The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1865-11-17

to our assistance: the wind seemed al
most by Il miracle to subSide; the house
was saved, and the trembling females
thanked God for theirdeliverance. All
this time, about 100 mounted men were
looking on, refusing to raise hand to
help us; laughing at the idea that no
efforts of ours could save the house from
the flames.
Mr.. Hutter, allow me to ask you who
are the most criminal? the men who
are rejoicing that house was to bebur-
ned, and women and children be de-
prived of a shelter and a home, and
driven into the woods, or he who SLAM
ders an aged clergyman of his own
Church, and would bring down upon
him the odium of all good men, when
he had it fully in his power to ascertain
that the whole invention was an infa-
NOUS SANDER, concOcted by the mean,
the worthless, and the malicious, for
the purpose of getting office and mon
ey?
My trials, however, were not yet o.
yer. | had already suffered much in a
pecuniary point of view. | had been
collecting a library on Natural History
during a long life. The most valuable
of these books had been presented by
various Societies in England, France,
| Germany, Russia, &C., who had honor
ed me with membership, and they or
the authors presented me with these
works which had never been for sale,
and could not be purchased. My her
! barium, the labor of myself and thela-
dies of my house for many years, was
also among these books. | had left
them as a legacy to the library Of the
Newbury College, and concluded to
send them at once. They were detain-
ed in Columbia, and there the torchWas
applied, and all were burned. The
stealing and burning of books appear
ed to beOneOf the programmes on which
the army acted. Ihad assisted in lay
ING the foundation and dedicatiug the
Lutheran Church at Columbia, and
there, near its walls, had recently been
/ laid the remains of one who was dearer
| to me than life itself. To set that brick
church on fire from below was impos-
sibIe. The building stood by itself on
a square but little built up. One OF
! Sherman's burners was sent up to the
roof He was seen applying the torch
! to the cupola. The church was burned
to the ground, and the grave of my
loved one desecrated. The story circu-
lated that the citizens had settheir own
| city on fire, is utterly untrue, and only
reflects dishonor ON those who Vilely
perpetrated it. General Sherman had
hil army under control The burning
was by his orders, and ceased when he
gave the command.
/ | was now doomed to experience in
person the effects of avarice and barba-
rous cruelty. These robbers had been
informed in the neighbOrhOOd that the
family which l was protecting had bu-
ried 100000 in gold and silver. They
first demanded mywatch, which | had
effectually secured from their grasp.
! They then asked me where the money
had been hid. l told them [ knew
nothing about it, and did not believe
that there was a thousand dollars worth
in all-and what there was had been
carried off by the owner, Col. Cash.
All this was literally true. They then
concluded to try an experiment on me
which had proved so successful in hun
dreds of other instances. COOlly and
deliberately they to intlict tor
ture on a defenselesS, gray-headed old
man. They carried me behind a stable,
and once again demanded where the
money was buried, or ~ should be sent
to hell in five minutes" They cooked
their pistols and held them TO my head.
l told them to fire away. One of them,
"a square-built, broad-faced, large-mouth
ed clumsy Lieutenant, who had the face
of a demon, and who did not utter five
words without an awful blasphemy,
now kicked me in the stomach, until
fell breathless and PROSTATE. As soon
as | was able, | rose again. He once
more asked me where the silver was.
| answered as before, do not know"
With his heavy, elephant foot, he now
kicked me on my back until | fell a.
gain. Once more / arose, and he put
the same question to me. / was nearly
breathless, but answered as before.
Thus was | either kicked or knocked
down seven or eight times. | thentOld
him it was perfectly useless for him to
continue his threats or his blows. He
might shoot me if he chose. | was
ready and would not bulge an inch
but requested him not to bruise and
batter an unarmed, defenseless old
man. "Now," said he, 81 will try q
new plan. How would you like to
have both arms cut OFF," He did not
, wait for an answer, but, with his heavy
sheathed sword, struck me on my left
arm, near the shoulder. l heard il
, crack; it hung powerless by my side
, and supposed it was broken. Hether
repeated the blow on the other arm
The pain was excruciating, and it wa:
several days before l could carve my