Yankee Oppression.
A gentleman who has recently been relieved from prison life at Camp Chase, and who is a citizen of
Western Virginia, has furnished us one of many incidents in connection with the cruelty practiced by the
Yankee hirelings towards the loyal people of the
Northwest.
In the early part of last summer, a black smith, of
Wood county, named McGinness, who was suspected of sympathy with the
South, was arrested and taken to
Wheeling.
A short time previous to his arrest be had lost his wife, and the only remaining members of his family were two little boys, one 9 and the other 12 years old. In the hope that his imprisonment would be of short duration, he requested that his two children might accompany him, which was granted --it would seem only for the purpose of increasing his distress.
When they arrived at
Wheeling, the whole party, without examination, were thrown into prison — the father in one call and the children in another, without the privilege of communicating with each other in any way. After remaining at Whealing for several weeks they were transferred to Camp Chase, where the some cruelty and retentions rigor was visited upon them.
The most touching appeals of the little boys for permission to communicate with their father were disregarded, and their repeated applications for an interview refused.
Finally, from the exposure to which he was subjected, and the harsh treatment received, the father died in prison, whilst the children were retained, and are still kept in confinement.
Our informant says that when he first saw them they were neat, cleanly, and sprightly, but before he left them they were ragged, filthy, and downcast.
