The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-07-04
ANDERSONVJLLE PRISON

The following narrative as related by
Oliver Green, who was an eye-witne IS
to the facts, will undoubtedly be read
with interest. While in prison with
hardly enough to keep one from starv-
ing, and with disease on every hand and
frequently death TO arrest the attention,
there were desperadoes who devoid of
all feeling of humanity were studying
how they could get possession of money,
watches, Jewelry, or valuables OF any
kind, and if necessary would accomplish
their end at the expense of taking the
lives of those whom they would rob and
plumber. The rules of the prison allowed
some of the prisoners who were taken
on conditional surrender, to keep their
watches, money, and other valua-
bles for their own use. This robbIng
and murder was carried on to such an
extent that there was vigilance COM
mittee organized among the prisoners
for self protection, as frequently SOL
dieT would be missing in the morning
and the only way of accounting for it
would be that he had fallen victim to
the murderous rapidity of this gang, land
sometimes for less reason than that he
was in possession of some valuable or a
little money. A victim would be select
ed, when in the darkness two or three
Of the gang would get him down, choke
and gag him, and if in the struggle it
became necessary to avoid being found
out to kill, quick dispatch would be
made and the body concealed by bury
ing where they would have place pre-
pared.
A Frenchman belonging to Green's
company was thus seiz ID by a party of
them, and in some way after a severe
struggle in which he was bound and
nearly gagged, he screamed so as to
Brighten them away before he was muir
dered, although he received several
gashes about the neck and head in their
attempt to cut his throat with a bowie
knife. Even the cruel keeper, WiTz took
enough interest in the matter to have a
detective employed, who became mi
tiated with the gang and found out the
leaders, and some of the men employed
by them. Officers came from Macon
and arrested the leaders, and a trial by
a jury of the prisoners was had, with
proper counsel also from Macon, and
five of the rIng-leaders were convicted |
of murder in the first degree and sen
fenced to be hung. Two were found |
guilty of manslaughter, and really suf. |
fered worse punishment, being con.
fined in the stocks night and day until
they died. At night their necks were in
the stocks with the toes barely touching |
the ground to hold up their weight, and |
during the day their feet in the stocks |
and their shoulders touching the ground |
with their face in the boiling sun.
The prisoners made the gallows, the
timber being furnished them, and they
were hung on the high ground in the
south east part of the prison, where all
the prisoners (more than thirty thou
sandy could witness the execution. The
culprits came to the gallows feeling it
was all farce, and not till the ropes
were about their necks, and they were
asked if they had anything to say, did
they seem to realize their situation. The
plank upon which they all stood was re-
moved and they dropped together. The
rope on the most hardened of the gang,
broke when he fell, and he Immediately |
ran through the immense throng of men
which parted as he wildly made his way
going about the entire enclosure before
he was captured. When upon the plank
the second time, it was turned over and |
over number of times before he fell he
would go dextrously keep upon il cling
ing for his life.
They were called the "AIosely gang"
and with this execution stop was put |
to such murders, as it did not prove to
be a paying investment.