The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1890-08-17
HOW WE HUNG SIX
The Union Regulators and the
Thieves of Andersonyiile.
DEPREDATI0NS AND MURDERS.
The Goodness of a Chaplain saves the Lives
of Fifteen Thousand Men-A Re-
narIable Tragedy.
DEPREDATI0NS AND MURDERS.

WASHINGTON, Aug. 1S.-[Special CORES
pondence of The HERALD. II talked last
night with man who aided in the hanging
of the six raiders in Andersonvilie in July,
1861. These men were all murderers
They were bounty jumpers, thieves and
scoundreis, and the Century magazine of the
current month refers to them in its article
on the Andersonville prison. The full de-
tails of the execution, however, have never
been given to the public. 1t is one of the
most remarkable tragedies Of prison his
tory during the late war, and it resulted
IN bringing order out of chaos for the
twenty-five thousand men who were con-
fined in the Andersonville stockade
Colonel John McElroy, the editor
OF the National Tribune, of Wash
ington, tells the story. He was one of
the Youngest soldiers in the war He
shouldered musket at sixteen, was cap
tured at Jonesville, Virginia, in 1854. and
after short stay at the prison in Rich
mond, found himself in Andersonville The
exchange Of prisoners between the North
and the South stopped on the Sd of July,
1853, and from this time on the southern
prisons rapidly filled. In January, 1864,
there were 1900 prisoners in Richmond
and DanVilie and in April, 1864, the num-
bea OF prisoners in Andersonville was
$500 At the end of May this number had
Increased TO 5000 and at the end of June
to 70 900. These raiders were hung in July
and at the end of that month there Were
THIRTY-oNE THOUSAND PRISONERS
IN the stockade, said Colonel McElroy.
Said Colonel McElroy, sYou cannot
imagine the crowded condition of the
prison. 1t consisted, you know, of Held
covering about four City squares outside of
which extended a high stockade Just in
side of this stGckade was road twenty
1eet wide running around the whole in
side OF the prison. known as the dead line
The guards were ordered to shoot the man
whogot his fingers over this line, and | re
member one day in fixing my tent, which
was just on the edge of the dead line,
heard the ping Of bullet and just escaped
being shot for having my elbow over the
edge. The prison was in the shape of a
recuangle and it consisted of two hills
which sioped down towards the centre
through which ran a creek perhaps one
hundred feet wide On the sides of these
hills were crowded the thousands in the
prison and AZ one time there was
scarcely room enough for all to
lie down at once. The prisoners
came from all parts of the United States
and from all The divisions of the union
army. They did not know one another, and
the new arrivals were as lost as man in a
strange town. During the war there was
band OF SO called union soldiers, who were
in fact guerrillas. and who preyed off of
both sides. Some of these were bounty
jumpers, others were union deSerters and
others were made up of the thieves and cut
Threats who follow the fortunes of war to
make what they can out of either side The
rebels had captured a number of these men
and they held them for time at Richmond
with the idea of exchanging them for con-
federate prisoners. Our company soon be-
came acquainted with them, aud when they
were sent from Richmond to Andersonvine
we spotted them. As soon as they got into
the prison they organized themselves into
regular band Of
THIEVES AND ROBBERS.
They had a leader and they committed a
number OF murders. Whenever d new set
of prisoners was admitted they would
make 1t point TO rush upon them, and by
throwing blankets over their heads or
knocking them down, would be able to steal
whatever yaluables they brought into
prison with them. The men who came in,
knowing no one, would suppose that the
whole prison was like these raiders. and
result was there was no ST o,rity OF prop
erty. None of the prisoners had any prop
erty TO speak OF. but the new arrivals
always brought in something
In April 1854, however, the
ccSFEEERATEs CAPTURED BRIGADE
at Plymouth. North Carolina. consisting of
the Hundred and first and Hundred and
third PENNSYLVANIA, the Eighty-fifth New
York, the Sixteenth Connecticut and some
other organizations. The most of these
men had yeteranized and had arrayed
themselves in fine clothes preparatory to
going home to see their folks and sweet
hear is on their veteran furlough. BY the
terms of their capture they were allowed
TO keep their personal properly, ard they
formed a fine quarry for the raiders. AS
soon as they entered AndersonviIle they
were attacked, and some who offered re-
sistance were killed. Others were beaten
over the head with clubs made of heavy
pine knots, or cut with sknives or rasors
The who'd camp was in state of terror
over these outrages. L remember one
morning seeing three men who had been
killed the night before by the raiders.
Their Threats were cut by them, and it at
last became so common that almost any
time during the day You would see a MOB
IN some part OF the camp brought about by
thesemen.
MANY ATTEMPTS WERE MADE
by the law abiding soldiers of the prison to
secure order in their immediate vicinity.
Each squad or clan as it were had it's own
place, but these squads nearest the dead
line finally resolved themselves into little
organization Tor mutual self protection. l
belonged TO one of these companies and our
part was the only portion of the prison
where any kind OF order prevailed The
rest Of the place was held by the raiders
snd anarchy reigned. 1t got worse and