The National tribune., 1898-02-24

PRIsoN-KEEPEFs PUNISHED HIS AR
REST, TRIAL AND EXECUTION.
OF all those more or less concerned in thu
barbarities practiced upon Union prisoners
but one-Capt Henry Wirz-was punished
The Turner'S, at Richmond; Lieut.. Boisseux
of Belle Isle: Maj. Gee, of Salisbury; Col
Iverson and Lieut.. Barrett of Florence, and
the many brutal miscreants about Ander
sonville escaped scot free. What became O.
them probably no one knows; they were
never heard of after the close of the war
They had sense enough to retire into OBJ
security. and stay there, and this saved theil
lives, for each one of them had made deadly
enemies among those whom they had NAL
treated, who had they known where they
were, would have walked every step of the
way thither to kill them.
| When the COnfederacy went to pieces III
April, 1865, Wirz was still at Andersonville.
Gen j. III. Wilson, commanding our cavalry
forces and who had established his Head
quarters at Macon, Ga. learned Of this and
sent one of his staff-Capt. II. f. NOyes, OF
the 18th Regular Cav.-with squad of men to
arrest him. This was done on the 18th OF
| Nav
Wirz protested against his arrest, claiming
that he was protected by the terms of John
stons surrender. and addressed the following
| letter to Gen Wilson from Andersopville,
! Ga, on May T. 1865:
GENERAL: 1t is with great reluctance
that l address you these lines, being fully
aware how little time is left you to attend
TO such matters as / now have the honor to
lay before you, and if / could see any other
way to accomplish my object l would not
intrude upon you.
IF Sxr.f md
before the war citizen of Louisiana, and
by profession physician. Like hundreds
and thousands of Others was carried away
| by the malstrom of excitement and joined
! the Southern army. l was very severely
wounded at the battle of Seven Pines, near
| Richmond, Va, and have nearly lost the use
| of nv right arm. Unfit for field duty, was
ordered to report to Brevet Mai. Gen. John
| II. Winder, in charge of the Federal prison
ers-ol-war, who ordered me to take charge Of
| prison in Tuscaloosa, Ala My health fail
| ing me, | applied for Through and went to
| Europe from whence / returned in February
1864.
i was then ordered to report to the COM
mandant of the military prison at Anderson
Vile, Ga. who assigned me to the command
of The interior of the prison. The duties |
had to perform were arduous and unpleasant,
| and am satisfied that no man can or will
Justly blame me for things that happened
here and which were beyond my power to
control l do not think that I ought to be
held responsible for the shortness of rations,
for the overcrowded state of the prison.
(which was of itself prolific source Of fear
full mortality, for the inadequate supply of
clothing. want of shelter etc.
Still, | now bear the odum, and men who
how aI RI 70
their vengeance upon me for what they have
SUFFERED, who was only the medium, or, /
may better say, the tool in the hands of my
superiors. This is my condition. I am a
man with a family. ! lost all my property
when the Federal army besieged Vicksburg
! have no money at present to go to any
place. and, even if had, know of no place
where / can go. My life is in danger, and
most respectfully ask of You help and relief
If you will be so generous as to give me
some sort of a safe conduct, or, what should
greatly prefer, guard to protect myself and
family against violence, ! should be thankful
to you and you may rest assured your pro-
lection will not be given to one who is I'M
worthy of it. My intention is to return with
my family to Europe, as soon as / can make
the arrangements.
"In the meantime / have the honor, Cen
eral, to remain, very respectfully, your ODE
dent servant,
HY. WIRz, Captain, C. S. A"
He was kept at Macon, under guard until
May 20, when Capt. Noyes was ordered to
take him, and the hospital records of Ander-
sonville, to Washington. Between Macon and
Cincinnati the journey was perfect gauntlet
Our men were stationed all along the road,
and among them everywhere were ex-prison-
ers who recognized Wirz and made such
determined efforts to kill him that it was all
that Capt. Noyes backed by strong guard,
could DO to Illustrate them. At Chattanooga
and Nashville the struggle between his guards
and his would-be slayers was quite sharp
At Louisville Noyes had Wirz clean shaved,
and dressed in a complete suit of black, with
beaver hat, which SO altered his appearance
that no one recognized him after that, and
the rest of the journey was made unmolested.
The authorities at Washington ordered that
he be tried Immediately, by court-martial
composed of Gems Lewis Wallace, Mott,
Geary, J.. Thomas, Fessenden, Bragg and
Baller. Col. Allcock and Lieut. Col. Stbbs.
Col Chapman was Judge Advocate and the
trial began Aug %.
The prisoner was arraigned on a formidable
list OF charges and specifications, which ac-
cused him Of combining, confederating and
oonspiring together with John II. Winder.
Richard Il. Winder, Isaiah III. White, w. S.
Winder, X. II. Stevenson and others un-
known, to iniure the health and destroy the
lives of soldiers in the military service of the
United States there held, and being prisoners
of war within the lines of the sO-caled Con-
federate States, and in the military prisons
thereof, to the end that the armies of tie
United States might be weakened and i'm.
paired, in violation of the laws and customs
Of war"
The main facts Of the dense over-crowding,
the lack of sufficient shelter, the hideous NOR
tality were cited, and to these added long
list Of specific acts of brutality, such as hunt
ing men down with hounds, tearing them
with dogs, robbing them, combining them in
the stocks, cruelty beating and numbering
them, of which WiZ was personally guilty.
When the defendant was called upon to
plead he claimed that his case was covered by
the terms of JohnstOn's surrender. and,
furthermore, that the country now being at
peace he could not be lawfully tried by
court-martial. These objections being over
ruled he entered q plea of not guilty to all
the charges and specifications. He had two
lawyers for counsel.
The prosecution called Capt. Noyes first,
who detailed the circumstances OF Virus
arrest, and denied that he had given any
promises of protection.
The next witness was Col George G. Gibbs