The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-07-08

had, / suppose, made me the object of the
special hatred of Leadbetter, who, think
purposely put this needless infliction on me
by instruction to the officer in charge.
Eaeii morning, about 9 o'clock, usually
old Swims, the jailer, would raise the trap
and call out, Men, here's your feed" which
he lowered to us in bucket attached to q
rope In the same manner our scanty sup
ply of water was lowered to ue. Our feed u
was meager supply of cornbred and half
rotten boiled bacon. This was given us
twice day. 1t required a pretty good
stomach and appetite to swallow it. for not
infrequently we would fluid dead maggOts
in the sinking, unsavory mess. We were
generally hungry enough, however, to eat
anything we could get good or bad. In the
matter of rations, / suppose we Jared no
worse than the Federal prisoners at Ander-
sonville and other places perhaps not as bad,
yet we found it barely sufficient to sustain
life.
Some of our party had some Confederate
money left and occasionally, as long rs it
lasted, they would hire old Swims to buy
bread for u.s. The old rascal would some
times take the money, and, after waiting a
day or so, and hearing nothing of it, we
would ask him about it. when he would tell
us he had lost it The probable truth Wa.
that he had used it to buy few drains with
But we were at his mercy, and had to treat
him with great civility and take his state
ments for facts, whether we believed them or
pot
No person who has not been q prisoner
can form any correct conception of our utter
degradation and suffering while shut up in
this vile place. Curious visitors who came
to look down the trap-hole at us spared no
pains to show their contempt for "Old Abes
Abolition dogs as they called us. They re-
garded rs as a crowd of reckless desperadoes,
sent out on mission Of destruction and
carnage. Occasionally some wordy disputes
and arguments would spring up, for some of
our crowd were pretty "tonguey," and gen.
orally gave good as they received, and
could call as hard names as their rebel visit
ors could.
We remained in this place of torment sew
eral weeks after Wood and / arrived | do
not know exactly how long hut it did seem
to us, from ali indications, that We were to
be kept there until death relieved us.
BREATHING SPELL.
At length, one afternoon, there was
great commotion and running to and fro
soon the trap was opened and the ladder
thrust down, when we were ordered to
crawl out, which command, it is needless to
say, we obeyed as hurriedly as our helpless
condition would allow. We were headed
for the depot, where, several weeks before,
we had voluntarily assembled, a free, hope
full and unfettered band, to take ride on
that same railroad
Some of the poor fellows were so weak,
and had been SO long deprived of the free
use of their limbs, that they could scarcely
walk. We were all so blinded by the light
that it was comical to see our bedazed,
efforts to walk. We must have
appeared like crowd of tipsy men, which
furnished sport for the rebel guards, and
gave them an excuse to abuse us roundly and
threaten us with their bayonets. After we
had been out awhile, our eyes became par
tally accustomed to the strong light, and We
got along better.
We now learned what was sup" The
Federal forces had appeared on the hills