Year: 1869

imbibed too freely, for which he was taken to
the guard-house and tied up to the window
frame by his thumbs for two hours. Gen. Hill
then ordered him to be taken down and be
made to carry thirty-twO pound ball, but as
the hanging had deprived him of the use of his
thumbs, he was unable to obey The officers,
however. put two twenty-fou pound balls in a
knapsack, and compelled him to carry them
until the sack gave away from the weight of
the iron. He was then tied up by the wrists
and gagged in the mouth by the bayonet from
8 P. NJ. till the next morning. He was then
taken down and thrown into the guard-hOuse,
but was so exhausted that he had to be remOv-
ed to the hospital. 1t was decided to amputate
three of his fingers, but this was reconsdered.
He lost, hoWeve, the use of his thumb and two
fingers This punishment was inflicted by Ma
jor Mcconnell, officer of the day, and was car
ried out by Sergeant Edward Donnelly.
Another poor prisoner named Brown, was
once excused by the doctor from work on the
plea of illness, but the Provost Marshal insisted,
and finding him too Ill and lacking strength,
made him carry thirty-twO pound ball. He
staggered under the weight and was compelled
from weakness to put it down. He was then
taken to the wharf and with his legs tied TO-
gether and his hands tied behind him. rope





into the water and then dragged out This
was done three or four times, he begging for
mercy most piteousy He was finally jerked
out of the water and ordered to return to his
ordinary work. The poor wretch crept off ap-
parently thankful for any escape from such
tornents. Captain JOS. Rittenhouse was off,
Ger of the day, and his orders were carried out
by Corporal Spear.


During the latter part of last October | was
placed in irons and compelled to work with an
armed sentinel over NE. did not know the
reason for this, for was unconscious of hav-
ing given otithse and had cOnforned to every
regulation. | was then closely confined and
allowed to communicate with no one for four
months. The pretence fer this, l afterwards
learned, sprang from an attempt of DIR. Mudd
to escape.


Col. st. George Leger Grenfel aged Is years,
was taken sick and went to the Doctor to get
excused from work The Doctor declined to
excuse him. He then applied to the Provost
Marshal, who said that he could not excuse
him if the Doctor couldn't. Grenfel then tried
to work and failed. They then took him to the
guard-house, tied him up for half day, and
then took him to the wharf, tied his hands be-
hind him, tied his legs together, and put rope
around his waist There were three officers,
IL
wharf: | could see and hear from my window.
The Colonel asked them if they were going to
throw him into the water, and they answered,
&" Yes He then jumped in, and because he
could not sink, they drew him out and tied
about forty pounds of iron to his legs, and
threw him into the water again, and after he
had sunk twice they pulled him out again. and
then compelled him to 90 to work. The officers
who had hun in hand were, Lieutenant Robin
son, Lieutenant Pike, and Captain George w.
Crabb, assisted by Sergeant Michael Gleason,
and assistant military storekeeper G. L. Jack
son, who tied the iron on his legs. Captain
Samuel PEBBLES tied up Grentel for saying that
- he was capable of doing anything" Colonel
Grcnt,l was forced to scrub and do other menial
work when he proved he was so i'll as to have
refused to eat his ratlons tor week. All of
the officers hated Grentel on account of letter
which appeared in a New York paper, which
they said Grenfel wrote, about tying up the
prisoner Dunn which letter was truthful, as
Others and myself were witnesses to the details
it related One very stormy night Grenfel,
with four others, escaped in small boat and
was evidently drowned near the fort. His es-
cape was discovered but the storm was so Sc
we're that it was deemed too dangerous to pur-
sue them. although steamer was at the wharf
Grenel frequently declared his intention of
running airy risk to escape, rather than, to use
his own words, "to be tortured to death at the
fort" These are only two or three instances
of the many acts of cruelty practiced at the
fort. During my imprisonment at Fort JEFF
ferson l worked very hard at carpentering and
wood ornamental work. making a great many
fancy boxes, &c. out of the peculiar wood
found on the adjacent islands; the greater por-
ton of this work was made for officers BY
my industry in that direction, won some fa-
vor in their eyes l was released in March of
the present year by executive clemency


(Signed) EDMAN SPANGIER.


ROBINSON, circus rider challenges the world