Judge Reed here interrupted, saying: "I indorse every word of Miss Whitcomb's description of these prisons. I endured their horrors and inhumanity for nine months, and she does not tell the half that might be told. To show that Seraine's statement is not in the least exaggerated, I have saved an article from the Sumter (S. C.) _Watchman_, published in reference to the Florence Prison at that time, which seems to have equaled the Pine Forest.".
Being asked to do so, Dr. Adams read as follows:
"The Camp we found full of what were once human beings, but who would scarcely now be recognized as such. In an old field, with no inclosures but the living wall of sentinels who guard them night and day, are several thousand filthy, diseased, famished men, with no hope of relief, except by death. A few dirty rags stretched on poles give some of them a poor protection from the hot sun and heavy dews. All were in rags and barefoot, and crawling with vermin. As we passed around the line of guards I saw one of them brought out of his miserable booth by two of his companions and laid upon the ground to die. He was nearly naked. His companions pulled his cap over his face and straightened out his limbs.
Before they turned to leave him he was dead. A slight movement of the limbs and all was over--the captive was free! The Commissary's tent was close by one side of the square, and near it the beef was laid upon boards preparatory to its distribution. This sight seemed to excite the prisoners as the smell of blood does the beasts of the menagerie. They surged up as near the lines as they were allowed, and seemed, in their eagerness, about to break over. While we were on the ground a heavy rain came up, and they seemed to greatly enjoy it, coming out _a paris naturalibus_, opening their mouths to catch the drops, while one would wash off another with his hands, and then receive from him the like kind of office. Numbers get out at night and wander to the neighboring houses in quest of food.
"From the camp of the living we passed to the camp of the dead--the hospital--a transition which reminded me of Satan's soliloquy--
"Which way I fly is hell; myself am hell, And in the lowest deeps, a lower deep, Still threatening to devour me, opens wide."
"A few tents, covered with pine-tops, were crowded with the dying and the dead in every stage of corruption. Some lay in prostrate helplessness; some had crowded under the shelter of the bushes; some were rubbing their skeleton limbs. Twenty or thirty of them die daily; most of these, as I was informed, of the scurvy. The corpses laid by the roadside waiting for the dead-cart, their glaring eyes turned to heaven, the flies swarming in their mouths, their big-toes tied together with a cotton string, and their skeleton arms folded on their breasts. You would hardly know them to be men, so sadly do hunger, disease, and wretchedness change 'the human face divine.' Presently came the carts; they were carried a little distance to trenches dug for the purpose and tumbled in like so many dogs. A few pine-tops were thrown upon the bodies, a few shovelfuls of dirt, and then haste was made to open a new ditch for other victims. The burying party were Yankees detailed for the work, an appointment which, as the Sergeant told me, they consider a favor, for they get a little more to eat and enjoy fresh air.
"Thus we see at one glance the three great scourges of mankind--war, famine, and pestilence, and we turn from the spectacle sick at heart, as we remember that some of our loved ones may be undergoing a similar misery."
"This publication," said Col. Bush, "made in one of their own papers at the time, proves that all that has ever been said of their treatment of our prisoners is true."
"Yes," said Uncle Daniel, "and much more."
"Uncle Daniel," said Dr. Adams, "this Miss Seraine Whitcomb was, indeed, a true woman, and, as the President well said, a 'little heroine.' I take it she was rather small, from this expression of his."
"Yes, she was rather small, but a pure jewel."
"She was a woman of great determination, and loved purely and strongly.
There are but few instances of such pure devotion and rare patriotism to be found in the annals of history. What feelings she must have had while traveling through the Confederacy in such anguish and suspense. She was a jewel, sure enough."
Col. Bush here interrupted, saying: "The condition of our poor soldiers in the prisons she visited must have driven her almost insane. It certainly drove many of the poor sufferers into a state or condition of insanity, in which numbers died in their ravings and delirium."
"Is it not wonderful," said Dr. Adams, "how soon these barbarities and inhumanities are forgotten by our people?"
"Yes," said Col. Bush; "but you must remember that our people are moving too rapidly to look back upon scenes of distress. Money and power are now the watchwords--throw patriotism to the dogs. It is not needed now to save their property and their rights. You must remember that a man like Hibbard, the deputy at Pine Forest Prison, who allowed men to be shot down like dogs and starved like wild beasts, is now looked upon with more consideration and favor than Uncle Daniel, who gave his whole family as a sacrifice for his country. Did not this same Hibbard travel all through our country last Fall making speeches? Was he not received with shouts by our very neighbors, within a stone's throw of this dear old man, whose son was starved near unto death in Pine Forest Prison by this man? Has he not held high positions in his State since? And I would not be surprised to hear that he had been appointed to some Foreign Mission, in order that he may represent our country abroad in the true Christian spirit of our advanced civilization!"
