The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-12-09
President Davis SIandered.

AUSTIN, lEAAS, NOF. Il. u uuSe
Reagan handed the Post correspondent
the following clippings from the
"Questions and Answers column OF
the Galveston Neus to-day, with the
remark that the answer therein con-
tained a vile and Infamous perversion
of history
"Were the sufferings of Northern
prisoners in Southern prisons-Ander-
sonville, Libby, ete-due to the refu-
sal of the North to exchange ? The
statement has been made in my pres
ence that it is well-known fact that
it was the device of the North to keep
their prisoners to weaken the South
ern force. STUDENT"
"They were not +; they were due
primarily to the poverty of the Con-
fedcracy, which could not support its
own soldiers. in any sort of comfort,
and secondly, to the individual prison
keepers, like Wertz, (who was hanged
after the war for his cruelties.) The
United States refusal to exchange
prisoners was only temporary, and was
due in every case to some injudicious
act on the part of President Davis in
suggesting that paroled Southern pris-
oners be released from their paroles
by the South, to his suggestion that
Federal officers we sent to the various
States to be held as convicts because
negroes were enlisted by the North,
etc. Mr.. Davis hampered the ex-
change several times.
president Davis continued the
Judge, "in his book entitled "The
Rise and Fall of the Confederacy'
gives the official correspondence be-
tween himself and the Washington
authorities with regard to exchanges
of prisoners, which shows that he was
in no manner responsible for the fail
ure of negotiations looking to the lib
Grafton of Federal prisoners held by
the South. It was Secretary of War
Stanton's unvarying policy to refuse
to make exchanges of prisoners, which
policy was explained by Gen. Grant
as being based upon the idea that to
meet Mr.. Davis's overtures in that
direction half way would in effect be
tantamount to reinforcing the Con-
federate army. If there was suffering
among the Federal prisoners held in
the South there was equal suffering
among the Southrons in the field.
Supplies and medicines were scarce in
the Southern camps, and it was for
that reason that Mr.. Davis wanted to
send the Northern prisoners back
home, and repeatedly offered to ex-
change them without meeting with
favorable response. Having failed in
this he offered to allow Stanton to
send food, clothing and medicines to
his men who were prisoners in the
South, and to let such supplies be ac-
companied and distributed by North
ern officers. But this generous propo-
sition was not accepted, and finally
Mr.. Davis Internationally liberated
5000 prisoners of his own motion. |
cannot understand why such misstate-
ments as the one [ have handed you
should be printed unless in an attempt
to deliberately blacken the memory Of
dead man, whose name is revered
throughout the South, and I can con-
ceive of no villany blacker than that
of the man who would falsely and
deliberately assail one who is in his
grave. Sufferings in Southern pris-
ons, indeed How is it that although
we captured $4,000 more prisoners
than did the North 20, 900 more South
erners died in Northern prisoners than
did Northerners in Southern prisons ?
GAS to Wertz his attorney, Mr..
Shody, now of the Washington ,Senti
mel, told me that he was offered his
liberty if he would but testify in
manner to implicate President Davis
in the murder of Mr.. Lincoln, but
that, although his life was dear to
him, he refused to save it by perjury.
10 give you an idea of Mr.. Shody's
standing I need but state that he was
recommended to Mr.. Cleveland during
that gentleman s first term for record
er of deeds of the District of Colum
bia by every Democratic Senator and
a large majority of the Democratic
Representatives" "-Houston Post.