The National tribune., 1906-12-27
4 SNDERSONVILLE.
Some of the Wanton Crueltics Inflicted
by the Demon MirZ.

Editor National Tribune: l am sub.
scriber of The National Tribune, anG
have been reading statements froI
comrades concerning AndcrsonNill,
Prison, and the one that most interests
me is Comradc DcZra Schroys reply IL
Col. Hammond's eulogy on Capt. Wiz
The Colonel speaks of WirZ's good quail
tiles and his kindness toward the m'l
confined in Andersonvile Prison, Of
which was victim. and can truthfully
say that Comrade Schroys statements
are true, every word and sentence
If. as Col. Hammond says. WirZ
wan!ed 70 he 50 kind to us. why did h
COIN, down 10 the IRAN tn- d. We
were unloadcd at AndersonVille and say
To US with Il look of vengeance, III
make 'em tink il -" To start with,
I would like to ask Col. Hammond If
that expression meant Kindness cr
cruelty, or was his shooting men for
triilinS offcnses, with his own gun in
his own hands. evidence of kindness, or
sicling his bloodhounds on men and
tearing them to pieces for trying -
escape. or shutting off their scanty ra-
tions for three days at Il time for some
small offensc, and a great many cruel
acts l could mention? If he wanted 10
be SO kind to us, why did he rob US OF
all our clothing that was good before he
put us in the pen? j was turned in
barefooted and barehcaded, and, as
p Comrade Schroy says, there were men
in that pen without Il stitch of clothing
on them almost burning up in the hot
sun. Remember. too, the prison was
surrounded on all sides with timber and
brush Why did he not in some Of his
fits of kindness take us out under guar
and let us carry In sticks and brush and
build some kind of shelter To keep the
hot sun from frying out what little
grease there was left in us?
AS further evidence of his kindness
will cite Ia You the $4,000 headmarIls
of the brave men who died at his mercy
Yes, they died deaths that would shock
the civilized world TO know that dumb
brutes had 10 die as those men did;
men lying all over the pen sick, some
naked, mageotS and vermin crawling
all over them and the sun hot enough
to almost cook eggs That was the con-
dition that thousands were subjected to,
and had TO die the death that | hope
no dumb brute will ever nave to die
For all these facts We have plenty Of
evidence. This being true, are our Off
2lalS at Washington going to allow a
monument to be erected for that un>
orincipled murderer. who was the causc
Of so much suffering and death? Not
one Of the officials at the head of our
Government has raised his voice against
1. Those men were not there because
hey We're towards; they were not cap,
.ured in the rear, but at the front bat
ling for their country and the flag They
10 dearly loved. As evidence of their
oyaity / will say that after we were
confined in that pen. and in the months
IF July and August, when mOrtalit,
was the greatest, the rebs offered us a
chance TO enlist in their army and get
snt of that awful place. But, no: they
would not accept the offer. They pre-
terred to lie there and die as I have
described, rather than turn traitor to
heir country and the flag they so nobly
defended. Now, after all the suffering
heaped upon US by that unprincipled
1evil, have we, who survived all this
torture. got to live TO see that old
pyena honored with monument which
Virtually would be an approval of his
conduct? During those dark days mol
pne could make a greater sacrifice than
those who gave their lives as those
brave men did at Andersonville Men
Of all professions and men, too, with |
nice respectable families at home gaya
eheir lives as has been described rather
q1an turn traitor 10 their country, their
nag and their people. Our Government
bad refused to exchange us, because
shey would be giving men that had been
well cared for and well fed and were
able to take up arms, and we We're unfit
for any duty whatever; consequently
there was but one of two things to do
turn traitor or lie there in our filth and
die-and those that did survive suffered
untold misery. Which did we choose
History will tell. b. Meyers, Co. b,
11th Iowa, Whitten, Iowa