The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-06-22

Capt. Wirz came frequently into the
stockade but always accompanied by his
bodyguard. He did not stay long or move
around TO any extent He was suspicious,
| and with good reason, of being assassin
ated. No kind OF encouraging words 10
the prisoners ever passed his lips, but IN
stead he was forever swearing at them. lie
would stop the rations of the whole camp
for days for the most trivial reasons. de
took pleasure in threatening to hang re-
captured prisoners that had tried to escape,
which generally ended by putting them In
the stocks, where they were kept, In severai
instances, until death released them.
THE CHAIN GANG
seemed to be Wirz's especial delight, and he
was never so happy as when torturing some
Yankee. He was told by the prisoners
whom he so abused that the time would
come when he would bitterly regret his
brutality; but he only laughed at them,
and said he was not afraid of what old
Abe" could do, and only regretted that ne
did not have the old Illinois baboon there
himself
Nevertheless, at the end of the war, when
he was in Old Capitol Prison under sentence
of death for cruelty to prisoners of war, he
did regret it, and was beside himself with
fear and remorse. He proved himself to be
a cowardly cur, and whined and begged tor
mercy, something that he had never shown
to the poor wretches under his charge at
AndersOnyille. The sentence was carried
into effect by hanging at Washington, ID. T.,
Nov. 10, 1865. He was buried by the side of
Atzerodt, one Of the conspirators in the as
sassinGtion of President Lincoln.
There was one action Of Capt. Wirz for
which he deserves credit. During the
Summer of 1864, when the prison contained
$4,000 inmates, there was gang of roughs
Union prisoners) called Raiders, who
terrorized the camp by their lawless actions.
No one was safe. Murder took place night
and day in the most barefaced manner.
They would kill prisoner for blanket or
any tride they fancied. As there was no
law or police force to enforce order in camp,
affairs were in terrible state. Wirz was
appealed to, and agreed to allow any ar
rangement that the prisoners might make
to be carried out.
A jury of new prisoners who had never
entered the stockade was empaneled, and
about so of the Raiders brought before it
and tried in lawful manner. Six of them
were found guilty of murder and sentenced
to be hanged.
he
sent in the lumber to build the scaffold, and
on the 11th day of July, 1864, in the pres
ence of the whole camp, these six devils
were lanched into eternity. Curtis, one of
them, broke away, and he ran off, fighting,
through the crowd, but when caught pite-
ously
BEGGED FOR HIS LIFE.
He had sent too many poor fellows to their
long home to be accorded any mercy, so he
was promptly brought back and successfully
swung off. After this more peaceful times
prevailed in the camp.
1t has not unfrequently been asked why
the prisoners did not in body break out,
seize the batteries, make prisoners of the
guards, and strike for freedom. The prin-
cipal reason was want of organization. Moth
ing could be done without it, and just az
sure as preiimiBaries were talked of to act
in concert, which was the case several times,
some spy, generally rebel in Union clothes,
would give the thing away to the rebs.
Furthermore, if a crowd endeayored to
assemble, the batteries, which commanded
the camp from all sides, would promptly
open with grapeshot on the prison. The
orders were strict in regard to assembly of
prisoners; very often had the battery fred
into camp when no more than 30 men were
congregated. No effort to break out in
body could have been successful, and the at
tempt would only have led to the massacre
of the whole camp.
The rebs would have been greatly pleased
to have had an excuse of this kind to ex-
terminate the whole lot
OF all the terrible diseases that attacked
the prisoners, think that scurvy, and what
followed in its train, was perhaps the worst.
A weakness takes possession of the body,
with disinclination to exercise. The limbs
become swollen, and contracting cords draw
the legs out of shape. The fesh is oft times
of blueish color and spongy like dough,
leaving an indentation where pressure is
applied.
Ali this generally was accompanied by
symptoms of a dropsical form. The most
common form of scurvy was loosening of