The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-09-15

were dying every day by scores from want
of food and the awful exposure. l stood
near the gate with a cOmrade one morn
ing, and counted 122 carried out, who had
died during the night. and then we were
told to get away, and l learned that sew
eral more were taken out. had been there
a little over a month when one day fel-
low-prisoner from an Illinois regiment be-
gan work on an old stump of tree. trying
to get the roots to make fire. We got
into a quarrel, nearly into n fight, as to
whom belonged the larger piece, and
finally obtained the greater share. The
next morning, in passing his detachment.
as his Sergeant was calling the roll. !
heard him answer to his name, and it be-
him out and made inquiries of him, and
learned that it was my own brother, from
whom had been separated since l was a
little child, from whom had not heard
since he went to the West, many years
before. Had l not used up my piece of
that old stump he then and there could
have become the owner of it. 1t is useless
to say that we never had another quarrel,
and that there were at least two friends
and partners in that starvation pen there
after Rations becoming so small and poor,
and SO many having been there for SO
long, a certain class of newcomers, most
of whom enlisted in the Union army as
substitutes, began stealing anything they
could lay their hands upon, particularly
the rations of the weaker prisoners. which
they would bury in the ground and sleep
upon in order to hide them and prevent
others from stealing them again. Occa-
sionally in the morning We would wake to
find some poor fellow dead who the night
before had in his possession a part OF his
ratiOns-evidently murdered by some mis-
cradle fellow-prisoner! A sort Of vigilance
committee was formed, and shortly six
fellows were caught in the act, and they
| were taken out of the stockade and put
into the stocks by Wirz. A court-martial
was formed and they were convicted and
sentenced to death by hanging. This, il
was said. was approved by Gen. Sherman
A scaffold was rugged up by Wirz, inside
the stockade, and they were marched in
by him and rebel guard, and he, with
many Oaths, turned them over to US, say
ing: Here, you Yankee devils, do
as you please with them" They were
marched up the steps of the scaffold, a
rope was attached to the neck of each
the trap was sprung. and their bodies
dangled in the air-save one, whose weigh,
broke the rope, and he fell to the ground
He was soon picked up. and while begging
and crying to be spared was again placed
| in position and shared the fate of his feI
lows.
| A WATER FAMINE.
Water becoming very scarce, wells OF
holes were dug, the men using anything
| they could find that would throw up dirt
A little water was now and then obtained
| in this way, its quality but little better
| than that which came from the stream
| Some holes that were dug served another
purpose, especially those as near the dead
line as We dared dig. At night from the
| holes trench was dug toward the stock
ade for the purpose of tunnefling out
assisted in one of these, and we had got
ten beyond the stockade, when one of oul
fellow prisoners informed the rebel Qua
termaster. His compensation for the
treachery was q plug of tobacco The
informer lost his tobacco and was made
to run the gantlet, while each fellow pris
Oner gave him a kick. He received sucf
rough usage that he nearly died. He wa.
removed from the pen by the rebel Quar-
| termaster, and We never saw him again
The rebel cavalry and bloodhounds wonlf
every morning make circuit around thu
| stockade, outside, in order to detect tn,
escape of any prisoner. A prisoner wa,
in the hospital outside, and upon gettin,
better made his escape therefrom during
/ the night. He was soon traced by til.
blOodhOunds, and overtaken. Wirz br0ugh
him inside and had him thrown upon tn,
ground. One ear was gone: his face, arms
legs, and body were fearfully lacerated BY
the hounds. This was done, Wirz said
to teach us yankee devils" a lesson
Very few were taken out for treatment
by q rebel Surgeon when sick. Most wer.
left to die where they lay. Time went on
and scenes similar to and often worse
than the above continued. Rumors OF
rebel victories became numerous; then ru
mors Of an exchange would reach us. TIL.
latter increased as we heard Of Gen. Sher
mans advance and saw the activity of thu
rebel troops, serving as guards over thu
prison, and our rations getting smaller