The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-01-01

Z prisoners were awake ana playing carus
but most Of them lay sleeping, wrapped IL
playing cards said he was hungry. and,
cautiously stepping over the sleepers, went
from baversacX to haversack until he had
secured a loaf OF bread and a can OF con-
deBssd milk. Cutting the bread, also the
can. the men soon appeased their hunger.
| They kindly offered me some. and, being
/ somewhat hungry, partook for the first
/ time in my life Of condensed milk.
| sat up around the stovepipe the balance
/ Of the night BY morning the wind had
I veered to the northwest and cleared of. IL
I was blowing razors; the cold was intensely
cutting. l was furnished with breakfast
| by some of the yankee prisoners and while
eating was called below. / was turned over
| TO Capt Sides, who was denomiDated of
| 1cer Of the CAMP He took me over to bis
quarters. After taking me into his Office,
be asked me- How did you get out of that
inclosurem
81 sDliced tent poles together and climbed
out"
II don't mean that. What sentinel let
you outF'
This question wa8 puzzler. mo senti-
mel helped me.h
II know better. know you could not
escape from there without the assistance or
connivance Of sentinel"
"Well, know l did. Do you think
would trust one Of them under such circum-
stances{'
"Well, l know prisoners have escaped
through the assistance of the guard. and l
know you could not without their aid"
"Well, did, and that's all there is to it. "
Going into an adjoining room Capt. Sides
brought out a set of irons "See these,
said he; "if you don't tell me who let you
over that fence I'll put them on you"
"You will have 20 carry your threat into
execution. Common sense ought 10 teach
you would not put myself into sentiners
power under such circumstances.
San right" said the captain, and, ad-
| justing the cruel irons, he took his prisoner
out and standing him under the platform
| upon which the sentry walked, threw a rope
over a beam, and pulling IL between the
cuffs or wrist iron, drew his prisoner up
until the weight OF his body was well upon
the irons. Mounting bis horse, he turned
coolly around aud said: ~ guess when get
back you will be glad enough TO tell the
name of the man who let you out"
have been in some unpleasant positions
during my life, but l think this was the
most painful. The cold was so intense that
| morning it formed four inches of ice.
was left to 'coolly" deliberate upon the sit
uation. l was in this position an hour and
| q quarter, when Capt. Patterson, provost
marshal Of the prison, rode up.
what are you doing therep queried he.
Hanging hero, IL seems like" I re-
sponded.
"Who put you theren
capt. Sides
"What forF'
because got out of that pen last night. "
''how did you get outm
al spliced tent poles and climbed out"
Calling a sergsaDt be said, Let that man
down and put him in the guard house; see
that oil the unused tents and poles are
brought outside the prison." The yankee
sergeant Yves more merciful than his supe-
| rior officer Capt. Sides.
| Looslng the rope my arms fell. as l had
no power to lift them. From the tension as
well as the extreme cold they were power
| less. The sergeant took me 20 his tent near
| by, took the irons off and chafed my hands
and arms Tor some time until circulation
again began. He then carried out instruo
tons, replaced the irons and put me in the
guard house this time in the little tent in-
side the pen, where the prisoners were oon-
fined for violation of prison camp rules.
During the storm of the night before a
prisoner who was in the tent pulled In some
old condemned tents to help keep him out of
the water. These bad froze just as they lay
in rolls and folds and were just as com
| Portable as so many cobble stones Later in
| the day a third prisoner was brought In, the
temperature meantime still dropping
About 4 o'clock 2. IN. Jan. l. 1864, Capt.
| Pa tterson GENE riding by. He was hailed.
"What do you wantp said he.
Prisoner No. said, Il want to go to my
quarters"
"What are you here forF
~ 6anked ration, that Is appropriated
house.
"WhY did you do that"
81 did not stop to reason out the morality
| OF the act, but Just responded to the crav-
ings of my stomach. know | shall die of
cold il have to stay here tonight"
well, guess you have been punished
enough. so go to your q uarters."
Prisoner No. , said, II want to go to my
quarters, uoo.h
whats the matter with youi"
He told him Of the trivial offense he bad
committed.
"You must see your sergeant about that, "
replied the captain, and turning to nue. he
said: What do you wants" He was not
ignorant of why was there. The CONVEX
eation in the morning and the decoration of
irons could not have passed from his mem
ory, therefore it seemed to me his object
was to force me TO humble myself so as to
beg him.
Perhaps ! was wrong, but the indignities
put upon me had made me reckless, 30 re
piled, II want nothing from you"
Fan right" coolly replied the captain,
and touching his horse with his spur, rode
| away. Soon after prisoner No. called to
| yankee sergeant, and told him Capt. Pat
terson had ordered his release While the
| provost marshal had not said so, the little
fellow 50 construed his statement that he
must see the sergeant who had put him
there, and the sergeant released him.
| Night soon came on, / had one thin
! blanket for covering and the frozen tents
| for a bed. Wenried from the exactions of
| a night aud day OF intense excitement, fell
asleep, but did not feel like was on my own
| featherbed way down in Dixie"
| / slept until near midnight. When l
| woke had gotten the blanket off of me and
incumbered with the irons could not again
cover myself. l lay in this condition until
nearly numbed, and feeling drowsy sen
sation coming over me, feared 1t was that
| feeling preceding death from freezing.
! l called to the sentinel, asking what time
it was. HIS response was: "Why amt
| you dead thought you had froze TO death.
! you have been SO stillF' 1t was O'Clock
a. M, Jan. q 1854 l managed to get on
my feet and stamped until circulation set
| in and gave some little warmth to my body.
One OF my messmates brought me
some breakfast, and about 8 O'Clock
| a. m. a corporal came. unlocked
and took the irons off aud released me-
The rules of civilized warfare require that
prisoners be closely guarded but does not
Justify torture to extort from a prisoner
such information as this Capt. Sides de