"Yes," said Uncle Daniel; "when he was North on his stumping tour I mentioned the fact of his inhumanity, and only received jeers from those who heard me--some young students who were not old enough to be in the war, and now feel that it must never be mentioned except in a whisper.
It seems that all the treason, infamy, and the barbarities and cruelties practiced during that bloody period are now condoned, and the persons who practiced the greater wrongs are made thereby the more respectable.
Oh, that I had not lived to see these things! It makes me almost doubt my own existence. Sometimes I feel that it is all a dream."
Maj. Clymer, in order to draw the aged man's mind away from this unpleasant theme, inquired if he knew what became of Mrs. Lawton.
"I cannot tell," said Uncle Daniel; "she and Seraine corresponded for a number of years after the termination of the war. The last we ever heard of her she had married with an Englishman and located in Canada. God knows, I hope she may yet be living and happy. She was a noble woman. I fear, however, that she, too, has passed away, as we have had no tidings of her for many years."
Uncle Daniel at this time becoming weary and very melancholy, we excused him for the present, and asked permission to return again, when he promised that he would continue his narrative, and, bidding him good-night, we left, with an increased desire to hear more from his honest and truthful lips.
CHAPTER XV.
PLOTS TO POISON AND BURN.--FIRE AND POISON.--THE PLOT TO BURN NORTHERN CITIES AND SPREAD DISEASE.--THE SCHEME AVENGED.--PART OF THE CHIEF PLOTTERS BURNED BY THEIR OWN COMBUSTIBLES.
"The earth had not A hole to hide this deed."
--Shakespeare
Some weeks having elapsed since Uncle Daniel was excused, we were anxious to hear him further, and assembled again at Mr. Wilson's house.
Uncle Daniel was feeling quite well, greeted us pleasantly, and asked that we be seated. After the compliments of the season, we inquired if he was ready to continue his story. He replied that he was, and began by saying:
"After Jackson had returned from escorting Seraine to her home in Detroit, we discussed the question as to what steps should now be taken.
Gen. Anderson was still quite feeble, his wound being very painful. It was thought that it would require considerable time for him to recover sufficiently to again be able to take the field. He thought it would, perhaps, be several months. Jackson, after reflection, thought he would continue his investigation of the Golden Circle conspiracy, and to do so satisfactorily deemed it best for him to go to England and get on the track of their allies in that country, and see what preparations were being made abroad in connection with the leaders in this country. Gen.
Anderson thought this a good plan. Henry, who had been growing stronger, said to Jackson, that while he (Jackson) was making his voyage of discovery through parts of Europe, he would go to Canada as soon as he was able to do so, and carry out the plans left unexecuted by Jackson at the time he returned from New York. This arrangement being understood by all, we sent Ham out to the farm, in order that Dent might be summoned to Allentown to give us what information he had gathered, if any, during our afflictions and consequent suspension of our operations in that direction.
"We directed Ham to bring Mr. Dent back with him the next morning. At ten o'clock Joseph Dent and Ham arrived from the farm. As soon as we could conveniently do so, we had an interview with Dent as to what was transpiring in his immediate neighborhood among his friends, the Knights of the Golden Circle. He related to us the facts in reference to a meeting held two nights before, about which he had intended to come in that day and tell us, if Ham had not come after him. The facts, as he stated them to us, were these:
"A person by the name of Harris stated to his confederates that he was just from Richmond, Va., at the same time claiming to be a member of the Confederate Congress from Missouri. (A part of Missouri believed that it had seceded, as you may remember, just as a few Counties in Kentucky thought they had.) Harris had passed through the lines, coming through West Virginia and Kentucky, as any one could have done at any time, and as many doubtlesss did. His statement, as Dent told it to us, was this: That he was sent by the President of the Confederate States (so-called), and was on his way to Indianapolis to lay a plan before the leaders in this and other States; thence he was to pass into Canada and meet the leaders there, and in that way have prompt action and co-operation assured. His greatest desire seemed to be to meet Mr. Thos. A. Strider, who, he said, was one of their best and shrewdest advisers. His headquarters were to be at Windsor, Canada. He directed the Lodge to which Dent belonged to be ready at a moment's notice to do whatever might be directed from the Supreme Council. He told his hearers to spread the alarm wherever they could without being suspected, that there was to be a great destruction of property in the North; that, he said, would terrify leading men and property holders; and, in order to satisfy his confederates that there was a basis for this statement, he disclosed a part of a plot that had been proposed to Jefferson Davis and was soon to be carried out. It was that a discovery had been recently made by a professor of chemistry, one McCullough, by which towns and cities, and vessels coming in and going out of our ports, could be easily burned without danger of discovery. With this newly-discovered combustible material a general and wholesale destruction of all kinds of destructible property was to be inaugurated. Harris said that agents were to be employed all over the country, who were to be selected from the members of the Knights and to be made up of the most reliable and tried men; that this matter had been duly considered and determined upon by the authorities at Richmond; that Jacob Thomlinson, C. C. Carey and others were now on their way to England to meet Mr. McCullough, who was already there, and where the destructive material was to be manufactured and brought in an English vessel to Canada, as there was noway of getting from the Confederate States to the place from which they wished to operate without running the gauntlet, and perhaps meeting with dangers not desirable to be encountered. This man Harris also instructed all who heard him that the penalty now fixed by the authorities in the Councils of the Knights for disclosing any of their secrets was death, which might be inflicted by any of the Order ascertaining the fact so that no doubt could exist as to the guilt of the person who had played traitor to them.
