The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-09-23

BIZ EDMUND KIRKE.

gated native approached me. He had thin
hsggAid face, taEny chin, and mass Of coarse
black hair, which fell around his neck Ike hemp
around mop handle. His butternut clothes
we're much the worse for wear, and torne in
many places; and the legs OF his partalooRs,
which made 10 effort 20 reach the coarse bro
gans that eucased his feet, disclosed a skin so
scratched and furrowed that it seemed to have
been gone over with harrow. had seen thou
sands Of his class, but there was a loox OF in
tense wildnese in his gray eyes, which moved in
their sockets with the unsteady glare Of Wild
beasts that involuntarily started anG turned
toward blm. Seeing my movement, he said in q
quiet, civil tone:
How'd ye do, stranger' Dye b'lOng yere =
No, sir
long ter the armyT II wore a suit of reg
lmenta blue minus brass buttOns.)
No, sir, I'm peace man
peace -Copperhead = aud his eyes
glared little more fercely than before
No, sir, not exactly that, but I let others DO
the fighting
" lie does. Well, slr, you uns is a cuss to
the county Ye orter be druv out uy hit The
man that wont fight nolr haint fit TO live"
You're right, my friend-sit down" aud |
motioned him to a seat beside me. He contn-
ued standing, evidently dsinclned to approach
any nearer TO man Of peace principles. Oh
serving this, l added
You misunderstood me-rm peace man, bat
! fight in nv way-with pen
ON, that's hitl well that de, ef We 90 hit
powerful strong"
And how do you fight,
Any how. The rebs'll tell ye that
Why, me an twelve right smart uns hes been
beatin' the bushes-keepin' the dssstrct cl'ar :;
f,n A
Oh, bushWhacking
Yes but had ter put out. rse gwne inter
the army now but must sell my mars fust
Dye ye know what Government paw for = right
smart chunk of mar'?'
A hundred and fifty dollars, | believe, is the
regular price
Tain huff for mine. They's powerful good
brutes and nv oOman'il hav nOthn' else, AT
she's sickly like
But if va 90 into the army you eau save some
OF your pay tor her
No, cant, I'll be shot feel hs-rse made
up my mind ter hit
A he said hi. he seated himself ia the chair
| had offered him, and stared at me with a wild
er, crazier look / saw that some terrible calsm-
ity had unsettled his intellect, and | said in a
sympsthizing tone
You're not well; you're not fit to 60 into the
army now"
Yes is sir-I kin fight as hard a. arg man
ye knows. pse a little worn out Jest nov, case
| have rid nigh Onter a hundred and fifty miles,
and had to tote my CONAN a powerful great
way
Where have you come from.'
Clay county; nigh onter Manchester. liv-
ed thar. Ise plumb from thar this evenin'.'
And were YOU driven away p
Yes sir druv ay-rObbed-h house'n burnt
every thing burnt; an my ole mother killed
killed I-kiled'
He beat his head while he spoke, and as he
repeated the last words, they seemed well nigh
to strangle him.
1t can't be possibler exclaimed, human
beings do not do such things
But they haint human beings; they're fens
devils from hell-from hell, sir -
know their passions are reused, but 1 ala
not think they killed wOnen'
They does, sir, I'll tell you bout it, and
grasping the arm of my chair, and leaning for
ward with his blazing, unsteady eyes looking in
to mine he told me the following story:
Bout mile from whar | belong, thar lived
a ole man by the name of Begley-Squire Beg
| lev, we called him, though he didn't own slaves.
He was nigh on to seventy, but right pert ole
| gentleman, an Union TO the core. Two of biz
boys, Sam an John, is in the army now-7th
| lOyal Kentuck. Well bout fortnight gone on
the mornin' ov the fifteenth uv April, three men
dressed up in Union close, came to the gentle
mans house an telled him they was rosnd rails
in company TO pat down the rebs that vas
pouring in ter the country. The ole man was
mighty pleased, an | reckon he vas unprudent
in his talk, for when they'd drawn him 0uT, they
said they was secesh soldiers Then he ordered
them to leave but they thrOttled him and drag
ged him of ter the edge of a branch about hall
a mile away and thar hung him to a limb Nv
tree. ole mig that was passn' along the road
heard the ole Squire's cries, as he begged them
to have mercy on his gray hairs and KNOWN
wus ter home, he put fur my house and teleC
me on it, | asked him ter tote my two mare
ter the bush, for | know'd there was more on 'en
round, and feared they'd be arter the nags, ant
then | put off ter save the ole man. | was to'
late. He was dead, and the Internal devils 90
nigh back to his house, meaning to steal his FIJI
lies and what plunder he had that could be to
ted. l followed them, ana as soon as came il
distance | dropped one on 'em. Then me ar
tothers tuck ahind trees an blazed away ter on
another fur mOre'n hour. | wing'd one, but
get ball YER showing an ugly wound in th
shoulder. Arter a while, six more on 'em ri
up the road an came al me. | seed it warn
no use, so put for the thick timber and 6nall
seem thoy couldn't catch me they gav up tn
chase.
4 know'd 'twoudn't do to 20 in sight u
home, so made long spell round ahind q bill
and put for the bushes whar thort the old da
key'd be with the mars 1t had got nigh onte
dark, an I'd grown powerful weak, on count
the blood I'd lost, 90 ! sot down and tried I
stop il. l hadn't sot thar long afore | thort
heard a woman screechn and looking round
seed my own wife. She'd just lost her bAb,
and hadn't been out of her bed for nigh montl
, but she'd cum six miles through the brush arte
me. She couldn't speak, but she brung me ov,
the hill and showed me nv house and barns
had in the world-a heap of ashes They
r burned 'em aud druv my sick wife and my o.
mother, who been oedrd for more'n two year
on, of doors
He paused moment, fand then in a slow, br
, ken voice, added
i That night she died. Died-thar in the dal
aud cOld-nothin' over her but the ole gop
that nv 'Oomsn helt over her ter keep the ra
of her face and when kneeled dowa thar
the ground ter hear her last words, | suor, s.
that I'd never rest till I'd drunk ther blood-tl
hearts blood Of every rebel in Kentuck tt
I next day the old dsrkery buried her l couldr
be thar They we're huntin me like Wild bea:
For more'n s week me an ny sick wife lay o
in the woods; but we're yere new, and all | a
: ia ter sell my mars, and get ny CONAN a sa
{ place, and then III give them what they've g
me-
# From various sources / afterwsrd received CO
. frmston of the natives story, but il need
! none; for in the fierce passion which blAzed
!. his eyes, and liz up his haggard face, there "
Il