The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-08-23
TIE FLORENCE FIEND.
Something About BaTett'S CrueltieS to
PriSOnerS---HiS Thumb-SereW.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:

! will endeaver to give YOUR many readers a
few more of our experiences in that place, and
| think | viii succeed in proving that there
were worse prisons than Andersonville We
were at once put in the new bull pen," and it
was new in more senses than one. The stock
ade at Andersonville was composed of hewn
pine logs twenty feet long, set six feet in
the ground, leaving fourteen feet of wall or
stOckade around us, but at Florence the logs
were not more than ten OF twelve feet above
ground, and instead of platforms at intervals /
for the guards to stand on there was almost
a continuous line of entertainments thrown
up against the outside of the stockade ON
which the sentinels could pass back and forth
The logs were rough, no attempt having been
madej 30 hew or smooth them off, further than to
cut off limbs and knots just enough 20 let them
stand close together. The dead-line was about
the same as at Andersonville, and inside the
stockade the trees had only recently been
cut of, as many stumpS were to be seen all
through the prison. There was stream or
brook running from north to south, much
larger than the one at Andersonville, and some
swamp land on each side, and pretty good
corduroy bridge or road across it. There were
not nearly as many prisoners TO the square foot
as in other prisons; indeed, never saw any
prison as closely packed as Andersonville had
been. But all the material for tents or caves
had been taken up by the first prisoners put
in, and we were left out in the cold in more
quaintanees (those of my company who had
preceded mel were "messed off" and that their
messes were full to overfowing. I had been
fortunate enough TO save my blanket and
overeOat, also NY knapsack and dress coat;
these were big cards IN my favor, and room
was offered me in several messes / chose one
with cousin of mine from the Eleventh Penn
sylvania reserve, and one or two neighbor
boys, all of whom | believe are living to-day.
Their names are John r. Black, ]. Van Nc
Caslin, John Eshenbaugh, Samuel McCleary,
and Samuel Shryock. They only had one
blanket and two oVercoats IN the crowd, SO my
addition was looked ON as big thing" We
were in cave made by digging hole about
seven feet square and one foot deep. a forked
post had been set at each end, on which was
laid ridge pole; on this there were laid sticks
for rafters, while the whole was covered with
pine leaves and sand four or five inches thick,
which made a tolerably warm cave, but kept
out little or no wet. Both ends were open,
but, as the weather got colder, we closed one
up entirely, and made chimney in the other,
leaving hole beside it to crawl out and in.
A STYLISH ABODE.
When finished we thought it quite stylish,
but we could not stand quite straight in
the center Here we spent the most of the
winter, and frequently the nights were cold
| enough to freeze ice quarter of an inch thick.
We were divided into hundreds and thousands
for roll-eall or counting by the rebel sergeants
each morning, and we had to be counted or we
got no rations that evening Our ration5 con-
sisted of about three or four ounces of fresh
beef, about q coffee-cupful of corn-meal, ground
| cob and all and unbOlted, with couple OF
| spoonfuls of cowbeans or peas, mostly beans,
and small teaspoonful OF salt every other
| day-sometimes every third day. These dwin-
| died gradually down before Christmas to meal,
! peas, and sour sorghum molasses, and in Janu-
/ ary TO meal and peas alone, the quantity of
| each rather diminishing also. There were
| ninety-ive days / have recorded in which 10
meat of any kind was issued, and often for days
! no salt. Is it any wonder that we were sorely
afflicted with scurvy, dysentery, feyers, chills,
| rheumatism, ague, and moonblindness2 We
We were told to eat piece of raw beef liver to
| cure moonblindness, but where was the liver
| to come from?
/ The officer who was generally in charge of
| the prison was redheaded lieutenant, named
Barrett, and if Wirz deserved hanging, Barrett
| should have been hung, drawn and qu3rtered.
| / have often wondered why he was not hung
| when Wirz was. He certainly was the most
/ inhuman wretch / ever saw. When Wirz shot
/ or punished prisoners he was angry or in a bad
/ humor, to say the least, but Barrett would
| stand and shoot defenceless prisoners and
| laugh to see them fall or run like frightened
| sheep to get out of his way. have seen him
come to the gate and call for all who wanted
| to go out for wood to fall in, telling them that
as many as wanted to could go out. The pris-
oneTs would rush TO the gate and Eli the street
| for perhaps 200 feet from the gate. He would
then select perhaps dozen and start them of,
and quickly drawing his revolver, would call
| out, Scatter, you Yanks, or I'm going to
| shootl" and fire into the crowd instantly, at
the same time laughing and cheering to see
the rushing to get out of his range. This was
| done more than once, and one of the prisoners
I shO irnt tba SbO haS Sf0n or
| side.
/ HANGING BY THE THUMBS.
Another favorite mode of punishment with
him was hanging by the thumbs" This
was done by tying stout cord or rope around
the thumbs of prisoner in loop or moose, so
that it would draw tighter, and suspending
| the prisoner by this internal device for from
| one to three hours Sometimes the hands were
tied thus behind, and the weight drew in such
a way that the victim first hung nearly head
downward, and then, as the shoulders gave way
and the nerves got weaker, assumed an upright
position. In one or two cases the shoul-
ders were dislocated. One poor fellow died
while being taken down or very soon after.
will only relate one other method of punishment
which l saw In USE as some We're too SIeken-
ing almost for belief 1t was what was
known as the thumb screw punishment"
never examined the screws closely, but one of
the victims described them to me and showed
me the results. They were made like two small
vises, side slightly hollow, 70 fit the face of
the thumb; the other side was fat plate of iron
or steel, facing it. The thumbs were inserted
between these, and by turning a screw they
were brought together The fat plate first
caught on the upper end or root of the thumb
nail, and, as the screw was turned, the vice.
like jaw closed in, crushing the nail. They
were frightened so as to bear the prisoners
weight, and he was then suspended in the gate
by this inhumsn fiend until he either tainted or
his thumbs were pulled off. The one / exam
ined and dressed after being taken down had his
thumbs crushed to pulp. He was punished
for refusing to take the oath of allegiance TO
the Confederacy and trying to escape. he,
with Others had been taken outside; they did
not know for what. Barrett tried to force
them to take the oath and work on some forti-
feations near the prison. They refused to do
either, and one of them, getting chance. made
his escape. He was soon recaptured and
brought back and got the thumb-screw for
his daring l once saw Barrett get upon the fat
log on top of the gate, when a prisoner was
hanging by the thumbs, and run pole or hand
spike through under the rope and raise one end
until he had lifted his victim six or eight inches
Then, suddenly letting the pole drop, ON the
second or third trial the man fell fainting to
the ground.
| would like to hear from some other Flor
ence ex prisoner on this subject, and would
| baft - ~