"This, I could see, alarmed Dent and made him cautious and hesitating at times when we would give expression to our utter abhorrence of the use of such villainous means as seemed to be in contemplation by our enemies. We constantly assured the old man, however, that he need have no fears of any of us, which, of course, he had not; yet he was somewhat timid. He could not tell which way Harris started from their meeting, nor how he was traveling. This ended his recollection of Harris's statement. We then got Dent again to repeat the signs, grips, passwords and instructions to Gen. Anderson and Capt. Jackson, as well as to Henry, and so they found themselves well posted. Then, thanking Dent and encouraging him to persevere in his discoveries, we allowed him to go and make his arrangements with David's widow about matters at the farm and then return home.
"The next day I wrote to the President, giving him the history of matters as detailed to us by Joseph Dent; also, the plan we had laid out for the future. In a few days I received a note from Washington, unsigned, merely saying, 'the plan is approved.' I knew from whom the note came, and was well satisfied to have the plans carried out.
"The next day we received a letter from Peter, informing us that he was well, and that the Army of the Center was in camp and were expecting a long rest after the two great battles. This delighted my wife, as she felt that while they were not moving, her boys were safe. By this time all necessary arrangements had been made for Jackson's departure, and after bidding his mother and the rest of us good-by he left for New York; from there he expected to sail for Europe. On arriving at New York he called upon Mc-Masterson and B. Wudd, and made satisfactory statements to them as to the reasons for not going to Canada. After obtaining letters of introduction to Jacob Thomlinson they proceeded to discuss the situation, and from them he learned that preparations, such as had been detailed to us by Dent, were evidently being made for great damage to towns, cities, and property generally. He also obtained letters from McMasterson to some important persons in London, where he professed to be going on some mission for the rebels. The letters, as before, introduced Mr. Jackson, of Memphis, Tenn.
[Illustration: Jackson starts for Europe 275]
"He sailed the following day and had a pleasant voyage. While on board the vessel crossing the Atlantic he made the acquaintance of one Capt.
Redingson, a jolly, gentlemanly companion. They were very suspicious of each other for some time, but finally Capt. Redingson gave him the sign of the Golden Circle, to which Jackson responded. The friendship was then at once established. Jackson carefully felt his way,--as you have seen, he was a cautious man,--and finally discovered that Capt.
Redingson was well acquainted in Memphis. This rather placed Jackson in a dilemma, as his letters located him at Memphis. Finally he turned the conversation in the direction of building railroads, and finding that Capt. Redingson knew nothing about railroads, he mentioned that he had been employed in engineering work on the Memphis & Chattanooga Railroad.
He said he lived in Ohio, but claimed Memphis, Tenn., as his residence, inasmuch as he was a rebel and would have nothing whatever to do with the North while they were making war against his friends, as his people were all natives of Virginia, he himself having been born there. This statement made all things right, and the two had a jolly good time together the remainder of the voyage.
"During one of their conversations Capt. Redingson, in relating some of his war experiences, made mention of the fact that at one time, not long past, he had met a young lady from Michigan in search of her sweetheart, and that he had been her escort while she was at Richmond, and through their lines to ours. At this moment Jackson told me that he came very near spoiling everything by his agitation, but by rising and taking a glass of water had time to recover, and then listened to the story with great interest, asking a question occasionally. Capt. Redingson finally took a small book from his pocket and read her name, 'Se-raine Whitcomb,' and that of her lover, 'Henry Lyon,' and remarked, that he intended, if ever he should have an opportunity, to find out the history of the two, as she had impressed him very favorably, and, in fact, had excited his admiration,--she was so gentle and frank, and withal so brave. Jackson said at this point he again became very thirsty.
