The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-05-03
WAR DAYS IN THE SOUTH.
BIZ ROB ROY NO. ".
INSCRIBED TO y. J. 3


INSCRIBED TO S.J.El
In May, 1879, spent week in q southern
county Of Georgia, initiating companions
who were fishing. One OF our party OF eight
was a manly young fellow OF twenty three or
four from town in central New York, whom
/ shall call Graham. Another of about the
same age and OF much the same sdmirabls
qualities was Georgian, who will be known
here as Merritt. These two young men,
strangers when they became members OF the
fishing party, bad not been together forty.
eight hours before manifestiDg a strong
liking for each other. Both were bright and
handsome and well bred, and both caught
fish, which. l dgtess to remark, did not.
The fish does net swim that would swallow a
hook would drop In the water. II there Is
q snsg in the stream, no viewer, my hook is
sure to find 1t. and my line. as my pen does
sometimes. is sure 10 become tangled. So
wss not sorry when the week was up and
could escape the guying OF the mors fortu-
tie anglers /. had been agreed that
Graham, Merritt and / would 90 10.
gether to Savannah when we broke
tnAnps WAlSH was I'll O1AuINdf 6iLtIuODf. We
were driven to the nearest railroad town,
where we stopped st the hotel for the night.
After supper Graham came to me aud said:
II understand our route takes US through
Anderscnyiile. Can you conveniently stop
there q few hours? My father died in the
military prison there, and 1 would like to
ste the place" l consented to keep him
company, and Merritt coming up just then,
agreed that the trio should not be broken.
and so at noon on Sunday we stepped from
the train at the little station.
AndeIsonville is an added illustration to
handreds OF others before ID Of the frown of
mankind against sites which horrors have
made renowned, From the earliest ages,
through all the intervening. down to the
present, localities stoIied only for bloodshed
and human suffering have been untouched
by the hand of architecture. From the plains
OF ancient Judaic warfare, across the fields
of the Alexanders, Ptolemys and Csesars,
over Mount Calvary stained with the Say
tours blood. down to Waterloo
and Manassas, population and com.
merce have Stunned places whose
or distorted by tales of human agony. An
Jacksonville hes grown no larger by even one
home since 1865. It will never be more
populous.
half dezen white and twice the number
OF colored men were loungiDg on the plat
form of the rude station house awaiting the
train. One OF the former, of very pleasant
add hcH hoH
Ing, half inquisitive speech. Upon being
told our mission he invited as to his home
proffering that after We had dined
with him. he weuld accompany
Us to the National Cemetery
grounds. he was the physician for the coun.
try around. His family being from home he
apologized for whatever dsarrangement we
should fad bis home in. When we had
dined and gone to the sheltered porch for
smoke before walking to the cemetery, our
host remarked: This house, gentlemen,
was the house of Writ 1t was in that
room," pointing to the east front, that he
was arrested by Federal soldiers to be taken
10 Washington fer trial and execution"
At this junclure there were two arrivals at
the gate-one an old gentleman walking, the
other a colored boy on q mule, which was in
Q lather OF Precipitation. The boy was tia
bearer of a note requesting the Doctors
speedy presence at the bedside OF lady sew
eral miles distant, who had been suddenly
taken i'll. Oar host only took tins to word
regrets at ha, ing to leave Us, and to intro
duce Us to the old gentleman who had joined
the group, before hurrying away to the lot
for his horne. AS he csntered past the gate
US on our proposed walk.
"Yes," said the old mar, in answer
to q question, while lighting q
cigar that had been handed
him, yes, was here during the war; Did
/ know Writ? Very well. A hundred
times I've been with him on this porch as l
am with you now. He always sat over
there where he might look toward the stock
sde. Here he would repose IN the shade at
midday, with no indication OF sympathy for
the thirty odd thousand men huddled to.
gether In the prison pen with no shelter from
the broling sun.
what did l think of Wirlz? Why. that
he was a natural born isnd. He was the
incarnation Of cruelty. The men constitut
ing the prison guard experienced this no les,
than the prisoners themselves. They de-
tested him TO man. and no knew they did.
He becsme uneasy lest some Of them might
kill him, and for long while kept q strong
guard about his house at night.
"He deserved his fate? Yes and q worse
one, II there could be worse. I remember
well the day the news came OF his execution.
There were, may be, twenty down yonder at
the station-some o. them our men who had
been paroled and returned home. There
wasn't one 10 cay he felt sorry for him."
A walk OF half mile brought Us to the
entrance OF the National Cemetery, which Is
half that distance north OF the old prison
pen. Just within the gates stands tall flag
pole, from the top OF which the National
banner hostsd In the breeze, considerably