The Snyder signal. (Snyder, Tex.) 1887-????, 1912-05-31

guards armed with guns and
pistols, would form line in
front Of them, and with cooked guns presented,
command them to bend their bodies over in a
STOPPING posture until the tips of their fingers
would touch the ground under the snow the
knees TO remain perfectly stiff. They called this
"reaching'for corn" and We would be compelled
10 stand in this position sometimes as long as
four hours Many OF the defenseless boys, hun
dreds of miles from home and friends would
become so fatigued that they would give up
and fall over in the snow. For this they would
be conveyed to warm room in headquarters
and after being thawed out, would receive bar
bar6ns flogging ncorrigbes and past cure
except by torture. The blood would run from
the nose and mouth of many and the guards
would taunt them as paying dear for their wills
tie though they were getting off light for
their treason"
Another mode OF torment was to march all
the prisoners out OF the barracks and make them
sit down in the snow and so remain for two
hours There arc men in Denton county. pris-
oners in Camp Douglas. who will verify the
statements which we are making.
If all the Federal guards as mean as Henry
Wirz were punished in the same manner as was
Henry, the pension rolls would be greatly re-
duced in number To cover up their own diabol-
ism they>crie stop thief and hanged Henry
Wirz.
Another cruel method was employed to punish
a whole barrack at once. The guards would
march all the bows out and make them stand IN
the snow erect in line, telling the scntinels to
shoot any man who moved hand or foot. Then
thew would 60 off 20 stove and warm them
selves and on their return, would examine the
snow at the feet of the boys. and If they found
the boy had moved would act as though the boy
had committed murder. They would drag HIM
Uor ,vit
cv. They enioyed the sport Denuded OF his
clothing they would tie his hands together, and
command him 10 come across II he moved
while being whipped he would get twenty-five
or thirty ashes extra. II he cried out under
the torture it was an excuse for doubling the
Whipping and fresh guard would lay on extra
lashes Other guards would stand with pistols
cooked and pointed at his head. In case tne VIC
tim could not lie still they would tie his feet ana
hands together. Ii he begged Tor mercy tney
would threaten TO shoot him.
Right here VIC desire to record the tact tnat
these guards were. in the later part OF 1904 sent
to the front and many OF them could not be mace
10 FIGHT al all They ran for their lives ana TWO
Of them were ordered shot for cowardce, so we
heard. after the war closed They were inc West
and most arrant towards in the Federal army
Bv this time all Of them. no doubt, have crosSeu
the river Styx TO give an account OF tnor TI',Ies
and receive such punishment as satan ueS''oS
for the unregenerate.
The guards would hold conferences to learn
Il any new device OF punishment had been IN
vented and they would always find new MODE
rieing men I'D bv the thumbs and the other pun
ishments described above becoming too mono'o-
nous. thew hit upon a new source OF sport i"N.
would procure one-half of barre and nave q
hole made in it large enough for the prisoner
head to slip through and so as to lei inc pd''.
FsLa
resi- on his shoulders. They would PIC" ou'
some proud-ooking Confederate prisoner a.
him OF violating some rule when tney Wou'L J
name. and then nut this ornament over MS hcdu
Then they would force him to walk from one emu
OF the prison TO the other whole week every
day, continually Often this hazine Pio0e,
like thar of Annapolis while fun tor inc gud'"S
was death to the victim.
Again. they would pick out nice appearing
and comparatively well dressed boy: accuse nun
IT breaking a, rule and make him CLIMB up duu
down ladder for whole Week "''nou' vs.
except al night and AT meal tune.
Often in the dead OF night the sharp report oil
a musket would be heard, which weant dea,n
10 some one. The next morning VIC "ou'"
learn that some guard whose identity was nn-
known. had fired into a barrack ana S,''0E a
sleeping Confederate soldier. We would VIC"
the corpse as it was conveyed IN cart !" "'0
burying ground on the outside: ....,,,,
We remember that often our boys We'e aus" ~.
about the slop barrels in search OF bones , lbo
which to make soup 50 nearly starved were unt ;;,,
II anyone was caught at this, the guard WIN ,.
cooked pistol at his head, would make nun AN an
it in his mouth, get on his hands ana lses aJ
60 from one end OF the street TO inc o'nel s,,u
bark like dog They would do TINS ~ seeS 1900
en- excuse for killing him for disooey'ns D.,,,e's
This was called the dog performance i'a'ss
Inferno does not furnish parslel !" Tvs
iering Of the boys in Camp Douglass.