"Very soon the conversation took a turn in another direction, and Jackson inquired if the Captain thought there were any persons in London looking after the interests of the Confederacy, to which the Captain replied that Jacob Thomlinson, C. C. Carey, and one or two others that he did not know, were there on a secret mission, the nature of which was not fully known to him, as he had only returned to Richmond from Mexico on one day and left under orders the next, and had to run the blockade in order to get away. His description of the passing of our vessels in the night out from Wilmington in a vessel laden with cotton; the darkness, the stillness of the night, the lights on our vessels, the fear of being discovered and overtaken, the joy he experienced when they had passed our line and were covered by one of their fast-running cruisers (the Susquehanna) was indeed quite graphic. Jackson said that although the Captain was a rebel, and perhaps engaged in running the blockade frequently, yet he was cheerful, and took everything that seemed to be working against their success so philosophically that he enjoyed his company, and rather liked him. During the trip Capt.
Redingson learned to like Jackson also, and made him a confidant, promising to introduce him to many friends after they should arrive, among whom he included Jacob Thomlinson, Carey, and many others.
He finally disclosed to Jackson the fact that he was sent by the authorities at Richmond to London and Paris with a large amount of Confederate bonds for sale, and that he would take Jackson with him to visit the bankers, and also get him introduced, so that he might be admitted to some of the Gentlemen's clubs, where he could hear much discussion pro and con about the war. It seemed that Capt. Redingson had been across several times on business for the Confederacy.
"When the vessel reached port, and all was ready, the two went out together, and from Liverpool to London were engaged in conversation as to how they could best manage to enjoy themselves while in London, and at the same time attend to the business for which they were abroad.
Jackson had satisfied the Captain that he was going more to find out how the people there felt, and the probabilities of the English Government rendering aid to the Southern Confederacy, for the purpose of his speculating in bonds and stocks, than for anything else, and at the same time to aid if he could the friends of the Confederacy everywhere; and to use all means, no matter what, for their success. They had not noticed any of the important points until they came within some ten or twelve miles of London, when their attention was attracted by the church and school buildings of Harrow, beautifully situated on a hill rising from a plain. This celebrated institution is one of the first in the Kingdom. It was founded in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. Many distinguished men have been educated there, among whom were Lord Byron, Sir Robert Peel, and Lord Palmerston. After this the Captain and Jackson took much interest in the historic objects presenting themselves till they reached London.
"On arriving they engaged rooms at the Charing Cross Hotel. During the next day Capt. Redingson found his friend Jacob Thomlinson and brought him to his room. Very soon after this he invited Jackson in and introduced him as Mr. Win. Jackson, of Memphis, Tenn., a good and true friend of the Confederacy, who was willing to do anything to aid in making the rebellion a success. Mr. Thomlinson received him with much cordiality, and conversed very freely, but cautiously. He was not quite as free and easy as Capt. Redingson. Finally Mr. Thomlinson invited them to visit him at his hotel, 'The Palace,' near Buckingham Palace, on the following evening, stating he would have some friends who would be pleased to meet them. Jackson was very desirous to accept this invitation, as perhaps the opportunity would be afforded to get some information of value, and was consequently delighted that Capt.
Redingson promptly indicated their acceptance.
"In good season they made their toilets as if they were to meet the Queen of England or the Prince of Wales, and set out for the Palace Hotel. On arriving at the hotel and notifying Mr. Thomlinson of their presence, they were ushered into his apartments, which they found were most elaborate and elegant.
"On entering they were presented to Mr. C. C. Carey, Prof. McCullough, and Dr. Blackman, of Kentucky. These men had the appearance of the Southern aristocrats, except Prof. McCullough, whose manner and speech denoted Northern antecedents. Jackson noted this particularly, and in the subsequent conversation he learned that the Professor was of Northern birth and education, having been, prior to 1860, professor of chemistry at Princeton College, N. J. For a time the conversation ran on the voyage and the many interesting places that should be visited by all travelers. Before the evening was over, however, the topic was changed, and the success of the Confederacy (as they were pleased to call it) became the engrossing subject of discussion.
"Jackson was here tested and found not only sound in this, the most interesting of all questions to them, but it was thought he might be made very useful in assisting them in perfecting and executing their plans.
"Mr. Thomlinson and Captain Redingson discussed the selling of bonds, etc.; Thomlinson stating that the intention of the authorities at Richmond was to have given him the bonds, but that they were not prepared in time, as he had to leave at a certain date to escape the blockade, on account of his previous relations with the United States Government. Captain Redingson replied that he knew nothing about the business except from his instructions, and he could not do otherwise than to obey them.
"After many suggestions it was finally understood that a meeting of the gentlemen then present should be held every evening at the same rooms, except when engagements otherwise should interfere. Capt. Redingson and Jackson then took leave of the other parties and returned to their hotel.
"After going to their rooms Captain Redingson remarked that he wished Jackson to stay with him and be his guest, as he feared he might need a friend in future in reference to his business; that he desired him to witness his transactions in reference to the sale of the bonds in his custody. At the same time he asked Jackson if he had heard what Thomlinson stated in reference to his (Thomlinson) being the one who was to have placed the bonds. Jackson responded that he had. Redingson said: