The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-06-22
A Personal Adventure.

| correspondent of the Wheeling h,selige,,cer
writing from Philadelphia gives the folowip,
account OF an interesting personal adventure
| which is not without its romantic touches.
| Occasionally we hear of incidents in the CIR
| hict going on around US that remind one nf ~
adventurous deeds of the revolution. or som
such have been hearing some Outline for y da,
or two past. They relate partially to the JJnioi
prisoner found in the jai! at Philippi and releas
ed oy the capture OF that place last Monday,
| learn that man named Leonard Clark, who i
| wen known ana knows the country welD in tn,
surrounding counties, rendered his services a.
parkersburg as scout to the Colonel of the 14tL
ONO regiment and was accepted. He is an atb
letlc, muscular, determined and daring man. ani
would ike nothing better than the perilous nd
venture upon which he entered 1t appears tba,
accompanied by Myers, who ia younp man and
German from Clarksburg, he reached the
neighborhood of Phliippi on the Saturday he.
fore the attack. They passed the outside nick.
ets without observation, and were getting alons
very successfully in picking up little bits of use.
iui information which they found living about
loose. But boldness getting theabetter of dis.
cletoh they app cached too near the town and
suddenly came upon party of Dragons. The
ooos were TOO great against them, and being
mounted they wheeled their horses and endeav'
at them as they ran. The balls whistled around
their heads, several passing through Clark's hat
out doing no other damage. They dashed mad.
~ on, pursuers and pursued. One of the horse.
men came close up to Clark and he wheeled and
ahot MN dead with revolver. Another came
up and seized him by the left arm. He instantly
turned the revolver and shot off the hand at the
wrist. And another and more appalling danger
was upon them. In the madness of the chase
they had not anticipated what might be ahead
when they suddenly came upon squad of nick
cts, who comprehending the scene cveled their
guns and fired at the advancing fugitiyes. The
balls passed harmlessiy by the men, but Clark's
ho,se aiter running about fifty yards reared up
and fell dead, he had been shot in the .rsa W
Clark Immediately dashed into a tb,cket where
the cavalry could not follow and for limo elud,
ed his pursuers. Myers was taken. carried nr;s.
ener to Phiilppi and council held at once 70
determine his fate. Two Of his fellow townsmen
VINO were present., Bob. Johnson and George
Lurty, urged that he should be hung at once and
without mercy, but Bill Cooper, another of his
toWnsmen. succeeded in having it nostnoned nm
III the following Monday morning at s o'clock
Myers was at once incarcerated in the Jail and
nothihg saved him but the attack and fight of
Mohaay morning, at a moment which left but
aouo' al hour intervening between him and the
- Jogiui souu0 lllueeQ was the roar of
the hrst gun on the heavy morning air to that
man who expected nothing but that in few
pref moments he would be launched into eterni.
W, and bangle stltfened corpse from the gal
lows tree. Beautiful upon the mountains
were the feet of those who brought him deliver.
ance from SO horrible fate and what must have
been his emotions of gratitude to his rescuers
and an overriding Providence on finding himself
from the jaws of death.
Alter the capture of Myers, Clark undertook
10 make his escape by keeping the woods The
cavalry could not follow him, but the pickets
and party of infantry which was jmmedatcIv
seEt alter him kept up hot pursuit. He was
known to them and they strained every nnryo
to effect his capture They scattered in all al,
rections, and frequently had him surrounded
20 that he was obliged to lie concealed Who'll
hours at a time. Several times when tins no,
conquered he crawled like an Indian for = ,-e.t
distance to evade observation For about dav |
.hd night the pursuit was kept up, and / suf.
cred terribly from hunger and thirst. But life
vas at stake, and merciiess foes around hi,
Al length he succeeded in making good his es.
ape and arrived at Pennington, where he was
'nce more among friends whose establishment at
is apPearance-his hat gone, his shoes worn IN
,ieces, and his clothes tattered and torn-he re.
leved by relating to them the hardsbips and
'eriis through which he had passed. His ofic-
al report is now at headquarters here. | know
othing OF the contents, but have CLEANED the
oregoing from a brother of his who was here
his morning.