The Butler herald. (Butler, Ga.) 1875-1962, May 27, 1879, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

aatamKki'y*yaa»*«gru^*OKJgw.... ,i—rr-irai awning vap «Mtt*»Aafiaaflan»fc» THE BUTLER HERALD. PnlilUlied By W. N. BENNS. A WEEKLY DEMOCRATIC NEWSPAPER,DEVOTED TO INDUSTRY AND CIVILIZATION. Tprnm, OXE DOLLAR A YEAR. Zi AIyabm BUTLER, GEORGIA. TUESDAY, NAY 27. 1ST9. WHOLE SIR IIER l!I3 Advertising Rates. Ono square one Insertion $1 00; each sub sequent iuneriion 50 oents. One column,one year . •• $100.00 One column, hix months 50 00 One column, three mot tlw 35 00 Half column, one year 60 00 Half column, six months 30 00 Half column, three mouths 20 00 Quarter column, one year 30 00 Quarter column, six months 20 00 Quarter oolumn, three months 12 00 Communications of a political character, ci art oles written in alvocnoy or defense of tne claims of aspirants for office, 16 cents per line. Announcement of Candidates $5 00. TfflS PAPER ESI, News*rape* Advkrtwko Rokkao (10 Spruce SB l ’.sstf5 NEW YORK. be moils for it in IlhW I <1818x1 Legla Advertisements Will be inserted at the following rates Sheriff sales, per square $3 50 Sheriff's mortgage sales .6 00 Application for letters of administration 4 00 Application for letters of guardireship. 4 00 DismiHsinu from administration 6 00 Dismission from g*i urdianship 6 00 For leave to sell laud.. .4 00 Application lor homestead 4 0«i Notice to debtors and creditors 4 00 hale of real estate by administrators, ex eon t irs and guardians, pei eqnar.' 3 00 Sale of perishable property, ten days.. ..2 Of Estray notice*. 80dav» uo. All bills for advertisings this paper are due on ill 1 first I'.ppcnra.iP- oi the uitverthe- msut w il br presented when the r."-ney is needod. THE BUTLER HERALD XV. X. BJ..W. Edit. r iuu! LullsUsr. Buowuutso:. i’uu..: SI UJ. l'i»u Axsrtnt TUESDAY MAY S7l!i IK9. » A Strafe. Stovy. Ah Told l:y n Via.lif t flier. lb has.bern a.-seitv.i that Dan \cm1i)U was tho''ol-.ost uml most cruel bushy''hacker in Virginia . (liii ng the war. Wiir-ii General Sheridan entereil the Slictmiuloah Valley some of our ’f.im^ora run- sucked the house occtii i11 by Mrs Vernon, others stold all the poul try mid live stork, »ud when the third set came along there .was u tragedy. Dan was in the Confed erate ranks up the valley, and hif wife and four children were left in a bad situation. They had uofoon in the h< use when hungry foragers demanded a meal, and not a live thing had been lett on the farm. The woman, despairing and des perate, made a tierce personal at tack on the men who had eutered her house, and in the struggle a gun was discharged aud the heavy ounce ball kill <1 two of her cliil dren as they clung to her skins. The foragers wore no better thau thieves in th)s instance, and had the official attempt to discovei their identity beeu succ-s-ful they would have lec-ivei just punish* ratnt.Acts thatt houldforever curse the perpetrators were often com initted by foragers unknow to offi cials in authority and this was one of them. * The woman left the murdered children on the floor and fled with the others up the valley, and * her foot-steps had scarcely grown cold when the avenger of her wrongs appeared and demanded blood for blond—and more. Dan Vernon was permitted to leave the ranks to become a.destroying angei. The childieu were buried under a cher ry tree in the yard by our men, but no hand wiped up the dark nnd terrible blood status on the larrn-honse floor. The husband crept into the desolate house three i nights after the burial, and dipping his fingers into the undried blood, he swore to rest not, but to kill and destroy as lung as life was left him. 1 do not know what Dan Vernon was wheri he lett his home to be come a Confederate soldier, but 1 do know that when he returned to it as an avenger h«* had no more mercy in his heart than a tiger. We heard from him at once. A scouting party riding up,,£be val ley lost its captain and fWo men by successive shots from a Henry rifle, and the mao who fired on them escaped through the woods. That bight a vidette was struck from his horse and his throat cut. Next day a teamster was killed. In one week’s time Dap Vernon hud killed thirteen men.. He left no wounded behind him. When he fired jt was With deadly aim, and the victim Went down with •oarcely a cry from his lips. A refugee who game in, gave •s Mich details of Dan as we did \ot Kuo v, and when it was known ! mt lie was bushwhacking, our livauoc Semite were detailed to hunt hi in dow/i. They pursued h u. t» v iin.