Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-04-13

HE CAUTIOUSLY SLIPPED THE PENCILED
SCRAP FROM POCKET TO BIBLE.
the book, he caught the light paper on
his tongue, crushing out of it, between
strong teeth, all semblance of mes
sage.
Next night saw him entered on the
roll of prisoners at Camp Morton, fat
square of some twenty acres, formerly
used as cattle fair grounds. 1t was then
surrounded by stocl1ade twenty feet
high, pierced by one great gate at the
north, near which lay headquarters and
guardhouse. Outside this stockade ran
a platform, lower than it's top; and
about this paced unbroken line of SEN
tinels, whose heads and shoulders only
showed above the fence. Within, a
huge moat, twenty feet wide and half
as deep, added security against at
tempted escape; while reflector lamps,
at intervals, gave sentries, themselves
in shadow, clear view of the snow-clad
Enclosure.
Old cattle pens, long, low and dis
NAL, were the barracks for prisoners,
their upright plank sides so shrunken
by age and weather as to give far more
ventilation than was safe for life, with
temperature varying about zero. Four
tiers of rough shelves, scarce three fee
between, formed the hunks, In which
| wretched men crouched by highland
most Of the day as well-for warmth,
wedged in ''spoon fashion" and shiver-
ing under such blankets as each mess
| could scrape together.
Two cold, dreary, endless seeming days
wore away. The sights and sounds about
Evan, aided by the long drawled tales of
l h<,~ I<-r
| bers, began to wear upon the boys
brave spirit. Already his eye had lost it's
bright boldness, and heavy weight
pressed upon his heart, that the longest
watch upon lonely picket, the most
| wearing lying still under fire, had never
| limited to it.
| When he looked upon the things about
hi1n-famished, bloodless, hopeless rem
nants of what had once been men like
| himself-then upon that high stockade,
with eager-eyed sentine1s pacing short
| intervaled posts around it, Evans spirit
! fell, and he grew sick with helplessness.
| He felt that the motto of the Italian
might well be reared above that strong
and guarded gate: "LGscsate og7aj speranzd,
| coi en- entrdtei''
Then, on the third morning, all was
stir and hustle betimes. Men were
ordered into ranks at reveille, sick or
well, many scarce able to stand, from
illness and starvation, some of them
but half clad and wholly shoeless, all
well-nigh frozen, as they shivered for
hours in that piercing air, in half a
| foot of snow.
Grim, unshayen, with matted hair
| and filthy shreds of clothing, grew
| some, hideous parade of misery they
made; for the rare exception was he
who had one decent garment, and did
not share that with nauseous vermin,
bred of uncleanIiness and want of
! change.
But now the prison-inspecting officer
| had come; for the better manhood and
independence of the press, learning the
! hidden facts of some of the worst pris-
| ons, had not failed to turn the strong
| est light upon their abuses. And so
grave and circumstantial had grown
the repetition of press demand for re
form, that Mr.. Lincoln himself took
| note of it.
Then, as was ever the case when
that strong, quaint humanity in the
president was reused by wrong, the
| war department ordered inspection,
close investigation and report And
Gen. Baldwin-en route to this special
duty when the prisoners had halted in
Baltimore streets the previous Sunday
now entered the Camp Morton stock,
ade, followed by small staff.
| tro DE ooHTNUED.l