New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1862-07-26


advised Of the enterprise by some loyal people Oh 'ne
neighhorbood, sent q detachment Of he men, who
fell upon the ne,t in sasbing sye, KING TWO, anu
capturing several.
Bill zEnrrer's Eand-Tho Country nhd sis
Peopie-" Nsccasin Esangors'-C"ps"in
Ragas and his srnise Hunt"rs'-
Their Ar,ns, i',cir "UsiiGsTm,' and sie'F
Driii-grenking RANKS, and Fe"'
ing in-Tunishmens-sc sp'cs' ano
GuiicH.
| Correspondence Of Ths n. Y. Tribune.
CLAHssBuEG July 20, 1881
The entire Guerrilla organization IN The counties o.
Tucker, Barbour, and Randolph. is supposed TO be
under the mann cement and subject to the orders, Oh
nan ramed Bill Harper, OF Tucker, where 10
owns fine farm Just above ST. George, on tie Cheat
River. lie has always been restless desperate,
and in the conoenia element which Ibis war affords
hin, he has Cone out strong" AT present he Ii
laid 10 be leading in person party Of from seventy
five TO a hundred picked men, Whose j"Yore hanh's
are ia the Cusat Mountains.
On tie l4ih 81 Aat me 9Th Harper made descent
upon party OF Union men who had assembled az
nowlniercs,, IN Eabdoilh County. for tue purpose
Of forming Home Guard. llc killed one, wounded
three calinred fourteen hoTses, with their saddles
| holds again before the alarm could be given. Since
then but htile is knoUD of his movements. de-
tdehneut of Capt. Joseph VI. Godvlns company OF
tie 9TH Virginia Regiment from Oakland, together
with a detail OF C-pr. Hall rnen from Cheat River,
were orqer,d on The i2,h Of june 10 the mouth vi
,be Dry fork Of Cheat, to scout Tor llsrpers fellows,
Lut returned " lout having at any tine got ON the
-cent; wherever they went they were met always
with tie same story Harper was abontIity miles
un."
Among Union officers who are not familiar with
The country the very natural impression prevails
at Harper il protected, III fear OF favor, by the
secesh aid bcgus Union people of bio region; but
those vino know well the Typographical diiiellles
of the country are agreed upon II different theory.
They Fay that the natives OF the Harper Depar'-
| ment-Secesh and Union alike-stand IN mortal ter
| for oil the man. and would unanimously rejoice III
his capture; but they arc u mot uDcouth people,
profound in their Ignorance, and hstless IA to ali
hat concerns the world o. valleys and towns, and
| truGe-they neither know, nor wish to know, any
thing; all their care IL - eat AID sleep, ana be let
alone As for their country, 1t Is region OF sou
iudes and inaccessible Businesses Of lonely huts and
Wild bride paths and lean patches, few aud tar be-
| tween OF garuen ground dozen eggs, balanced
upon their butts, would accurately represent The
face OF il. Yet 10 llarV.r men there same sohtudes
aud businesses aud bride paths are as familiar ~ TO
the deer whore free bones thcy are Harper Dlin'
self has been great beIlsnsn and breeder Of cat
lie, and hls occn alton Las led him. year by year. in
tue footsteps of the deer and % the very nests Of
tho wild ,urkoys. No wonder that the primitive
and ignorant mountainous never heerd OF the
man" only know that :" he WIS mere, and Ia gone,
thank God - Tie signal ii bts that from to time,
have been seen Is Grafton, arc UNIQUE sionable
fa.hes Of the IIarperian genius.
But Harprr's guerrillas, aud their delectab
alice the - Moccasin Rangers" Were for months
" chased with Il sharp stick" by an equally eccen-
iric local orealiz,tion, known as Snake-hunters"
Ihe-e were slalwsrt rugged ioresters, uounlaneers
aud "orginal bgckw 0odsmeD -shrewd, wary, and
daring. a. they were athletic aid ao,ive-feet OF
foot imble climbers, and perfect III Tie use OF knre
and Gun. They were ENLISTED al Wheeling, and
mustered into the Union service there, under that
most hal-horse bali alligator
tnrtle-est If human beings since the demise Of the
hm,nted Col. David Crockett, Capt. Bsggs, who
beat every county III Western Virginia Tor
the rigbi breed, and rent them 70 Wheeling
h- s, ns be found them TO he licked into The shape
,roulrrd TO constitute q snake hunter IN good stand
ing They were recruited for mountain service, ana
were usua " kept OF the trail Of grerrlles, aud for
other indep enterprises but when attached to
An ARMY their bu-in.s ~ WAS to "trot" IN the ex-
IRENE 'front.' in the capacity OF guides, scouts, and
-pies. For while they were with RosecraL1
Army Of the kauawba and Gauley, and camo often
in contact there with their Rebel rivals, the Moe
oas.iD Rangers.
A. to their arms, the only peculiar feature be-
eve Wa their variety, each separate snake-hunter
being AT liberty To indulge hs fancy, aud eonsuit bis
early habi r. the rai ing of hs hand and eye IN tho
choice Of his weapons. But in their "toggery"
everything was peculiar magnificent contempt for
Uniform distinguished them, and motley was their
only WEAR no two got up alike, and rarely dtI
the accomplished snakehunter permit hi.seli 10 be
,een TWO days in succession on parade az their eX-
iraoriinary syrtem of tactics included such dandy
isHl in the same eccentric combination OF " dude.
Bat most peculiar OF all was their drill. Every
movement was accomP ished on the double-qtncA or
III run. They Acknowledged no common hme,
and n reduced 10 Il dead march they would surely
have murinied. This, for instance. was Capt. Braggs
very ore inal style of Diminishing hi company:
"Put away them thar blasted old guns, and be
id to you'll! m
Which, being interpreted, is Stack arms J.
"NOw 10 Your holes, you ugly rata, and don't let
me see you again nil want you!
Which, being reduced TO the Hardee Vernacuiar,
means " Break rants-aarchp
Ezsunf Snake Hunters, on the run. with grand
9ireytssement Of whools, yells, and squeals inter
.persei with hfe-like limitations OF birds and beasts.
Once yhen the Snake Hunters were detailed TO
guard rome stores between Paramount and Beverly,
two elaborate gentlemen from PHILADELPHIA, VINO
were making tour OF that country, had the good
fortune 10 witness their very original style OF ami,
and al the cose Of the performance invited Captain
Bays TO take a drink in aneigbbOrlng rumcry. As
the tin-cups were laid out one Of them expressed MS
astouishment not 10 say admirntioD OF his peculiar
II Vie OF dlsinis,ng (which looked TO him very mum
like stampede" and was curious to know where
ia the world they were all gone to, and how the
Cap ain expected 10 get them back If he should want
them IN y hurry. Baggs replied that the process
wa. rather difficult to explain but II they Jest
let that ere rum wait u minute he show EN-
wbereuron going TO the door, he fired three barrels
of his revolver The echo Of the third report was
still lingering among the chiih when every blessed
Snake Hunter burst into the bar-roon with whole
n,cnaqerie Of roars and squeals and hee'baws, and
without question or apology called for tincups. The
cemonftra,ion of Captain Bsggss style of " falling
in cost he elaborate gentlemen from Philadelphia
Il i've dollars.