The National tribune., 1897-12-30

experience in other prisons as to the
value of wood, and Andrews reasoned
that as we would be likely to have q
repetition of this in the Stockade we
! were about to enter, We should make an
effort to secure the stump.
We both attacked it, and after great
deal of hard work succeeded in uproo.-
ing it. 1t was very lucky that we did
since it was the greatest help in preserv-
ing our lives through the three long
/ months that we remained at Florence.
While we were arranging our stump
so as to carry i. to the best advantage a
vulgar-faced man, with fiery red hair,
and wearing on hi. collar the yellow
bars of Lieutenant, approached.
This was Lieut. Barrett, commandant
of the interior of the prison, and more
inhuman even than Capt. Wirz, because
he had little more brains than the
commandment at AndersonviIle, and this
extra intellect was wholly devoted to
cruelty. Az he came near he com.
manded, in loud, brutal tones:
Attention, prisoners
We all stood up and fell in in two
ranks. Said he:
BY companies, right wheel, march ="
This was simply preposterous. AS
every soldier knows, wheeling by conn
panies is one of the most difficult of ma
nuvers, and requires some preparation of
a battalion before attempting to execute
it. Our thousand was made up of in
fantry, cavalry, and artillery; represent
ing, perhaps. 100 different regiments
We had not been divided off into
companies, and were encountered with
blankets, tents, cooking utensils, wood,
ETC., which prevented our moving with
such freedom as to make company
wheel, even had we been divided up
into companies and drilled for the ma
nuver. The attempt to obey the COM
mand was. of course, ludicrous failure.
The rebel officers standing near Bar
rett laughed openly at his stupidity in
giving such an order, but he was furious.
He hurled at us torrent OF the vilesl
abuse the corrupt Imagination of man
can conceive, and swore until he was
fairly black in the face. He fred his
revolver of over our heads, and SHREK ed
and shouted until he had to stop from
sheer exhaustion. Another officer took
command then, and marched us into
prison.
We found this small copy of An
dersonville. There was a stream run
ming north and south, on either side Of
which was a swamp. A Stockade of
rough logs. with the bark still on, in
closed several acres. The front of the
prison was toward the west. A piece OF
artillery stood before the gate, and a
platform at. each corner bore a gun,
elevated enough to rake the whole inside
of the prison.
A man stood behind each of these
guns continually, 30 as to open with
them at any moment. The earth was
thrown up against the outside of the
palisades in high .embankment, along
the top Of which the guards on duty
walked, it being high enough to elevate
their head, shoulders, and breasts above
the tops of the logs. Inside the ineyi-
table dead-line was traced by running a
furrow around the prlson-20 feet from
the Saskatchewan pillow.
In one respect il was an improvement
on Andersonville: regular streets were
laid of, so that motion about the camp
was possible, and cleanliness was pro-
NOTED. Also, the crowd inside was not
so dense as at Camp Sumter.
The prisoners were divided into hun
drcds and thousands, with Sergeants at
the heads Of the divisions. A very
good police organized and Off
cered by the Observation-Disclosures
order and prevented crime. Theits and
other ofenscs were punished, as at An
dersonvile, by the Chief of Police SELL
fencing the offenders to be spanked or
tied up.