The National tribune., 1892-11-17

Leadbetter. late of the u 8. Army, at this
time an officer in the secession army, the blood
lest and the most ultra man, the vilest wretch,
the most unmitigated scoundrel that ever made
tracks in East Tenhessee, took two men, Nasty
and Fry, out ofdsl At Greeneville, Tenn and
tied thom with his own hands. and
HUNG TwEMSP ON ONE LIME,
near the railroad track, in the town of Greene.
vile. and ordered them to hang for four days
and nights He also issued orders to all the
engineers and conductors to 60 by that spot
| slowly, in order tp give the passengers an op-
portunity to kick she rigid bodies and strike
them with switches; and these orders were
obeyed to the letter..
| These two poor men were usbered into an
| untlmeIy grave without even giving them
drumhead c0urtrmartdal, but were hung on the
simple charge Of the Secessionists that they
were bridge burners. For had they been given
trial, Fry, at least, might not have been hung ,
for it was afterward proved that not he, but
another person of the same name, had been the
real offender.
Among the many prisoners in the Jail at
! Knoxville were some under like accusation
with the two hung at Greeneville, but pro-
ceedlngs against them were more deliberate
An old man of about 65 years, named Harmon,
and his son, were taken from Jail and tried by
court martial, organized by Gen. Carroll, then
|
of dissipated habits and both hanged on the
same gal!ows. They made the poor old man.
who was a Methodist class leader, sit by and
See his son hang until he was dead. Then they
| called him - Lincolnite Union sneak, and
told him to come on,
1T WAS HIS TIME NEXT.
Such treatment by these incarnate, blood
thirsty rebels was more than this good old man
could bear. and he tainted but this had no
| 1icl
they propped him up, and leading him to the
| gallows, where his son was still hanging, swung
| him of.
few DAYS later another man, by the name
| of j. &. HanD, man of fine sense and excel
| lent character, leaving q wife and five helpless
children at home, with no one to look to Tor
| their support save the husband aud father, was
tried by the court martial and sentenced to be
| hung. After hearing his fate he at once sent
for Methodist preacher. Union nun, to come
and pray for him. This they would not allow,
but sent for their Chaplain. a drunken, un-
principed scoundre who made the following
apology for Ham. He said This poor, un-
fortunate man. who is about to pay the debt Of
nature regrets the course he took. he says he
was misled by Union papers"
At this Ham arose, and said, in stentorian
| voice: "Fellow-citiZens, every word OF that
statement is false; am not sorry for the course
have taken. What have done and said was
Piles had for the Union"
| He told them he was ready to be executed,
and died like n man, like an East Tennesseean
| ought to die.
Acting under Secretary Benjamin's orders,
several old, grayheaded Union men were taken
to Tuscaloosa and there put in one Of the loath-
| some prisons of the Secessionsts, and very few
| of them lived to tell the treatment and suffer-
ngs they received at the hands of these in
| famous rebels.
Several of my own County men were taken
to that prison Among them was neighbor of
| mine named Pleasant Williams, and on learn
ing that he had come home. sent him word
to come to my hiding place in the woods,
which he did, and related the following nara
tive to myself and Col. Jas. G. Grayson.
wILLIaafss NARRATIVE.
81 was arrested in Carter County and taken
to Knoxville and put in Jail. After a few days
myself and 81 other old, grayheaded Union
men from Johnson. Carter. and Washington
Counties were taken to the Tuscaloosa prison.
in Alabama, and held as prisoners of war by
order Of the Secretary Of War at Richmond.
We were kept in Tuscaloosa prison about 20
days. when we were taken to Mobile prison,
where remained for IL months"
Mr.. Williams then told us how they were fed
on mule meat He said they would bring leg
of mule, with the hide hair, and shoe on the
foot, throw it down to the poor. half starved
prisoners, and say to them: = here, eat thiS
you - old Lincolnites!"
''When they had no mule meat to give u.s.
they would feed us on old. sinking beef for
change. This beef would be full of SHIPPERS
and was only fit for dogs to eat The rebels
would laugh, and tell US that was good enough
for any - Lincoll,ite TO eat There were
several hundred prisoners at this place, and
they, not being used to such treatment as they
were receiving at the hands of those infamous
scoundrels, died very fast, several dying every
day. The rebel guards would collect the dead
bodies and pile them up like logs OF wood. And
when the wagon would come to haul them out
tho rebels would take these poor victims. whom
they had starved to death, by their legs and
arms, give them a swing. and with the COM
mand, one. two, three, throw them into the
wagon like so many dead hogs. The driver
would then get up on his load of poor old
gray headed Union men, and drive out to
where they would unload them, and in the
same manner they-had loaded them throw
into trenches; and called that decent burial for
old Linconite5 have seen," said Mr.. Will
lams, the flesh fall from the legs and arms of
these poor men when they were handling them
in the way above described This was from the
effects Of eating he spoiled meat which we
were compelled to eat or starve.
"One day rebel officer came into the
prison and had all the prisoners that were able
to stand up put in line. lie then told US II we
Confaderacy he wouii let us all 90 home. All
but eight took the required OATH and started
for home was one of the eight, and with
the other seven who
REFUSED 10 TAKE SUCH AN OATH,
choosing rather than take tho oath To die in
this prison, for we did believe we could live
hut few more days longer. We did not,
however. have TO stay many days before The
same officer came into the prison and told us
that he was going to send us home, calling US
- old gray headed Lincolnites, ut the same
time handing each pass for free transporta-
tion home We at once started upon our
Journey but four of the poor men died the
he first night and three more died the second
day. / was now left alone 10 make the journey
home. When the train arrived at Knoxville L
was thrown the depot platform by the rebel
trainlnen where lay unconscious until a good
woman, God bless her. brought some wine and
! gave me something To eat. This somewhat re-
vived me, and got two negroes TO put me on the
! next train going to Bristol. When the train
reached Joliuson's DEPOT | was again thrown
| from the train out onto the platform. This
was after night. Henry Johnson, finding me
| lying there helpless. took care of me until
morning when he got Tip .Iobe to take me
| home in a wagon, which was about five miles.
| When we arrived 1T my home none OF my
| family recognized me, for ! had heen gone so
| long, thew having heard nothing from me, had
| believed me dead besides. was reduced to
! mere skeleton, and The smell that emalated