Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-07-12
RAIDERS Tx ECUTED
GANG OF roueHsE AMONG UNION
PRISONERS.
Story Of Thrilling Adventure at Ander-
sonville Related y Col.
John McElroy.

| JOuH MCClfOy.
While at the G. A. r. headquarters TODAY
picking up some of his con2ades to take
lunch with him, Col. John McElroy. senior
| vice commander chief of the Grand ARMY
of the Republic. was reminded that July u
is the thrty-eighth anniversary of very
important incident of his Andersonville pris-
on life. ION that date said Col McElroy,
there were nearly $4,000 prisoners inside
the big stockade, which was 100 feet long
| by 800 feet wide, entirely devoid of shelter
| l had not mouthful to eat on the 10th
| or on the 11th and mighty little on the
| 18th.
| Among the other prisoners" continued
! Col. McElroy, who was then a youth Of
| seventeen, known the Ilinoy Kid were
| lot of bounty jumpers. These men were
| largely from the slums Of New York citv
| who enlisted for the big bounty offered
| Their various misdemeanors made it unsafe
| for them to remain long in our army SO
| they deserted to the rebels, who naturally
| didn't want them any more than we did
| AN exchange of prisoners was being
| negotiated late in the summer of 1864 and
| the rebels, wanting to get all the advan-
| tage possible, were preparing to offer these
| deserters in exchange as prisoners of war
| for some of their men whom We held. Dur
| ing negotiations they were confined in Cas-
tie Thunder, Richmond.
They were a tough crowd, devoid of hon
| or and lacking in all human instincts Ne
| gotations for exchange being finally de-
| clared off, the Andersonville stockade was
| built and were all herded into that
| huge corral. l belonged to the first squad
| that went into Andersonville, February IA
| 1864.
| ''Those of us who had been prisoners for
any time carried mighty little property into
Andersonvile There was a squad of five
| "a rIN ho1 orly1
| had set of chess men, which | made nv
self, and my mess kit consisted of a small
| tin can. There were thousands of poor fell
| lows who had even less, but prisoners who
| came in later could smuggle in little
| property occasionally. Buttons, for instance
We're as good as money any time. We
| could trade these buttons to the rebel
| guards for -four for they needed the b,Ir-
| tons. A five-dollar greenback was a gold
| mine. The later prisoners often brought
money in sewed up in their clothes.
Toughs Known as Raiders.
| "These New York toughs were soon
known among us as the raiders There
were about 500 of them, and they camped
| by themselves on the opposite side of the
creek from the rest of US. From there
| they would sneak out and steal everything
| they could lay their hands on Money,
| JeWeiry, camp utensils, our pitiful ration
of spoiled cornmeal or meat-all was grist
| to them; and they did not scruple to kill
| those who were too weak to defend them
selves.
at got so bad finally that my company
| organized to stand guard and keep these
fellows on their own side of the line. One
| day when We all went to draw our rations
| the raiders slipped over and cut the
throat Of Marion Friend and robbed him of
| $40 in greenbacks. rt
| I'VE had suffered SO much from these
! devils that could endure no more.
We planned an attack. organizing in com
panies all the prisoners who would assist,
| intending to capture and try the maraud-
ers. We got permission Of WirZ to do this
or we would all have been shot down by
the guards. But Wirz was glad enough to
| get rid of them at any price.
THE raiders got wind Of our plans and
| the night of the Sd of July. 1864, a lot of
them, armed with clubs and slung shots.
came to kill Key our leader but we
| had a revolver and bluffed them off
| ''The morning of the 4th the battle began
| in earnest. Wirz was not real sure that
We were acting in good faith and were
| not planning an escape, so the guns were
| loaded and the gunners stood at their posts
ready to fire on us at a seconds notice,
while between the two forts on the west
| which guarded line of infantry was
drawn up. All the prisoners in the stock
| ade were massed behind our little squad
| of fighters, and as l looked back over the
| slope 1t seemed to be paved with faces In
| blood
There were about 800 of u.s. and we were
| armed with pine knots fastened to our arms
with strings l was on the left flank, so
| did not do much Of the fighting, but there
| was hot time just the same, the battle
raging round Key in the center We scat
| tered the raiders and took a large number
| Of prisoners. These we sent outside for
WRIT to take care of till We disposed of
| them by trial.
Among the lot was one Of the leaders
named Donnelly Key wanted him and I
was sent to arrest him. Donnelly was a
| big fellow and l was a kid but I felt as
big as anybody when marched up to the
bully and ordered him to come with me. He
began to swear at me and started for
with club. I'd have been overcome in
about three seconds. for he was backed up
by his crowd. but my left bower huge
big fellow whom We knew as Egypt. came
to my rescue. He had hand like a ham
and 1t weighed a ton when it fell.
Lord, how he could hit! He struck out
with his left and Donnelly went down in
heap We tied him and carried him to Lee
roy Keys headquarters. Key originated
the plan for getting rid Of the raiders.
Tried and Executed.
wei, to make long story short, we
picked out the most Of the raiders whom
we had made prisoners, and selected thir-
teen sergeants to constitute a court to
try the prisoners. That was the highest
rank in the prison. Dick Mccullough of
the Sd Missouri Cavalry prosecuted, and
little lawyer from New York named
Meyer defended them
Il was not at the trial, but a man who
Is now Methodist minister In Ohio was
one or the trial court, and he said the
men had fair hearing. They got various
sentences but there were six Of them con-
demned to hang
Inc morning of July II Key sent me
word that he wanted my company to stand
guard over the men constructing the primi-
tive scaffold. With the guns from the two
forts trained on them the $500 prisoners
crowded the slopes to see their tormentors
swing. At the appointed hour Wirz.
astrlde his white horse rode in with the
SIX prisoners attended by guard.
Here are your prisoners he said to
us. l return them as good got them.
You nave tried and sentenced them and
l wash my hands of the whole matter
The priests spoke to the prisoners, and
tried to intercede for them, but the howl
OF Hang them, hang themr put stop to
that One Of the prisoners made a break
for our line, and we beat him down, but
ne got through and made a bold dash for
life: He was finally caught and brought
back by two Iowa soldiers. = All six were
swung on at one time! AHhthe ropes held
but one The loosened tprisoner begged for
his life. but he had Killed The brother Of
| one of his executionefs, and was swung
up again. ar, -t,F.