The National tribune., 1900-01-25
lwo interchangea army news and prison

| from tt'e IoSpltsi m @etherIn black
| berry root. s'Ssafras root. dogwood bark,
| Wild cherry bark. white oak bark slippery
/ eliza bar6. ail Sjch things for the doctor
/ n make medicine C;lt Of. | know good
! deal about herbs and barks. great deal
/ uprc ti:an any o. these saudhill crackers
/ 'pcl here. and 50 the doctors set me at
/ l- You =, 0at here after stuff to make
/ te"t- You'd hotter go down there where
/ ~ u ma r'cHty 81 roles NObodyS
| - d'|p t-e-e BIt look out, Here
.'' ....i "a ;,,laIer. with the bounds. Keep
/ VIZ i'i!S about Nou now. oI vOu'il git into
: = ,'i,ic, Leave me to q, q . rest o the
| .NsTg. Don't speak unless you have to-
! lie dogs We taken your trail and brune
! him onto YOU
| \ sIrly-faced man trotted M on a mule.
| lie held in his hand cows horn. scraped
al nest 10 the thlDness Of thick paper. On
! this he gave signals to the dogs which
were careering through the woods as he
rode along. and nov came swarmirg
around the prisoners, barking, yelping,
and shifting to catch their scent.
'Hyah. yo' sneakin' Yani;s.' clustered
| The man. with many oathS. "what're yo'
doin' outside o limits? Don't yo' know
Eore more'n a mile from camp? Git back
| UP and git thar now. I'll done take yo'
mp afore the Caopea aal he'll give yo'
dose on the chain-Eang"
Why. Capt. Ficfer" said Stivers plaza
| torily, You know that I've got a right to &c
more'n mile from camp. You know I've
| S't W NUM- slIpiillI eNtFNWnpre IOr HnelI-
| cine fer the doctors. and they got the Cap
tam to allow me to go three miles from
| camp. That's said in my pass You
| ought to remember it, for you've read it
several times already. See here. Read
it again"
The coarse, churlish "goober-grabber"
| VINO was master of the hounds at Ander-
sonyille was as ignorant of reading and
writing as he was of Egytian heroglyphics.
but 1t suited the purpose to pretend that he
was quite capable of reading the pass which
Stiyers handed him.
| Hits so. / done forgot" he said. after
pretending to carefully scan the pass and
| working his mouth as if he were reading
each word Well. what on earth air yo'
set'fn around doin' nothin' for? Why amt
| yo' in fer that e'e. Who's this other MANI"
He" said the unblushing Stivers. 'is
my helper. l got the doctors TO give me
one this mornin'. There's more work than
| kin do. with all the sickness in the hos
pital. so they had him detailed
| "Whar's yo' pass?" he dema1ded of
shorty. Shorty produced the writ of
attachment, which Pitcher scrutiniZed with
great care. Hits different from yours"
| he said, scowling suspiciously at Stivers-
| Yes" answered Stivers placidly.. 'It
lets him come out from the stockade, you
| see, Just after roll-cali-you'li notice that
about roll-call, written in between the lines,
and stay out until retreat, and go any
where within three miles o. the stockade"
| What's he doin' with that air ax?'
| Il had to have an AK TO git the bark off
| the trees. told the doctors couldn't git
along without an ak. A knife and a
Ratchet wouldn't do. l had to have an ak
| for the big trees"
The master of the hounds still scowled.
by the way, Cap" continued Stivers
pleasantly. Il just remember that lost $40
on that bet made with you the last time
saw you. Here 1t IS. | should've given
it to you before
He handed him $40 Confederate note
Well, go to work, now, boys, he said. as he
remounted his mule, and started off with
| his dogs. Hustle around, and git back to
the camps as soon's you kim"
There's the man want to hang with my
own hands when our boys come down here"
said Stivers, shaking his fist after him with
yolley OF imprecations not loud but deep.
There's villain that deserves the lowest
pit of hell every day in the week. Heavens,
how I'd like to sink him down there, and
put ton of rock on him, so that he wouldn't
git out as long as the world lasts"
Why, don't understand" said Shorty.
We'll, you will understand, soon enough"
said Stivers. THAT hell-hound is meaner
even than old Wirz himself. He likes to set
the dogs on boys, and tear them to pieces.
awful shape. You saw me give him money,
| paid him SOS for each of us. That's
the way he blackmails all of us paroled
prisoners. Every little while he drops on
us for money. If we don't pay him some
thing, he makes it hot for us, and finds
some way soon to land us in that Internal
chain-gang, send us back to the stOckade,
or mebbe kill us outright The scum of
perdition. ] saw at once he had it IN for
me- and so promptly coughed up for both
of us. Wen be all right for some weeks
now. till he thinks it about time to assess
me agin. But you'd better git your poles
and git back to camp. | don't know how
long you kin play that writ trick, but I'll
keep a lookout for you tomorrow"
Here, let me pay YOU the s. you paid for
me- and much obliged TO you" said Shorty,
producing a bill from his stock. How in
the world do you git money down here"
90" said Stivers with an expressive
shrug, these rebels think they kin play
poker
Il understand" said Shorty. "Costliest
think that man kin have"
They play better game than they did,"
continued Stivers, "but Great Jerusalem
CricketS. that amt Sayin' much They
could hardly play worse one. Even now,
they couldn't play with the iance-teamsters
and brevet cooks o the old division. Yet
they are dead set on gamblin'. It's all
right, though. They skin our prisoners
out of every dollar they have, either by
downright highway robbery. or some other
skull-duggery. We only git away from
ttu WtldJ NdS never tIlPiE > ny IlSHiS
tell you, rebel has mighty little show for
his money that sets down with me. But |
must hustle round and find some yarbs to
take in Hope to see you tomorrow"
\ couple of hours later, Shorty was
staggering toward the stockade under a
load of poles and bougls weighing the very
last limit that he could carry. He could
only go few rods. before having to stop
and rest. Arriving at the gate, the Ser
geant of the Guard there commanded:
Hold on thar, Lay that bundle down,
and open hit out, that | may see what you
got inside of hit"
Shorty was rapidly learning the ways of
Andersonvjlle. He rested his bundle on
the ground famed himself with tuft of
pine-top. and under its cover dropped a S5
Confederate bill in the SergeantS s hand,
which closed on it with the instantaneous
certainty only acquired by long practice
Hits all right. [ reckon" said the Ser
geant limiting his examination of the
bundle to a perfunctory kick at it. Pick
hit up thar, and git inside at once"
ST had settled down into the gloomy con-
viction that his partner was finally gone,
and was canvassng the dismal probabili-
ties as to whether he was being chased by
dogs, shot down by vicious citizens and
guerrilas, or already recaptured and con-
signed to the horrible chain-gang. He and
the rest of the squad We're seated on the
ground in circle, munching their coarse
cornbread. ST. lost in his own thoughts, said
nothing. The rest only spoke at intervals
and in low tones, for they We're oppressed
by Sis evident distress.