Year: 1863

and his miniors that when they set aside the
laws and the Constitution, the rifle, the revol-
yer and the bowie knife at once become the su-
preme law Of the lend.


Thus my friends was dragged from a sick
bed, for | was at that time, and for many long
and weary days and nights afterwards, serious
ly afflicted with an attack of the bloody AJAX.
In this condition was hurried Into Il carriage,
and during the remainder of the night driven
to Columbus, and just at daylight placed upon
the cars and taken in my sick and exhausted
condition, without moments delay, to Fort
Lafayette.


The order for my arrest charged me with the
commission Of no crime known to any law Of
my country. Nay, more, it charged me with
no crime whatever. You may well imagine
then my surprise and indignation, when ON ar
irving at Fort Lafayette [ was ordered 20 strip
myself that might be searched. To make, if
possible, such an insult greater to free born
American citizen was taken into side room
where around me lay in heaps, manaclcs, chains
and hand cuffs. With such surroundings was
stripped and searched, and my watch, my mo-
ney, my spcctacles, my shaving apparatus, and
even my medicines were all taken from me.
was not permitted to retain even an old news
paper or Il bit of paper of any kind.


After this degrading operation had been per-
formed and before conducting me from the COM
mandants room to my dungeon, all the other
prisoners about the Fort were locked into their
rooms that might not be seen and recognized,
lest peradvcnture, information might be given
to the world, and my friends, OF my wiierea-
bouts, and the crueltcs about to be practised
upon me, One of the prisoners having learned
a few days afterwards, through the medium of
the newspapers, who the mysterious stranger
was, wrote to a friend of his, 'that DR.. Olds,
of Ohio, had been brought to Fort Lafayette
and placed in solitary confinement" His let
requiring him TO strike out so much of it Us re-
iered to the case Of DIR. Olds.


My dungeon was on the ground, with a bricl,
pavement or floor over about one half of !.
and SO great was the dampness that in q very
short time, mould would gather upon any ar
ticle left upon the floor My bed was an iron
stretcler. with very fllin ht,slS mattress Ron
it--so thin indeed, that you could feel every l.
ron slat in it the moment you lay down upon it.
The brick floor. with all its dampness, would
have been far more comfortable than this iron
and husk bed, had it not been for the rats and
vermin that infested the room. | ha.d also in
my room, broken table an chair: a chunk
OF government bread, with an old sinking rus
ty TN OF Lincoln c3Ifee, with slice Of boiled
sa!ted po:a was my fare Ny only drink Other
| than their nasty coftee, was rain wata-. was
furnished with no towel, neither could any en-
treaty procure one for me. Neither could in.
duce my jaiiers to let me have candle duriaa
my long tedious sicl. nights. No entreaty could
procure for me the return OF the medicine which
had been taken from me when was searched
Again and again | begged for The little bit O
opium to relieve my suffering, which had beer
taken out Of my pocket with my other mcdi
cine, bu: al in vain.


After ten days of such treatment and sucl
suffering, late one night, the sergeant OF tie
guard Brought me- some medicine which, he in
formed me, the Surgeon at Fort Hamilton haC
sent nc This &argoon knew nothing abou
my case, havigg = never seen me, OF been informed
by me Of my condition. With no light in my cell
with no one to rive me drink OF my rain wa
ter, yoo can well imagine that l would not TAXI
the medicine. did not know but that my Jail
ers designed to poison me. Their previous treat
ment justified such an opinion. made IN ml
mind that if died in Fort Lafayette, woul(
die anatural death, urlessin deed Lincoln or
dered me 10 be tried by drum-head court-mar
tial and shot, which tclt he had just as mucl
right to DO as he had tc arrest and impuson M
in the manner he had done.


Il anything could add TO the cruelty inflicte'
upon me during these long days and nights 0
my sickness and uaering, it was the refusal 0
the commandment to allow me the use of the Bi
bic. Day after day begged the sergeant t
procure one for me- His constant answer was
the commanding officer says you shant have one
begred him to remind the commanding Office
that he was ii Christian and not Il heathe
lnad--that Twas an American citizen, and no
a condemned felon. Still the answer wss 9Th


commanding oniodr says you shan't have one
and you ncad not ask any nore.'


Ii was upon The sixteenth day of my lionel,
Imprisonment, that my son, upon an order
the Secretary Of War, was permitted to see Lac
not in my lonely cell but in tie commandant'
room and presence. 1t was with much Gifficul
| W GNGii az tiido s"to opiS " go
from my cell to the commandments room. mi
was the first time during my Imprisonment, tha
I had been able to obtain an interview with tn
commandant In his weekly inspection OF tn
prisoners, he had carefully avoided my dungeon
No kindly inquiry as to my wants and condl
ton had ever reached me from him. l seize
upon this opportunity to LET him know that


was human being, and, as such entitled t,
humane treatmeEt-that such thing as reiu
sing prisoner a Bible, was unknown in an,
civilized community. His answer was, tha
he was not permitted, under his orders to let III
have one.


had great reason to be thankful that my SON
visit gave me an opportunity to see the com
mandant, for from that time, although kept il
solitary confinement, my condition was mad
more comfortable. Il better mattress was pu
on my bed, occasionally raw onion or a toma
to was added to my dinner, and twice, believe