The National tribune., 1882-10-05

u
my familiarity. you were Union prisoner
at AnderSonville," l replied, and | wrote a
letter for you to Wirz asking that you be
taken out on parole" He looked embarrassed
for a moment and then remarking that he
didn't care a d-n; he wasn't going to starve
to death for Abe Lincoln he walked Off He
had belonged to New York regiment of
/ heavy artillery. Females from the town of
/ Florence are to be seen almost daily looking
over the stockade and laughing and iesting at
our dying comrades. There appears to be moro
humanity in the cities of the South than in
/ the rural districts. A train-load of prisoners,
/ who passed through Augusta last summer, eX-
/ cited the greatest compassion. Ladies brought
! them food, milk, water and some clothing.
! These Florence females are the first of their
/ kind l have seen since the day of my capture.
/ Quite number of KcntuCkians and Tennessee
ans whom I have met here have their names
enrolled as belonging to regiments from North
crn States They do this in order to escape
venomous persecution ard abuse. The rebels
! consider loyal border State men TRAITORS" to
the confederate government, and delight to
| use them harshly.
VERMIN AND SUCH.
Dee 6h.-An improved method Of dealing
with vcrmin is in vogue here. The revered
| thumbEail process is only adapted for summer
weather. The Florence method is by SINCE
ing" man takes off his remains of former
shirt, and by dcxterouSly exposing its seams to
pitch pine blaze again renders it partially
endurable for twenty-four hours. Heat has an
expansive effect. The little confcderatcs relax
hair on cd aud
crackle pleasantly in the flames The pre-
sumption is that we get either pint of meal
or pint of flour daily, but alas! for the stern
reality. The tendency of a confederate pint
Of meal TO gradually shrink toward the bottom
of the cup is irresistible. 1t is stated that
young rebel guard at Charleston refused to fire
into a throng Of prisoners when commanded to
do so by his colonel. He was threatened with
severe punishment and again ordered to fire.
Colonel, | cannot do it, was his noble reply,
and he was Immediately relieved from duty,
disarmed and marched Of for court-martial.
He had undoubtedly been reared in a civilized
home, and on the battlefield would have
acquitted himself with courage and honor 1t
is rumored that the Union prisoners at Sails
bury, n. c., recently revolted, but that a large
attempt failed The military prison at Sails
bury was one of the real confederate kind
The pcnitentiary at that place was at first used
for the Incarceration of a limited number of
Union prisoners, and they were well treated.
In October, 1864, $4,000 more arrived, and they
were crammed into the penitcntiary enclosure.
\ small proportion of them were supplied with
rotten, ragged tents, and the rest burrowed in
the ground Major John II. Gee was in com
mand and ordered that only quarter rationS
should be issued. 1t was not long before
dreadful scenes cnsued. The death-rate was
often one per cent. a day. As winter came on
the suffering was intensified. About one hun
dred and twenty dead men were carried out
daily. On the 25th Of November the prisoners
were on the point of starvation, no rations
having been issued for twenty-four hours
Fifteen rebels came marching into the en-
closure to relieve some sentinels and were i'm
mediately attacked by party Of desperate
prisoners. Two of the rebels were killed, six
were wounded and all were disarmed. Had a
regularly organized plan been previously
formed, something important might have re-
suited. No such plan had been formed, how
ever. The garrison opened fire, assisted by
crowds Of citizens, and the revolt was quelled,
and more than a hundred prisoners killed and
wounded. JEFF Davis sent Gen. Yorl1c down
from Richmond to persuade the prisoners to
enlist in the rebel army. That cmissary said
IF you stay here you will die 1t is only
matter of a few weeks If you join the con-
federate army you will get food, clothes and
shelter" Very few of the prisoners accepted
such an unwclcome deliverancc and about half
of them died before spring Eleven hundred
and fifteen of them died in December alone.
A HOLE IN THE GROUND.
Dec. T.-The hole in the ground which my
three comrades and inhabit is not very bad
sort of place when we have plenty of fuel.
We have commenced a lawless practice, which
promises to ameliorate our sufferingS. 1t is
termed "fanking wood" Every afternoon
each division is allowed to send certain num-
Der of men outside to bring in cordwood for
distribution to its own members. The hanker'
takes his stand near the gate, and, watching his
chance, " flanks in with some detail marching
out. Shouldcring a cordwood stick, he returns
with the same detail, and at the first favorable
opportunity suddenly darts from the ranks,
flies with all possible speed among the huts,
crowds, and shebangs, reaches his subterranean
abode, drops the cOrdwood stick, plunges in
like prairie dog, and drags the cordwood
stick in after him. He is then no longer ap-
parent TO the public gaze. This is dangerous
business. The theft is really from the rebels,
but the men you go out with believe that you
are stealing from them and pursue furiously,
and show no mercy if they catch a fugitive
Men have had their brains knocked out here
for "fianIing wood" and others have been
lashed by the police. Nevertheless it is now
the rule in our gopher hole for each man to
take his regular turn at hanking wood. Every
day one Of us attempts the exploit. Occasion
ally pursuit is so hot that the stick has to be
dropped and lost; but in spite of such mishaps
we keep an abundance of fuel on hand and
have a cheerful blaze in our little fireplace
every day and night. The wood is pitch pine
and We splinter ii up with a railroad spike.
Dec. Sh.-Last night, just as we had laid
Down TO 90 to sleep, the reports of two muskets
sounded near by, and dying shrek rang on
the frosty air. prisoner had been murdered
by the sentrics. Our sleeping facilities are not
Of the most approved description. Our "she-
bang" is SO small that we are compelled to
rcpose in "spOon fashion" That is, we decide
on retiring, whether we shall all he on the
right side or on the left side There is just