The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-06-09
PRISONERS WERE BADLY
TREATED.
A Story Charging Secretary Stanton
with Cruelty.

The Washington, D. c., correspondent
of the Baltimore American, in a recent
issue gives the following interesting ac
count of Stanton's weIl-known cruelty:
Colonel Richard A. Watts, of Adrian,
Michigan, the father-in-law of Congress
man Henry C. Smith, is here on visit.
Colonel Watts was private in the First
Michigan during the War of the Rebellion,
the first Northern regiment to march over
the Long Bridge. He subsequently was
promoted. and when President Lincoln was
shot he was on the staff of General Hart
ranft, of Pennsylvania, as adjutant gen.
eral, and daily bore the military reports
from the Old Arsenal where Mrs Surratt
and other suspects were imprisoned, to
General Hancock, in command of the de-
partment that included the District of
Columbia, or to Secretary Stanton.
THAT old prison at the Arsenal witness
ed more severity than any other prison in
this country, said Colonel Watts, speak
ing of his military experiences rather re-
luctantly. '.Prison discipline there was,
perhaps, more severe than in the times of
the Spanish. hope such discipline may
never occur again in this country.
s'There we're about twenty prisoners in
charge of the soldiers, including Mr.. Bur-
ton Harrison, private secretary to Jeffer-
son Davis. His wife, Mrs Burton Har-
rison, has since that time written many
bright books, which / have enjoyed i'm
mensely These prisoners were put in
cells, handcuffed and manacled, and guard
ed day and night Two infantrymen stood
at the door of each cell, and were relieved
hourly. The arrangements were directly
in charge of Secretary Stanton, General
Hartranft being detailed to carry out the
orders. The irons were not removed, even
during meals The prisoners were fed by
the infantrymen, and slept on the bare
floor.
Every morning l, 600 soldiers were Sc
lected for guard duty. They were march
ed to the arsenal, and, if l remember cor
rectly, were taken from brigade within
the grounds But no soldier who had
once done guard duty there was allowed
again to enter the grounds Neither was
the brigade. The armies of General Grant
and General Sherman were stationed near
Washington at the time, and the guards
were selected from them.
Il recall very distinctly how man
named Spangler, the stage carpenter,
whose offense WAS that he cut a hole
through the door to Lincoln box and ar
ranged brace so that the door could be
fastened to preclude immediate pursuit,
became insane from the terrible confine-
ment. He tried to beat out his brains
against the walls of his cell Thereupon,
Secretary Stanton ordered that thick and
heavily padded hood should be put about
the head of each Of the prisoners. You
can imagine the suffering from those hoods
in the hot days of June and July. Spang-
Ter was sent to Dry Tortugas. but was sub
sequently pardoned and released shortly
before his death.
1.-The officers in charge of the prisoners
were kept at the arsenal almost as much
as prisoners. General Hartranft did not
leave the grounds until the executions had
taken place was the only officer that
was allowed outside, and that was for the
purpose of conveying the daily reports to
the War Department. Those reports were
always sealed