The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-12-20
WILMINGTON N. c.
STILL FALsIFYING THE RECORD.

The Messenger has had occasion per-
HIPS hundreds Of times to refer to the
Inconsistent and unfair criticisms made
in northern on the south.
The other day the New York Cosmo-
poI:tan magazine was pleased to COM
pa1e the death rate OF the Beers in the
British camps in Africa to the deaths
of the northern soldiers who were cap
tiyes at Andersonville. Ga. and to the
de.riment of the latter, in the great
wa1. This is very unfair and untrue
If ignorant the Cosmopolitan should
have kept it to itself and been silent.
But it made a positive injustice con-
sp:cuous by its untrue comparison The
Charlotte Presbyterian Standard has
t. ken it in hand and exposed it we'll. 1t
says, and it is positively true:
Statistics show that the death rate
III southern prisons during the war was
smaller than in northern prisons. al
though the south had not provisions
enough for her own armies, n her ef-
forts to exchange prisoners were baked
by the official policy of the federal
commanders who preferred to have
DO h northern and southern soldiers in
prison to having both on the field
again. And yet the Cosmopolitan, in its
gross ignorance expects southern read
eTs to swallow the insult without pro-
tegt and to continue their subscriptions
20 the magazine. We all want his
f~torical truth, but we ought to boycott
people who are ignorant of or indif-
fe!ent to the truth"
On one night at the prison just out
size Of Chicago ~thirty-one Confederate
prisoners froze to death, and that two
when there was an abundance of coal
aud stores loaded with blankets. One Of
the prisoners who persisted was young
Davis. of Franklin county, N. c., a
member of one of the most reputable
families in the county n himself a
young man of sterling worth. Enough
lies have been told on the south as to
it's treatment of northern prisoners to-
se.Id the liars to the Inferno of Dante's
immortal Divine Comedy" The north
not only treated southern prisoners Of
ten inhumanly, but it is responsible for
every death hat occurred at Anderson
Vile. as the south tried it's best to have|
al exchange of prisoners. General
q oio HIAiSOi dlo w. Aol ~ ca
change prisoners. He said a southern
prisoner was a soldier lost to the Con-
federacv and could not have his place
supplied.
The Standard gives a bit of personal
Renaissance as to n of its family
Who was a prisoner in the great war
We quote:
"An uncle OF the editor was a prison.
er in q northern prisor, and as he was
G minister his fellow prisoners entrust-
ed him with dividing out the meat.
which for reasons not necessary to-
mention was preferably eaten after
dark. The embalmed beef of the Span
ism war had the odor of sanctity COM
rared to that. He was at his task and
used a plank that was on the dead
line" A comrade jerked him aside
from the fire of the guards musketI
though the guard gave a warning that
was not heard by the prisoner himself
With Sheridan's raid in Virginia,
Sherman's vandalic march in Georgia,
destroying all buildings for forty miles
wide, and the deeds OF a dozen other
reckless destroyers who raided and rob-
bed, it would be well for the north to
he uuiet as to ira Ses and cruelties