The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-15
Lincoln Conspiracy and
It's ConSpiratorSa
copyrighted 1902 by The Baltimore Americana

discharged from the hospital, placed in
| the guardhouse and ordered TO carry
| twenty-four pound log. which was done I'M
der the most excruciating pain, as the man
| trembled like an aspen all over from
| the exertion required to execute the i'm
| posed task his limbs being dragged along
almost devoid of life or action. During the
performance of this task. cruelty unsur-
| passed, his frame was violently contorted
with repeated fits the command given being
/, that no soldier should interfere or offer any
| assistance in the pretended spells. and he
was left writing in his agony without any
| helping hand being permitted to reach forth
TO relieve his sufferings.
| For a week he remained in the guard
house, attacked repeatedly with these fits.
J Buckets of water were ordered to be thrown
over him when under their influence, and
| his condition grew worse and worse He
was again removed to the hospital. where
he remained until some time in November,
| 1866. when he YVES discharged from the
service OF the United States. He was
| borne upon a stretcher to steamer lying
| at the wharf, a helpless man. unable to
! stand up or move his lower limbs. He fire.
! quently expressed the opinion that the doc
tor was trying TO kill him. and whenever
the physician made his appearance in his
ward his entire frame shook with fright
and horror
| SEVERE ARRANGEMENT.
Harshness began to increase in manner,
| both to the soldiers and prisoners. Drunk
| enness riot on the island. There was
not day passed but that officers could be
a
staggered down the walk leading from their
barracks to the sally port of the fort. Gaze
where you would. the eye would come in
contact with some of them, inebriated, a
disgrace and dishonor to the service of the
country which they represented.
Liquor was obtained from every boat
| that entered the harbor. and If the supply
became exhausted before the arrival of a
boat again, inroads were made upon the
hospital supplies, that when needed IN
case of sickness the supply was exhausted.
1 state this not upon mere hearsay; have
witnessed all these things myself; have
seen orders sent to the hospital for the
liquor; have seen the orderly as he re-
turned bearing the bottles; have unwrapped
the covering and read the label ''Spiritus
Fermenti' and have seen the peculiar
bottle containing the fluid upon the Off
GERS table.
But with this I have naught to do. If
the government permits it's officers to live
under the influence of liquor and advances
supplies for such purposes. we, the people.
have no right to complain, but must sup
port it. From the barbarous treatment
daily received from the officers from under
the influence of intoxicating draughts,
many Of the soldiers began to contemplate
desertion. Many succeeded in their efforts.
until it became necessary to restrict them
from going to Key West upon passes.
Passes Of every description consequently
were rescinded, and soldiers became as
much confined on the island as prisoners.
One of the most heartless acts witnessed
in this age of civilization happened on the
occasion when the paymaster had arrived
at the fort to pay off the troops. 1t was a
counterpart of the Middle Ages in cruelty
and barbarity The prisoners were en-
gagged in unloading q vessel moored at the
wharf, containing commissary and quarter
master stores for the post. During the
work the prisoners, whose duty Ii was to
unload vessels on arrival, INDUCED freely
in spirituous liquors, in company with SOL
diers who had charge of them. prisoner
by the name of James Dunn became beast
ly intoxicated in company with two of the
soldiers who were acting as provost guards.
The occurrence was reported to the
officer Of the day, when he gave orders to
the sergeant of the guard to place him on
the ring to carry ball, but, finding he
was too drunk to comply with the order,
he ordered him to be tied up. According
ly, he was tied up to the bell post erected
in front of the guardhouse by his wrists,
it being about IL o'clock in the morning.
On returning to my quarters for dinner
Dunn was still tied up to the post, re-
naming there until my return to the office.
about 2 o'clock in the afternoon. I re-
turned to my quarters about $50 D. m. and
found Dunn transferred from the bell post
and tied up by his thumbs to the iron bers
or railing Immediately beneath our quar-
tiers. He was in drunken insensibility,
swinging to and fro. bound around by a
small rope, his legs stretched outwardly,
the whole weight of his body resting upon
his thumbs.
The ends of the thumbs were fearfully
swollen and pulled out having the appear
ance of a mortified piece of flesh. His
head was dropping backward. the burning
rays of the sun striking him full in the
face and the face red. blue, and in some
parts, nearly black, the veins i'm the neck
swollen and extended like cords, there be-
ing practically no circulation of blood
1 viewed him hanging in this condition
until after 5 o'clock.
COMMANDER INTERPRETED.
| There is telling how long he would
have remained in this position had not
Major General Hill, commanding. happened
TO pass that way. and, seeing this piece
of barbarous cruelty inflicted upon an in
sensible being. Immediately directed the
sergeant to take him down and place him
in the guardhouse. He commanded that in
future no man, while i'm drunken con-
dition, he punished in like manner. In
stead of undoing the cords from his
thumbs, they were cut away and Dunn
fell heavily upon the ground, not even
awakening from the deep stupor as his
head came in contact with the hard ground
He was then dragged bodily into the guard
house. where he remained until retreat.
The officer of the day came down to in
spect the guard. and. looking around failed
to find Dunn. Inquiring Of the sergeant
where he was. he was told he was in the
guardhouse. The officer ordered that he be