Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1862-10-15
The Fiendish Murder Of VIM. 81. White
bY the Dutch Cavalry of Illinois.

by the Dutch Cavalry of Illinois.
Editors Memphis Appeal:-From ths
lips of the terror. stricken, heart broken wife
herself, I have just heard a sad recital o.
the incidents connected with the murder o.
VIM. H. White, near Horn Lake Depot
Desoto County, Mississippi, on Friday, the
9TH instant. s -.
Her statement is succiDct and clear, anc
the leading facts are impressed on her mem
ory as with pen of fire. She is the daugh
ter of an estimable citizen of this place, hae
been married less than year, and The
young couple were living with the hus
bands mother, the widow White, on the
county road leading from Memphis to Her.
nando-about equi-distaut from the two
places, and about mile or 80 from the Horn
Lake Depot of the Mississippi and Tennes
see Railroad ...-.
On Thursday, the 4th of September, some
Federal cavalry had passed down from
Memphis to Hernaudo, and about twenty
of them returned on Friday, reaching the
widow Whites about l o'clock, p. m. They
stopped for water, when they were inform
FED that there was we'll just on the road
side about half mile further on. They
proceeded, and when about half way to the
we'll, were fred on by some of our partisan
rangers The lieutenant commanding the
company, and some four or five others were
killed, while the rest of the Federals fled
in all directions. Mr.. White was not al
home at the time, and had never belonged
to any military organization, though he was
making his arrangements to join compa'
ny Of rangers in few days.
About sunset, some two or three compa.
uies of Col. Grierson's Illinois regiment,
under command of Capt Bycourt arrived
at Mrs. Whites, from Memphis, and in
quired for Mr. White, alleging that he was
among those who shot the Federals in the
morning, and that if he could be found he
should die.
This was stated to the wife and mother
and to two other young ladies of the vicin-
ity who were at Mrs. Whites. About this
time, Mr.. White, who had seen this large
force step at his house, and feared some
rudcness to the ladies there, came up, in
order to pacity the Federals if it could be
done. They instantly seized him and pro-
claimed their intention ia Kill him. He
protested his innocence, declaring that he
knew nothing of the matter until it was
over, and that he had never belonged to
any military company.
His assertions were treated with cool con.
tempt, and he was told be must die. His
wife and mother entrcated, begged, implo-
red knelt in agony at the feet of these
heartless ruffians, but woman's prayers and
tears were of no avail.
\ citizen, who was prisoner, and who
was observant of most that passed during
that terrible scene, states that Capt Bycourt
said that there had been time when wo.
mans tears and pleadings would have been
with him, but that now he
could willingly see every uan, woman and
child, in the South, killed
When the order was given to shoot Mr..
White, some dozen caps went off, but the
pistols hung fire. He then started to es-
cape. He was near the yard gate, when
some one of the crowd by whom he was
passing, shot him in the left breast, near
the shoulder. He ran down the road pur-
sued by a number of the enemy; and soon
after he reached the woods, half dozen
shots we're heard. In the meantime, these
brutcs ordered the females not to 60 after
him, threatening to shoot them if they did
50 Dutch soldiers presented their pistols
and made the wretched wife and mother
stand within the light made by the flames
then leaping up from their home. House,
kitchen and out-houses were all soou In
ashes, and these poor women forced to stand
and see this crowning act of vandalism.
When the order was given to fire the house,
they had been permitted to take a change
of clothes, tied up in little bundles but
even this was subsequently refused, and