Evening journal., 1900-02-15

ia history. could not have exceeded
those We endured for three long weeks.
Some one had bundered: some onH OF
the many Incompetent and worthless
officials with which both governments
were cursed. for no government could
have sanctioned such treatment 20
helpless prisoners were It possible 10
avoid II. and. there. certainly GOULD be
no other. excuse in this instance.
UNsoLD1ERLY GUARDS.
To make matters worse our guards
were co-npos cd OF i COMPANY Of nun
drcd-l day men from an OHIO regiment.
we had had a taste Of their brutality
at Fort Delaware, and not many days
before our departure one Of: this miser-
able gang (for they were not soldiers)
had murdered one Of our comrades in
cold blood,aud now he wore'the stripes
of "a corporal on his sleeves,
In running down the South Carolina
coast. the boat ran aground In the
night close, by Cape Roman light
house. Early in the morning we were
ordered on deck TO assist In lightening
the ship by throwing the coal over
board. more demoralized set OF men
never, saw than our guards and upon
promise of good treatment the coward
lly captain IN command OF them, offered
to surrender the ship. as we had loet
! the Eutaw during the night, and he
could hope for no assistance from that
quarter
But, presto, changel before tho
transfer had been consummated there
appeared dense black smoke in the
distance. and presently the Eutaw bore
down upon us like a race horse, and
suspecting that something was wrong
her guns were brought TO bear upon
the unhappy little transport, and our
Jig was up.
And then the valiant captain of the
guard and his hpndred-day men had
j their inning. and they, played A for all
! II was worth until the en-. VAST QHy
wonder, then, that three ,of our, mum
Der. threw themselves , Into the 'sea
while king a. Hilton Head a few days
later, preferring death 70 the brutal
Insults, and abuse to which they were
sdpjocted-
| viii not detail the horrors OF that
lship. for ] would not be believed; suf.
fcesto say that aftcTea long detention
az Hilton Head and Port Royal tn,
ship was ordered 70 Folly Inlet wher,
We were landed on Morris Island, after
suffering, for three weeks, the torture.
Of the damned.
AS ! staggered down the gaugplanl
# seemed 20. me that vas in dream
and II was hours before / Tpallzed tina
] had escaped from the Secthing, still
ling hen Of that ships, bold. apd from
the brutal guards who would only aerr,
their country for 100 days, that the,
might abuse defehsSless. prisoners
while brave mon wept toithe front
Most cruelty, too. were we disap
I pointed in the matter OF exchange
! upon which we had built such higl
hopes, for we knew now that the threa
10 place us under fife was about to b,
carried out ~. -..s..,--
On shore, awaiting or coming. wa
, drawn un n body OF troops, the like o
% which none OF us had eyer seen before
lt was a negro regiment, the Fifty
fourth Massachusetts,. 's
In my next contribution to The Rec
ord | will detail many Incidents az
tending the six weeks that / remalne
2 a guest OF this regiment Commands
= by Colonel Hallowen. a former Phila
r delphian. and the task will recall blu
Q few unpleasant features. so TAR as IA
= Fifty-fourth is concerned as whole