Lamoille newsdealer. [volume] (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1860-1877, 1862-10-10

easy while he lived. Well then the lead
er took out a paper for me to sign. |
read far enough to see that it was pa
per, pledging the lives, fortunes, and sa-
cred honor Of myself, wife and children,
for the support of jeff Davis rebellion. l
returned it, saying, | never would turn
rebel. The captain tried to pull me with
them by the arm, saying, come, be one
of us,-I like the looks of your eye, /
know you are just the kind of man for our
work. Come, and your family and prop
erty shall all be safe, but if you refuse,
look out" | replied "you may take all |
have, even the shirt off my back, but |
never will join you" Well" said the
leader, you are so open and honest with
us, and have made little resistance that
we wont trouble you with the hick-
ory bark this time, but if you or any
of you are found here tomorrow at ten
o'clock, you may then get it." | prom
ised we would 60, and they soon rode
away, taking with them eleven of my fat
steers, my span of horses, and double
wagon with the box hcaping full of ham
and bacon The next morning early we
ate our last breakfast there, and started
on foot Oh ! that was the most trying
hour of my life, to leave my beautiful
prairie farm and valuable luildings,
which for years called home, and wan
der out beggar, from my own door. We
soon passed the mantion Of my wealthy
neighbor, Reed. His mother the bitter
old secesh hag hoobled down the garden
walk to the gate and screamed, &" leave,
you cussed abolitionist, leave, you never
was wanted here" ] had already had
all | could bear. Perfectly maddened, |
leveled my pistol at her, but my wife
prevailed over me not to shoot
We walked eight miles, when we found
a Union man who had not been robbed,
so we loaded our families into his two
double-wagons and drove into Iowa before
night. joined the State Guards-got a
rife, and was furnished a job of scouting
that same night. Filling my pockets with
crackers, | took another course, and went
on little private excursion of my own,
| had tough time Of it before | could
accomplish my ends. | walked that night
to the housosof my man Reed, some 25
miles, and made great light there, so |
could see all around. to search for Reed.
| saw the men and women run naked out
of the burning house to the bush, and |
shot two of the men, hoping that Reed
might be one, but were only his slaves. |
hid in the woods by day and hunted for
Reed by night. The next night went to
his brothers house and made another
great light and looked for Reed, but he
was not there ] left no buildings on ell
ther of those farms.
Then knew not what to do. | lay in
wait about his ruined place some days.
At last, one night selected good hid
ing place on a road that was much travel
led, and watched for him. | lay patient
ly watching each travellers face as they
passed close to my lair, till about 4 PM,
when he came riding by on splendid
saddle horse he had once bought of me.
| knew escape was impossible if | shot
him then, SO let him pass as | had got bis
direction. How did | support myself 50
long without food, say you ?-Ah stran-
ger, a man in that frame of mind thinks
little of eating and sleeping.
Well, after dark | went to the house of
a friend OF his, and TO be sure Oh MS
presence, went to the stable where |
found the horse, who knew his old mas
ter, and ncighed. | saddled him and
rode up to the fence before the house, and
called for Reed. Six or seven men came
out and stood by the door. Come out
to the gate, Mr. Reed" said /, Il have
some business with you" He came with
in about ten feet of me, when raised my
rifle and shot him dead, shouting at the
same time "Ihere, take that, I've hunted
you long enough !" The woods were
hardly spoken, before four guns were fred
at me, one after another, but they missed
their aim. | ran the horse for life, and