- Knowing every acre of ground in the Valley, he uoti-n ly eluded pursuit, but many of the men ■ ur.uieiug him never came had: to ns. If th^ir bodies were fouu n bullet hole was proof that Da* Vo: aon had added anot her to his list. In four weeks lie had scor d thirty-four victims, and fi r aging nnd scouting parti* s dread ed that >>ne man more tlmu a whole cgiinent of Early’s army. lie would murder a picket ut 0 p »i t. during the night, nnd * oxi day bushwhack a troop ten rules aw ay, and moved with the stealth of a tiger. No man ever gave an alarm after knowing of iiis presence. Weil, what I Het out to tell was how we captured Dan one fine day, and how sitigularly he escaped. Partita were continually hunting him without success, while our party one day fouqd him without seaiching. About’fifty of us were tin-own forward one day from the picket post to a new positiou just deserted by the enemy. Included in this new territory was a log house, supposed to be deserted, but when we came to investigate the case we found a man curled up and asleep on a rude bed in the corner. He had gone to sleep within the Confederate lines, and when he awoke the blue-coats were about and beyond him. Who the prisoner was no one seamed to care, but it was the ac cepted opinion that he whs no more than a private soldier, and I was detailed to guard him until he could be sect back to head quarters. The man betrayed no alarm when aroused from sleep. As far as we could see he was un armed, and wheo the boys joked him on his capture he coolly re plied: “Well, it ain’t nothing to weep over, I wan gitting party tired of this thing, anyhow.” 1 had a fair look at the man’s face, and 1 found something there to puzzle and startle me. One day I had picked up in the camp the picture of a man dressed in citizens clothes. It seemed to be that of a farmer, but the face was one to be ,.d tat her, panting tor vengeance, lemembsred. As I satin theopeu door of the house, carbine across^ my knees, and looked into the face of our prisoner, it came to me aM at once that it was his face I had seen in the picture. There was n great change in some particulars, but yet I confidently inquired: “You had your picture taken by of Lynchburg?” “Yes," he replied. “Was the case of red morocco?” “It was. M Then the picture I had found in camp must have beeu stolen from his house by foragers and after wards thrown away. The man b»oked at me as if ready to answer further questions but I had none to put-just then. I was wonder ing at thucm ions coincidence wheu he sat up on his bed, looked me square in the eye and said: “1 am Dan Vernon, the bush whacker, and I killed one of your men last night before turniug in nere 1” “Dan Vernon!” I repeated after him. “Yes. It's a good joke on vour coruru<l38, who took me for a scrub «. ldier.” I whs so taken by surprise that I could not utter a woid. He was Ouol as ice, however, and he con tinued: “It would give Sheridan great joy to string mo up or see me shot, but my time isn’t come yet. I shall bo going pretty soon.” Now, that.was pretty cool talk considering that I was there t*> guard him and had my carbine ready for a shot, with fifty com rades within hull, but he went on: “1 have my rifle under the straw, aud could have shot you long ago I didn't want to, however, 1 feel good nat.ured this morning, and you need not fear no harm.” “One cry from me will alarm the whole post,” 1 managed to ic- mark. “IV-ohl Let/s hear you yell out oucei” Our eyes met. There was noth ing malicious in his, but they put a strange spell on me. His voice too, had a strange, tender influ ence, and when he asked me t<* toss him my canteen of water and haversack of food Iobeved without the least hesitation. He took sev eral swallows from the canteen, and as he chewed away at the food he remarked: “This is pretty good fare for a hungry man. As 1 can’t stay hero to eat it all I shall beg the favor of carrying the rest with me." He was looking into my eyes, and I could not force my lips to utter a word of objection. “I hear that Sheridan has offer ed a reward tor me, but no one will ever earn it,” he said, as he drank again. fie was not fifeen feet from my carbine, and 1 was thinking how suroly I could hit him, when our eyes met and he said: “No use tryingl If you want to shoot me blaze away, but I tell you, you can’t hit me.” We looked at each other for half a minute, and I felt my car bine slipping from my grasp to the ground outside. My fingers had no strength to hold it. Dan laughed in a dry way and said: “Why don’t you shoot?” “You shall never leave thle place slive!” I said in answer, but I hardly recognized my own voice, “Pooh!’' he carelessly replied, “I am ready to leave now,! I shall go out ot this door here, and you will sit right where you are!” I was looking full at him, and to save ray life I couldn’t move hand or foot. Each limb felt as numb as if asleep. “Well, old boy, good bye to ... „ „ • | n , *ii «• groped Ins way bao< to the chamber you, Mild Dan an he picked up hi« rifle from the straw, and in nnoth- aged 13, lifted him out of the window. He did not know what was below. He could see nothing, but he trusted that he would be able to drop the boy with less danger than there would be in the room. The boy got upon the window sill, and the father pushed him off in to the bunk of suioko. Then the father er minute ho was out of fight. I wan sit ting there, mouth open nnd ♦ yes fixed on vacancy when a com- tmle came dowu from the picket- pod;, shook me by the shoulder and cried out: “A nice nmn you are, fast asleep and your prisoner gftuel” Was 1 asleep? No. Was it a dream? No. But the prisoner was gone.