The National tribune., 1882-09-16
SOUTHERN PRISON LIFE.
Free Lance Continues the Story of His
Experiences at Millen.
XII.

Nor. sM.-This is Presidential election
day, and we of Millen Prison have not ig-
nored the fact. Polls were established early
this morning and placed under police pro-
lection; rival orators are holding forth to
interested crowds, and voting is quietly in
progress. In the absence of tickets black
and white beans have been substituted-the
black ones for Lincoln and the white ones
! for Mcclellan. The rebels evince consider
able eagerness to know the result. Although
not of legal age [ have voted for Lincoln.
An impression prevails that majority for
Mcclellan will give us better rations. The
first prisoners that arrived here were fed
very well. Each man, for days ration, re-
ceived pint OF meal, six spOonfuls Of rice Or
peas, teasp0onful of salt, and six ounces Of
raw beef The beef at first consisted Of the
heads of the cattle slaughtered for the guards.
Nevertheless, even from cattle heads the
prisoners made very palatable soups. To
get a good soup bone" is the lOftiest ambi-
ton of the average prisoner. Regular beef
was finally substituted for the cattle heads,
but the rations dwindled daily, and now
consist of about half the quantities l have
stated. Wet get them raw, however, which
is matter of great consequence, since we
have fuel enough to cook them with. On
the whole they are better ratiOns than we
had at Andersonville, but are insufficient to
"A
| ably reduced in quantity with the view of
encouraging enlistments in the Foreign Le-
gion. The Raiders who were put in the
stocks yesterday have taken the oath of alle-
glance to the southern confederaGy, and now
help to man the artillery that commands
the stockade. They were afraid to come
back among us, lest they should be hanged
1t is impossible for man who has never
been imprisoned to realize what the loss of
liberty means. wish l had copy of Byron.
l would like to read The Lament of Tasso" "
| and The Prisoner of Chillon."
A MAJORITY FOR LINCOLN.
Non. 9h.-About half the prisoners voted
yesterday. Over 4,500 votes were cast, of
which Lincoln received majority of over
900. The announcement was greeted with
tiree rousing cheers. MeClellans chief sup
port came from his old soldiers of the Army
of the Potomac. Two violins are owned in a
neighboring detachment, and to-day ers
got up a "stag dance" Since the dat s M
capture this is the first time have e u
prisoners have life enough about thel a-
gage in any kind of diversion. The rnr-
ance was of brief duration, for, wit
men on every hand, it seemed sadly
pirate The death rate is just about
here as it was in AndersOnville, in Or
to our numbers. From twenty-fvet r
five dead men are carried out daily. ID ID.
dition to other diseases, rheumatis in aa
aggravated form, Is very preyaler ia
sentinels shoot no prisoners withOl as.ga
provocation. We attribute this ia fa
moral effect of the commandant's e,
NoU 10h-I was outside the sto ta
day, gathering wood. An excurs oE .Eafa
| arrived from Augusta, loaded wit Ht3.4.
ing girls and pretty women. As we l'ar.aao
past them their countenances betri
ings of wonder, pity, and abhorre re- We
were representatives of the mean aas. es
they had heard so much about, ant terrible
hard-looking ones at that. A cove = ...iny
wagon drove by, and with true feminine Gu
riosity they ran up to see what was inside OF
it. 1t was filed with dead prisoners, stark
naked, piled up in q great heap, and being
hauled to the graveyard. They gave some
small shrieks and hurried away. The strip
ping of dead bodies is the only source of cloth
ing supply which the living prisoners have.
The paroled men generally dress in white
and make suits Of clothes out of meal sacks.
Their pantaloons usually bear q large blue
brand of some kind located so thoughtfully
that it cannot be seen when the wearer sits
down Some of the rebels at this post strut
| about in very handsome uniforms, which
were doubtless procured from England. An
artillery officer whom saw to-day especially
attracted my attention. The rebel uniform
material, in artistic style, and decorated
with silver braid. Few of the rebels in the
field manage to keep themselves uniformed
as their army regulations provide.
REPRESENTED IN A GRAVEYARD.
.NoU. 11h.-To-day l saw one prisoner try
to rob another of blanket Captain Bowes
chanced to be passing at the time and in the
excited confederate fashion drew his revOl-
yer and pointed it at the thief The blanket
was instantly returned and the culprit was
sent out to the stocks. / don't hear any
bloodhounds baying around this stockade
but pack of them are, no doubt, kept in
the vicinity. The rebels say that twenty
seven States of the old Union" besides the
navy, the regular army and the District OF
Columbia, are represented in the graveyard
at Andersonville All the prisoners who
have ever passed through Augusta state that
they were treated very kindly by the people
Of that city. Prisoners of war should be
exchanged after battle as promptly as the
dead are buried or the wounded cared for
Macon, through which we passed in COM
ing from Andersonville, is pretty town OF
10000 inhabitants. The prison pen there
styled Camp Oglethorpe," encloses about
two acres of ground, and at last accounts
was used for the confinement of Union Off
GERS. 1t is on the east side of town. Its
salient features are as follows: A fifteen
foot stockade, dead line, murderous senti-
nels, no shelter, scurvy and diarrhea, thin
ratiOns of rice, corn-meal and "nigger peas,
| oil