The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-02-14

his C1leI support III PAo5cth0N.
fight through the South. He wanted
General Wheeler to take his entire COM
inand along with him, but General
Wheeler told him this was impossible,
and that the best means would be for him
TO divide his best men into q number of
small bands, and that these could follow
him and, by the ease with which they
could be managed, could be moved from
place to place to protect and aid him. This
was agreed TO, and General Wheeler was
dashing along in the rear of Jefferson
Davis when he was captured. He had not
vet reached Davis when he received an
order to disband his troops. He had done
this. and had only a few of his soldiers
about him when he was captured. He told
me the other night tho circumstances OF
his capture. Said he:
/ was lying in the woods in company with
several OF my soldiers and a couple OF negroes,
when party OF Union soldiers came up. These
soldiers were In Confederate clothes, and they
found us BY the aid OF o negro who had brought
us something TO eat They were headed by n
Lieutenant Reynolds, and as soon as saw him
come up and talk TO my negroes knew Ii was
all up with me and that they had found out who
] was. had torn the stars which denoted my
rank of my coat, but tho coat was faded, and
the spots sbone out, so that they could tell that
] was an officer Upon being accosted and
asked who was, told them that was General
then in force I surrendered, and asked
that we be paroled. Lieutenant Reynolds
told me he would not accept my parole at that
time, and said, Sc You wanted to be with Davis,
and we will take you to him" With that he
took me with him o Atlanta, and / was there
pus, in company with jefferson Davis, Alexan-
der stephens. Clement c. Clay and ex-senator
Reagan, upon little boat aud taken in this
down to Savannah, where We got another boat
which carried us north. The boat tina. took us
north was guarded by the gunboat Matamoras.
The families of Davis and Clay were taken
north with us. and Mrs. Davis had little Winnie
Davis with her. She was then baby and had
her on my knee during great part OF the voy-
age and helped to take care of her. as the nurse
had been taken away from Mrs. Davis.
/ roomed with Alexander stephens on the
steamboat, and found him very gloomy over the
prospects; As for me; ] felt happy, ana ~ !
been taken prisoner before, and felt relieved
that the war was over. One day said to Mr..
Stephens in joking way that had been ac-
customed TO going North every summer for my
health. and that the Federal government was
very kind in the present instance, when l had
no money. to take me there and pay my ex-
penses for me, He rebuked me, and said that
ought not to trifla with such serious matter,
and he told me that for himself he expectei a
long, II not perpetual imprisonment. l told
him there was no danger of his being il-treated;
that he had numerous friends among the
public men OF the North, and that
they would not harm him, whatever
they did with the res. of US. on
account of the speech be had made for the
Union before the war. He would not believe
me, however, and said that he expected moth
ing but punishment ] then asked: swell,
Mr.. Stephens, if this Is to be your fate, what
will be the fate OF President Davis?' A look of
horror came over his face, and be raised his
hands. ''Don't speak OF it, he said. Ellis fate
Is too terrible to think Of Mr.. Reagan took
the situation more calmly. and he eyide ntly did
not greatly fear the results. We went together
on this boat north until we reached Fortress
Monroe, where the party was divided Jeffer-
and stephens were sent TO Fort Warren, and I
was put on another boat and carried to Fort
Delaware. was kept there for a month in one
during this time had guard of an officer, three
corporas and twenty-six men. Soldiers with
guns cooked stood at the door during the whole
time and kept their eyes on me. They even
watched me when l took my bath, and their
espionage was by no means pleasant. did not
grow fat on my diet. My breakfast was piece
OF meat and piece OF bread served on a tin
plato which was none too clean sometimes
For dinner got tin cup of soup with little
piece of meat floating in 1t, and for supper had
a piece OF bread. had nothing in the shape OF
tea apd coffee to drink, and l was watched very
closely. slept on the floor, and was not al
lowed to read, write or speak to anyone Sill
on the whole was happy. and when one day /
was led out to General Shoeph and dismissed
come as matter of course, and was happy in
the war being over and myself still alive.
A number of the Northern congressman
who served in the Union army during the
war underwent all the horrors of the
prison life of the South, and their stories
of Libby and Andersonville and the other
Southern prisons are thrilling in the ex-
treme. Two of the strangest experiences
are those of Representative John c. Tars-
ney, of Missouri, and Representative
Irvine DUNCAN, of Ohio. Both were i'm
prisoned for months, and the capture of
and escape of each has the variety and adj
venture of detective novel. Representa-
tive Tarsney went into the army at Il. He
enlisted in the Fourth Michigan infantry.
He was severely wounded at the battle of
was carried of the field by
the Confederates, and taken south to
Richmond. Here he was kept for time
at Belle island, thence moved to Ander-
sonville, and finally, in 1864, was taken to
Milan, whence he escaped. While he was
in Andersonville his prison was To-
of Speaker Crisp. and during the
past summer Mr.. Crisp told an audience
at Kansas City that Tarsney was con-
stituent of his and that he had spent one
summer ut a famous resort within eight
miles of his home. Tarsney opposed the
bill which was introduced into the Fifty
first congress TO give 50 day to all sur
NtNlHE cOiultTS WHO lldu ptt1 III southern
prisons for the length of time they were in
such prisons. Speaker Crisp referred to
this bill and TO Tarsney's action, and said
that Tarsney had told him that though
there was $l.l00 in the bill for him he
could not support it. for the United States
government had already paid him 33l1
cents day for the grub which he had re-
ceived in that prison in the way Of COM
mutation of rations, and he really thought
4 his than tho fond W
talked with Representative Tarsney
last night about his prison experiences.
said he:
Prison life is bad in any shape, and the South
ern prisons were terrible. The South was very
poor itself, aud its soldiers on the field were al
most starving. The rs;ions we received were
m,serably small and Of the poorest quality, and
at Belle island. Andersonvlllc aud Milan we had
mighty poor fare. IL was terribly cold al Belle
island during the winter OF 1861, and was one
of the ilrst of the men sent from there to Ander-
sonville, and was in Andersonyille when the
stockade was first opened. The stockGde was
built in the midst OF a forest, and at iirst we
had plenty OF fuel 10 cook our corn meal. ami
after this had gone we had bakery which
served out our mush and mOGSses. Throughout
my prison life managed 70 get enough TO keep
me alive. and during the latter part OF Il / sue
ceeied IN getting number Of extra ratious In
the hrst place let me tell YOU how our prison
organization originated While / was IN An
oersonvilie there was a large gang OF
robbers among the prisoners, who made prac.
tice OF falling upon and robhing tho new men as
they came in. They were 4 set Of thugs, made up
Of bounty-lumpeTs and stTsgglers. aud had beea
captured along with cur soldiers. They had an
organized band In the prison. and taey COM
mstted murder as well rs robbery. At last a
vigilance committee was formed, aud with the
consent Of NirZ, the commander OF the prison,
this committee arrested the leaders OF this gang
held = court and tried them. The result was
that they hung SIX OF them IN the prison with
the consent OF the rebel authorities and afler
this We had regular police organization inside
the prison, and this afteEwGrG was extended 70
the other prisons, the prisoners being divided
up into hundreds, and the prisoner who
was appointed having the charge al each
hHnared. and hrlng.ng lharl tnrLh lnr -.lL I'll