Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-08-29
FIFTY YEARS AGO
IN THE STAR

In lQE Dian
ton of amnesty for those who had
participated in the rebel
Pardon lion the government was
c..h.,u besiesed with applications
for pardon by those who
had taken part in the war In The Star
of August %. 1865. Is the following de-
scription Of characteristic scene:
IAN unusually large crowd of pardon
seekers assembled at the office of the
Attorney General today, completely
filing up the anteroom and worrying
the courteous pardon clerks, Col. Pleas
ants and Maj. Stitt. almost beyond en-
durance. Many Of these applicants de-
feat their own purpose by their persist
emit opportunities. They are not even
willing to await their own turn for an
interview. but interrupt others con-
versing with the clerks and in many
other ways render themselves a nuisance.
The work of this Office Is conducted
with the greatest dispatch. and parties
having business with it will never lose
by observing the customary civilities
OF gentlemen. Among those awaiting
an interview with the Attorney Cen
eral this morning was Lieut. Gen.
Ewell. who called on the President on
Saturday in relation to his application
for pardon. The President courteous
ly but firmly declined to make any ex-
ception in his favor. and Mr.. Ewell.' as
he introduced himself. will remain in
the same category with his brother
rebel leaders. Gen. Ewelrs personal
appearance is not. calculated to impress
one. His features are sharp. his eyes
restless. never remaining on an object.
and his whole manner indicates a
high-strung. nervous temperament. He
wears a stiff brown beard and mus
tache and short hair which. with his
light, keen eyes, gives his countenance
rather forbidding expression"
The trial of Henry Wirz. keeper of
the Andersonville prison. began Mon
day. August 81. the mill
WirZ Trial tary court. headed by Gen.
p Lew Wallace. sitting in the
Oo6i lid room Of the Court of
Claims. just north Of the west central
entrance Of the Capitol. A great crowd
attended the proceedings, and contin-
ued with slight diminution during the
trial. In The Star of August %. 1865.
is description of the scene in the
courtroom:
THE president. Gen. Wallace. sits
facing the west window. On his right
are seated Gems. Mott, Thomas and
Bragg. and Col Alcock. and on his left
Lieut.. Col. Stibbs. The high backed
chairs of the judges are occupied by
members of the court, and the red vel
vet cushioned seats. originally made
for the House of Representatives. and
which after session were discarded.
are occupied by spectators, drawn by
idle curiosity, among whom are very
few officers"
At that session of the court, August
%. the counsel for the defense with
during the absence of counsel the
Judge advocate, Col. n P Chapman,
would act for the prisoner.
1t was an interesting coincidence that
during the Wirz trial The Star. in its
issue of August Is,
The Stockade at published an ac-
a.J.:,,. count Of the work
anoersonV1lle. of a commission
that had been sent to bury the Ander-
sonville dead, as follows:
The expedition dispatched from this
city some weeks ago, by order of Sec
rotary Stanton, under charge Of Capt.
]. M. Moore. A. @. NJ, to Andersonville.
Ga. for the purpose of laying out n
cemetery and properly interring our
brave defenders who died in the rebel
prison pen at that place. returned to
Washington last evening, the work
having been successfully accomplished.
All the graves but 500 were identified
from records captured by Gen. Wilson.
Thirteen thousand headboards were
erected. containing the name. rank.
company. regiment and date of death
of the occupant Of the grave. A GENE :
terry containing about fifty acres was
laid out by Capt. Moore similar to
those near Washington, a flagstaff was
erected in the center, and on the morn
ing OF the 18th of August. the party
having finished their labors, the honor
of hauling up the flag was delegated
by Capt. Moore to Miss Clara Barton,
who accompanied the expedition. A
proper guard has been placed over
the cemetery. the nearest house to
which is the dog pen in which the
rebels kept bloodhounds to run down such
of our men as made their escape The
stockade and all buildings Of the prison
erected by the rebels are in good state
of preservation. The stockade contained
eighteen acres, but a short time before
the close Of the rebellion nine acres more
We're added The length of the stockade
is 1905 feet, with width OF s,O65
feet. and the deadline, over which no
prisoner was allowed to pass. is IL feet
from the stockade. There Is u small
stream of water running through the
stockade, but while our prisoners were
confined there the garbage from the
cookhouse was emitted into it, which
rendered it unpalatable, and several
wells dug by our men while in con-
1inement were discovered by Capt
Moore's party"
Uncle Sam was a farmer long before
he went in for scientific experimental
agriculture for the ed
Farms for ucation of the tiilers
rr..au of the soil. How he
IAeeonAeA. came to engage in this
line of business is told in The Star of
August &c. 1865, as follows:
The property occupied by the gov
eminent in st. Marys county. Md. and
known as the government farms,
comprises three large plantations. sit
uated on the Patuxent river-the Soth-
oron farm. owned by Col. John H.
Sothoron, who murdered Lieut.. White
of our army, and the Sand Gates and
Coles creek farms, owned by Joseph
Forrest, who raised a company of men
and Joined the rebel army. All of
these lands were seized by the military
authorities in May, 1864, and are now
worked by the freedmen, under direc-