The National tribune., 1883-09-20


thousands of comrades who viii expect you to
make yourself clear"
"Well, Just this: If that place had been kept
up as you and many others suggest it would
have been to this day bone of contention
Why, thousands upon thousands would have
focked there, and the superintendent or man
ager of the house would have had to repeat
over, over, and over again the story of Ander-
sonyille prison life. This would have forever
kept up an unkiud feeling The children of
the South wOuld have long before this taken
sides for and against the treatment of the boys
who Wore the blue; and in my opinion there
would have been no pleasant interchange Of
visits by the wearers of the gray and blue"
8 You are probably right, Mr., Smith"
"Of course / am. Now, little by little, old
Father Time is removing the timbers and other
marks about the place; so, in few years, twill
simply stand in memory, as the Jumbo of
all prisons. But to resume After leaving the
first line you can make your way entirely
around the old inclosure by the stumps and
what few stockade timbers remain standing,
like so many sentinels As you reach that por-
tiOn known by the boys as the North side, you
can easily make your way down to the spring
By-the-by, | nailed fast ten or twelve flags
| upon an old stump and the curb, which two
colOred friends built around the spring, in
honor of our visit. AS you stand on the old
side hill you can trace every inch of the ground.
Time and again, as l would say, My, my, my,
how naturali o, if / only had some of the
boys with me- Mr.. Bryant. the superintendent,
would say, Well, talk on Smith; don't blame
you for speaking, or crying even, in place
like this.
"Was any part of the prison under cover ?"
No; except that made by the sky. When /
went inside Juno 1, 1861, there were only two
| trees and not stump root All had been
gathered for fuel with which to cook our food" !"
| ' Did they not cook it for your"
Yes; in this way: When the North side
would draw cooked rations the South side would
| receive unc0oked."
"Wheu was the stockade built?"
ain February, 1864, one thousand colored
men were sent into the pine forests at Ander-
son, which then was four hundred miles from
| the seat of war; Some twenty acres were cleared
| off, and from the trees first trimmed and hewn,
/ was made the stOckade. In August sixteen or
more acres were added, which, after dedueting
| swamp OF boggy land unfit for use, and the
| space shut off by the dead-line,' we had just
| about eighteen acres for our use"
| THE FATAL DEAD-LINE.
! az wish you would take special pains, and
explain the dead-line. So many at this late
| day seem to have no correct understanding as
| to what it was"
Certainly. After the st0ckade was finished
it was decided, in order to keep us from forcing
the gates and stoekade, to erect a line known
as the dead-line, from the fact that the guard
| occupying places upon the outside of the stock
| ado could shoot all who passed beyond the line,
which was eighteen feet from the guards, who
were so situated that they could look over into
the prison grounds. Posts made from pine
saplings were driven into the ground about four
feet and some twenty feet apart, while upon the
| topWas nailed narrow strips of board. At Sails
bury this line was made by ditch being
plOwed around the stOckade. There, is that
/ clear?"
! Decidedly, but what about the general fea-
lures of the place at PRESENT."
Why, if the scrub oaks and other under
growth was removed, also the corn on the South
side, AndersOnville would soon be converted
back into the days of "a. The rife-pits and
earthworkS upon the outside will stand until
blown up or plowed under was all over
them, and they are to-day in as good shape fol
5000 men as when [ left"
OLD PRISON RELICS.
g Did you cut any relcs?"
"Yes. you bet did. Excuse the expression
| / had two colored men all one day at work
have $50 canes, two large pieces of the stock
ade, one of the dead-line posts, (helped pull il
mySelf-the last to be found, buttons large and
small pieces of pocket and table knives, hee
plates, part of an old fork, and best of all, one
of our little quart tin pals lminus the handle
and one ear, which was found in the GROUND
; by the spring by Deacon Stickney, one of tht
coiored men. when he built the curb about thl
spring just before our visit"
what are you going to do with so many
canes and other articles gathered?"
" If they come in time, | shall have them a
the Tri-State Fair to be held in Toledo, anC
Mrs. Suder is going to place the cotton, corn
beans, sumach, etc, with the vines and MOSES
in a hanging basket, which l shall keep Il
show the boys"
{" Do you intend to take the PLATFORM"
"Yes, for y. III. c. A., G.. A. f., and military
organizations generally. Subject: In and on
of Andersonville, by Yank who fooled th'
Johnpies.' l shall send THE NATIONAL TRIB
UNE full notice of my intentions, so that th'
boys in Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa and elsewher
can have the pleasure Of hearing the Yank
sometime this winter, if they want to-"
'Some day." said Mr.. Smith, in conclusion
81 viii give you the privilege of interviewing
, me as regards the barbecue and brunswick hel;
! sentatives of four Alabama regiments, III
Black Horse and Forests cavalry, with tn
crack battery of the South"
> Certainly, Mr.. Smith; and can't you, at tn
same time, inform THE NATIONAL TRIBUN-
| readers of your famous ex-Johnny ex-Yanl
swimming and diving match that have hear
} SO many speak about?"
Yes, if THE TRIBUNE man don't send i
, his veto. Goodbye"
And without waiting for thanks, Conrad
Smith hurried away TO join some more ex
Andersonyille Yanks," who were waiting 70
him at the door, and who thrOng to him daily
importuning with all sorts of questions.