Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1907-05-14
SIGNS IN PRISON PARK
ARE DOWN AT LAST
Legends That DETAINED a
Patriot.
ORDERED REMOVED FROM GROUNDS
DefdmdtOry and InCendiary UtteranCeS
Against Captain Wirz Are Re-
moved From AnderSOnYiIIe
Park.
ORDERED REMOVED FROM GROUNDS

Several days ago Captain John A.
Cobb, of Americas, received from Gen
eral Clement A. Evans a request to
visit the Prison Park at AndersOnville
and investigate certain alleged inscrip
tions there for several years past, de-
famatory of Captain Wirz, former COM.
mandant of the Federal prison.
Captain Cobb went to Andersonville
on Sunday, and yesterday addressed
the following letter to General Evans.
AMERICUs, GA. May 18th 1907.
GENERAL CLEMENT A. EVANS, Dear
General:
Yours of the 18th received sever
al days ago, in regard to the removal
from the "Andersonville Prison Park"
of the offensive Wirz tablets which
information on said was desired by
General stephen d. Lee. l have de-
layed answering so as to gain positive
information on the subject.
Having failed through other sources
to obtain the desired information, on
yesterday I drove over to Anderson
vile in my buggy, in company with
my brother-in-law, Harper T. Bivins.
The following information 1 obtained
from Mr.. Turner, Union Veteran and
the custodian in charge of the Ander-
sonville Prison Park, and by my
personal inspection of the grounds.
found Mr.. Turner courteous and
willing to give any information IN his
possession.
Mr.. Turner is no relation of Mrs. l..
| A. Turner, merely a coincidence of
names.
Mrs. L. A, Turner, chairman of the
Ladies Auxiliary Committee of the
Grand Army of the Republic, and
Chairman of the Board of Mar ayers of
An 1ersonville Prison Park, came to
Andersonville on April LIST 1907, which
was her custom to come annually, to
look after the business under her
charge. Her health had not been good
for some time, and soon after reaching
Andersonville she was taken worse,
and died there on April 9th, 1907.
Before her death she gave orders to
custodian Turner, to remove all of the
offensive "Wirz tablets" which was
promptly done some time early in
May, and there are none of them now
in the grounds of THE Prison Park"
This was the last official act of this
good woman, A warning of her ap-
preaching departure to a better world
evidently opened her noble heart to
do an act to help heal some of the
bitterness still lingering between the
two sections of this great Republic as
result OF the war between the
States.
May God rest her great soul in
peace, and bring about reconciliation
so much desired by all good women
and men, of both sections.
There are still two thing left at the
Prison ParE, calculated to stir up Bit
terness that should be removed: One
is on a sign board attached to tree on
top of the hill near providence
Spring." of which the following is a
copy.
First prisoners incarcerated Feb.
25th 1864-5OO;
Last one left April 18th 1865; deaths
known were 1912;
How many more died here may
never be disclosed to mortal man.
Their bones lie under the soil in all
parts of these grounds
Custodian Turner claims that this
refers to prisoners who have been
killed by the caving of tunnels, that
they were constructing in their efforts
to escape from the prison.
This is an excuse not very plausible,
and does not remove the impression
made by reading the notice; that their
deaths were caused by the Confederate