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Mr. Wright makes no complaint of harsh treatment, and the papers which he presents show that the officers who have had him in charge have rendered him every facility in submitting his appeal.
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If
Mr. Seward was misled by this statement in regard to my treatment, he was certainly undeceived when he received the
British minister's note, dated October 20th, of which I have given an extract.
The wretched condition of the prisoners at
Rock Island was well known to the citizens of Rock Island City and
Davenport.
At the request of
Judge Grant of the latter city, on the 20th of September, 1864, I made a faithful statement of the treatment and condition of the prisoners; and for this purpose, in company with others, I visited a number of barracks.
The bread and the meat were carefully weighed, and the quality of the food truthfully reported.
The judge desired a plain statement, without exaggeration or comment, to use in an effort he was about to make at
Washington to ameliorate the condition of the prisoners.
As no change for the better took place, the presumption is that
Judge Grant did not succeed in his benevolent mission.
I have mentioned that the officers of the prison denied the charge of cruelty, at a time when the poor wretches within the walls were sinking under the starvation diet I have described.
That denial was made necessary in