Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-06-19
THE RESPONSIBLE CRIMINALS.

The confederate leaders have persist,
emily sought in later years to excuse
their inhuman conduct toward the
Union prisoners who fell into their
hands, but no explanation put forth
has ever in the slightest degree turned
the whitening condemnation of civil
lZatlOn aside from its universal ex-
preston of horror at such barbarity.
The records Of Wirz's trial show by
confederate testimony that there was
no possible excuse for croWding 30, 900
prisoners into an open, unsheltered
pen, containing less than twenty acres
Of inhabitable ground. Hundreds of
acres of well-shaded, dry pine woods
could just as easily have been secured
anywhere in southern Georgia. The
prisoners could easily have been pro
vided with plenty of wood for cabins
for shelter, as it was standing then.
and is standing now, directly adioin-
ing the old stUckade. The prisoners
could have always been supplied with
good, pure water in abundance, which
is readily obtainable all around the
prison pen. Green corn and potatoes
could have been provided to check the
scurvy and other fatal diseases. Straw
and pine leaves could have been pro
cured for beds for the sick, and warm
water for bathing could have been
furnished at all times, and with these
simple wants supplied, nine-tenths of
the suffering, sickness and deaths
would have been prevented.
WIRZ.
When the confeaeracy collapsed in
April, 1865, Wirz was still living IN
his old quarters at Andersonville.
Baptain Noys, of the Fourth cavalry,
was sent to bring him into General
Wilson's camp at Macon. When the
squad rode into town they surrender
ed DR.. Harrison's house--where [ am
staying and mistook the doctor for
Wirz and were about to drag him off,
when he pointed into the next lot
west and told them, ''there is the man
you are after" Wirz was quickly
hustled away from his family the
damnihg records captured with him,
and was started to Washington. The
ex prisoners who was stationed al
along his route made desperate efforts
to kill him as he passed through, but
the brutal, cowardly wretch was for
tunately reserved, tried, convicted
and decently hung on the tenth of
November, 1865, and appropriately
buried in the Old Capitol prison
grounds besides Azterodt, one of the
assassins OF Abraham Lincoln. His
wife and daughter lave disappeared,
and [ was unable to learn from their
friends at Andersonville where they
moved to. Wirtz'S old house has |
been burned, but its massive brick |
chimney still stands a grim monu-
ment of his iendish exploits.
THE RAIDERS FATE.
In q seml-circle southeast of the flag
staff are the graves of six desperaioes
who were hung by the prisoners in the
stockade on July IL, 1864, for robbery
and murder of their comrades. They
were the leaders of gang of bounty
Jumpers from the slums of eastern
cities, who had enlisted for large
bounties, or as substitutes for men Of
wealth who had been drafted. They
were skulkers on the battlefield, and
always on the lookout for chance to
rob their fellow soldiers. In the
stockade they led gangs Of roughs call
ed raiders" IN midnight excursions
among the sick and defenseless pris-
oners, robbing them of blankets, cloth
ing, money or food, and often mur-
dered them while asleep for the scanty
possessions to be thus obtained. These |
six men, viz: Pat. Delaney, of Penn
sylvania; Charles Curtis, of Rhode |
Island; William Collins, of Pennsyl-
vania; John Sarsfeld, of New York
William Rickson, of United States
navy, and A. Mum, United States
navy, were tried as leaders of the
raiders" convicted and hung in the
stockade, and bur ed separate from
the other frisoners.
The ground upon which the stock
ade stood should be purchased by our
government and attached to the ma
tional cemetery, and forever preserv-
ed with its old wells, its fallen timberS, |
its earth works, its creek and spring,
all Of which in the coming years will |
be points Of historic interest that
should not be destroyed.
Already the owners of the land
around are travelling the earth works, |
filling up thG old wells and caves, re-
moving the palisades and obliterating
the land marks that still remain, and
unless prompt steps are taken for their
preservation, in a few years more the
old Prison Pen will have entirely dis
appeared and all traces of it's existence
removed to make room for the en-
croaching cotton fields.
The Hostile Crees.
Gun Riuort Mont \ Gnn. Moi A l1nr