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

A correspondent of the Wheeling i,,sell;geucer.
writing from Philadelphia, gives the following
account OF an interesting personal adventure
which is not without its romantic touches:
Occasionally we hear of incidents in the ccn
met going on around US that remind one of tho
adventurous deeds of the revolution. OF soma
such have been hearing some outlipe for = 6o .
or TWO past They relate partially to the Union
prisoner found IN the Jail at Phllippi and releas.
eu oY the capture OF that place last Monday,
learn that Il man named Leonard Clark who 10
well known land knows the country weIh in Tho
surrounding counties, rendered his services at
farkersburg as scout to the Colonel of the 14tb
oLio regiment and Was accepted He san 18th.
ie'ic, muscular, determined and daring man. and
~ouid Ike nothing better than the perlous nd.
venture upon which he entered. It annears that
accompanied by Myers, who Is Young man and
German from Clarksburg, he reached the
neisnoorhood of Phillippi on the Saturday he.
1o'e the attack They passed the outside pick.
ets without observation, and were getting along
very successfully in picking up little bits of use
,ul Information which they found lying about
loose. But bodness getting the better of dis
erection they approached too near the town and
suddenly came upon party of dragoons. The
oads were too great against them, and being
mounted they wheeled their horses and endeav.
ored TO escape The dragons gave chase, firing
at them as they ran. The balls whistled around
their heads, several passing through Clurk's hat
put dong no other damage. They dashed mad
u ON, pursuers and pursued. One of the horse.
men came close up to Clark and he wheeled and
shot him dead with a revolver. Another came
up and seized him by the left arm. He instantly
turned the revolver and shot oil the hand at the
"riss. AND another and more appalling danger
was upon them, In the madness of the chase
tneV had not anticinate1 hot I'D.
when they suddenly came upon squad of pick
cts, who comprehending the scene lcveled their
guns and fired at the advancing fugitiyes. The
balls passed harmlessly by the men, but Clark,s
morse after running about fifty yards reared nm
and fell dead, he had been shot in the hraaS,p
Clark Immediately dashed into a tb,cke. whore
the cavalry could not follow and for a time elud.
co MS pursuers. Myers was taken, carried nris.
9her 10 fhiilippi and a council held at once to
oe'er'hihe MS fate Two of his fellow townsmen
VINO were present., Bob. Johnson and GEORGE
,.;.t s, urseo 1hat ne should be hung at once and
without mercy, but Bill Cooper, another of his
townsmen. succeeded in having it postnoned nm.
VI the following Monday morning at & o,clocL
Myers was at once incarcerated in the iaiI ond
no'i'ins saved nm but the attack and fight of
MONDAY morning, at moment which left bnt
ABOUT an hour intervening between him and the
eaiiows. joyful sound indeed was the roar of
."e nisS gun on the heavy morning air to that |
man VINO expected nothing but that in few
orief moments he would be launched into eterni-
W, and dangie stlffened 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
oeeh MS emotions OF gratitude to his rescuers
and an overriding Providence, on finding himself |
snatehed from the jaws of death.
After the capture of Myers, Clark undertook
10 make his escape by keeping the woods The
cavalry could not follow him, but the n;ckets
ana party of infantry which was jmmedotelv
'eLt alter him kept up hot pursuit, He was
Known to them and they strained every ncrve
% elect his capture. They scattered in al, al.
'ec,ons, and frequently had him surrounded
70 that he was obliged to lie concealed whoIc
iours at a time. Several times when TINS no.
conquered he crawled like an Indian for n great
distance to evade observation. For abopt do,
ma night the pursuit was kept up, and e suf.
efed terribly from hunger and thirst. But life
vas at stake, and merciess foes around b;n
~ length he succeeded in making good his es.
ape and arrived at Bennington, where he was
nee more among friends whose establishment Mt
rs apPearance-his hat gone, his shoes worn to
ieces, and his clothes tattered and torn-be re.
eved by relating to them the hardsbips and
erlis through which he had passed. His ofic.
II report is now at headquarters here. I know
olhing OF the contents, but have cleaned the
'regoing from brother of his who was here
his morning.