—There was talk of a court- martial in my ca*e, but it never occurred, as the prisoner was sup posed to be only some common “Johnnie Reb.” Had it been kuown that my man wus the fa mous bushwhacker I should have been taken out and shot for per mitting h in to escape. I permit- *ed him, ami yet I didn’t. I was ms help'eRs as if without power oi muscle That night when he crept in on a picket aud stabbed him to thbheart 1 worn! red if the poro victim first saw those straege, wild magnetic eyes glaring into his to deprive him of even power to ask for uiercy.—[Detroit Free Dross. Leaping For Life. The Thrilling Escape of a Fami ly from a Burning House. [From tlio New York 5un.] Olficer Davis, of the Church street police, saw, as he passed the store of Bciijaiuiu Gross, 213 Greenwicli street, at 11:30 last evening, a puff of smoke that was followed by flame, near the door. He gave an alarm with his club, and in u minute the firemen who were on patrol were on the spot. Even in that short interval, the whole building was enveloped in smoke, und flames shot from the doors and windows in a way tliat •ndicatud that the fire had been burning some time. The firemen gave an alarm, hut before the steamer came there appeared a head at one of the windows on the Ve>ey street side. The smoke was so thick that no one could make out whether a man or woman was there, but it was some one shout ing for help. A gust of wind swept the smoke away for an in- staut. Mr. J. H. YVellbiock, who keeps a saloon at 05 Vesey street, recognized the person as Benj. Davids, who lives with his family over the corner store at Vesey and Greenwich streets. “Help me; bring a ladder for my wife and children/’ Mr, Da vids screamed. Just then a sheet of flame seem ed to cover Mr. David's head, and Mr. Well brock thought be must be burned to death. He* brought a step ladder from his saloon and placed it under the window, but it was much too short; and be- -ides, the framework, upon which a butcher, who has a stall there, hangs his meat, interfered. It seem ed as if Mr. Davids and his fami ly must perish. His wife, a servant, Catharine Doyle, and six children were in the tenement. Mr. Davids groj>od his way into the children’s bed-room, and all but one were asleep. He awoke them, and first Irkiug his boy, Jacob, and took the oldest boy, Morris, aged, 16. Morris quailed when he looked be low, but his father made him jump. Without waiting to see what the two sons fate was Davids rushed back. He found his wife and servant, who were almost stupefied by fear. He told them to go to the window xml jump. They hesitated. He insisted that it was their only chance, and said that they could not have any choice if they waited ma ny minutes more. Then he went for the other children, and did not see his wife and servant again until he was led to their cots in Chambers Street Hospital. He took the other children one by one, and threw them from the window. Then he thought of himself* he said afterward, and he jumped, too, and landed safely on the sidewalk. Even then he did not know how badly he was injured himself. He found that his son, Morris, was badly injured in the hip by the fall, and that one of Ja cob’s legs was broken. Catharine Doyle the servaut, who jumped, was bruised and slightly cut by one of the botch*t’s hooks. His wife was the most dan gerously injured of all. Her body caught on a butcher’s hook, and she was terribly lacerated. Davids, face and hands began to mart, but ho did’not quite realize that he was burned until his wounds were dressed. His face was terribly scorch ed, his hair and whiskers and eyebrows singed, and his bauds blistered. There is apprehension also that he may have breathed the smoke. Important It a II road Circular. There was considerable sensa tion created in railroad circles Sat urday by the report that an im portant circular had been issued in reference to the future manage ment of the Montgomery and Eu- faula Railroad, recently purchased by Col. W. M. WadJey. Upon inquiry we ascertained that a cir cular had been issued, sigDed “W. M. Wadley, Proprietor of the Montgomery and Eufaitia Rail road,” announcing W. G. Raoul, Esq., Superintendent, with head quarters at Macon. Edward McIn tyre, Treasurer, with headquarters at Savannah, and abolishing the offices of General Ticket and Mas ter of Transportation, and “cut ting off the heads” of other sub ordinates.—Savannah N*ws. Silent Influence. It is the budding spring which flows gently, the little rivulet which runs along, day and night by the farm house, that is useful, rather than the swden flood or warning cataroot. Niagara ex cites our wonder and we stand there i amazed at the power and greatness of God, as He “ponied it from the hollow of his hand.” But ouo Niagara-is enough for the continent or world, while the same world requires thousands and tens of thousands of silver fountains and gently flowing rivulets, that water eve ry farm and meadow and garden, and that shall flow on every day and night with their gentle, quiet beauty. So with the aots of our lives. If. is not by great deeds like those of the martyrs i li at good is to l>e done; it is by the daily and quiot virtues of life—the meek foibcarui.ee, the spirit of forgive* ness in the Husband, the wife, the fa ther, U|e mother, the brother, the sis ter, the-friend, the ueighbor—that It is