, was shot and died il
WE'VE hours, md Idon't knor bit tia,
H"tc shuts EoHof him. X X X" &c.
l9nId an utter stranger write more un.
hLl"Iy and ungenerously to a suffering
uOlC lItJuulCtU, III idlldIiCdi
lie Knew that | was a prisoner when Eddy
. was wounded, and that, with much
more reason, | might attribute Bro. Hamil
"a death to the latter. (had | been Sc
sa1'ng IN decency and courtesy,) because
Was a p"rtic punt "a the gerry bnttte during
zach Hu. HaDtaiton fell! But what need
grow angry over a letter which shows il
sg Inc the narrow minded Abolitionist
llc-e \. like all the rest, made his wealth
the aid OF the Ubiquitous tariff which SC
91- wasted he South to enrich New Eng
aal 50, too, his son is thriving on the
"4g The father writes:-''-Uy son took to
9.etuug war-cIaims, bounties, etc anC
.'. lone 50 much at it, he has got rich =
my. OF course! And no voice is louder
'1 The =" FOR the Uuion"-and-and
! b.vnty Of war claims :"
i"gHst l2M.-I am Disguised with my
me least excitement leaves me weak as
I ,1e Traditional cat :" though why any one
= .",''t say weak as a cat" when a cat can
MI 'aL'her, run faster, fall lighter, and
Jnr.., '@Jel, on counting or predatory affairs
W.r 'Nal any creature of its class.
>f.I,. 'he cause of the sensation is no
~ one. Buuors of a general exchange
tp.,.' '>gN''N have been prevalent for some
PROTECTING many an afternoon Auttar