The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1903-05-13

their weekly purchases. 1t was an
orderly crowd of whites and blacks,
and the chief OF police remarked as he
surveyed the we'll behaved crowd
from the proximity of neie hboring
soda fount that he rarely ever made
an arrest, even on Saturday after
noon.
A passenger on the Central OF Geor-
gia railway visiting the town OF Daw-
son gets out of the sleeping car at day
| light and watches the sun climb over
the hills of south Georgia. The train
stops at little station on the way and
the familiar name of Andersonvllle Is
sounded through the cars. This Is
place of national nOtOrietY. Over on
the hill quarter of mile to the lefG
the national flag has already beaten
the sun rays to the summit OF tall
staff and floats easily in the light
spring air. At its base one OF the
many monuments marks the spot where
northern people nave cOmmemorated
the death of some New England SOL
diers who died in prison on southern
soil. The governor OF Rhode Island,
with his staff, has just visited Ander-
sonville and dedicated another shaft.
Andersonville is the one word which
fires northern hearts. People who did
not realize how few were the resources
of the southern confederacy could not
understand why northern prisoners
received such scant supplies at Ander-
| sonville. When they returned to the
north their emaciated figures were
photographed, and their appearance
inspired the northern people with hor-
ror, as the figures of the poor recon-
centrados did before The Spanish war.
1t was made one of the articles of in
dictment against Jefferson Davis, that
he allowed $4,000 northern prisoners
to die neglected at Andersonville.
How we'll these charges were met by
Ben Hill on the floor of the house in
December, 1876, every Georgian
knows. He showed that the northern
soldier had his ratiOns as full as the
southern soldier fighting in Virginia.
He proved that the south made every
effort to bring about an exchange OF
prisoners, but that General Grant
feared TO liberate southern captives,
and by his own act left northern men
to their fate at AndersOnville. The
south does not shrink from that chap
ter And yet, after the war, the north
arrested Henry Writ, who had charge
of Andersonville prison, and executed
him. Writ died sacrifice to the
passion of the day. He was Swiss
officer, and be suffered as the Swiss
guard before the mob Of Paris. The
north tried to make it appear that he
was a monster of inhumanitV and cru
city. Nothing was further from the
truth.
The poor man did all he could to
tighten the hard lot of northern SOL
diers confined in a southern climate.
He allowed the prisoners to organize
their own tribunal and themselves TO
put to death some miscreants among
their number who were making their
lives unbearable. When General Dick
TAYLOR passed through Andersonvllle
on his way to assist in the defense OF
Savannah he was visited by Writ
himself. That officer made an appeal
for the suffering northern soldiers,
whose condition he pictured as deplor-
able. Dick Taylor, a brother-ln-law
of Jefferson Davis, was moved by the
mans earDestDess, but he had to tell
| him that the confederacy was IN eX-
tremis and could not care for its own
soldiers on the field. Hundreds OF
prisoners were given up by the south
without any cartel of exchange and
put on board of northern ships at Ty-
bee Roads. Poor Writ, who was con-
scious of his own good motives, decIln'
ed to fly when the confederacy fell.
He was warned by the prisoners them
| selves of the feeling against him In
the north. The man could not believe
that the people of a great country in
tended him such cruel injustice. And
yet he was seized and hung. He fell
victim to the harshness of war and TO
desperate situation. AS one looks
at the triumphant flag at Anderson
vile floating over the proud monu-
ments, through dewy sunrise, he
must realize that the time has come
to adopt Governor Terrell's suggestion
that the state take charge of our own
southern soldiers graves.
"Blessed be the hands that deck
their clay"