The Butler herald. (Butler, Ga.) 1875-1962, May 27, 1879, Image 1
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THE BUTLER HERALD.
PnlilUlied By
W. N. BENNS.
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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