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

dress could be obtained, but to geneF-
al in the neighborhood, said to be re-
! ligious man. Our horses and carriages
had all been taken away, and ! was too
much bruised to be able to walk. The
other young officers came cr0wding a.
round me, very officiOusly, telling me
that they would represent the case to
the General, and that they would have
him shot by ten O'Clock next morning.
| saw the winks and glances that were
interchanged between them. Every
one gave a different name to the Off
GERS. The brute remained unpunished,
as / saw him on the day following, as
insOlent and as prOfane as he had been
on the preceding day.
AS yet no punishment had fallen on
| the brutal hyena, and / strove to nurse
my bruised body and heal my wounds,
and forget the insults and injuries of
the past. A few weeks after this / was
sent for to perform parochial duty,
at Mars Bluff, some twenty miles dis
tant. Arriving at Florence, in the vi
cinity, | was met by crowd Of young
men connected with the militia. They
were excited to the highest pitch Of
rage, and thirsted for revenge. They
believed that among the prisoners that
had Just arrived on the railroad car, on
their way to Sumpter, were the very
men who committed such horrible out
RACES in the neighbOrhOOd. Many Of
| They had been robbed of every means
| of support. Their horses had been
seized; their cattle and hogs bayOnet-
ed; their mothers and sisters had been
insuIted, and robbed of their watches,
ear and wedding rings. Some of their
parents had been murdered in cold
| blood. The aged pastor, to whose voice
! they had so often listened, had been
kicked and knocked down by repeated
| blows, and his hoary head had been
dragged about in the sand. They en-
| treated me to examine the prisoners
| and see whether | could identify the
men that had inflicted such barbaritleS
on me. / told them would do sopro-
vided they would remain where they
We're and not follow me. The prison.
ers saw me at a distance-held down
| their guilty heads, and trembled like
aspen leaves. All cruel men are cow
ards. One of my arms was still in a
| sling. With the other | raised some
of their hats. They all begged former
cy. | said to them, 'The other day
you were tigers-you are sheep now"
| But a hideous object soon arrested my
attention. There Sdtnly brutal e1lefa9t-
/ the vulgar, staggering lieutenant, who
had rode up to the steps Of the house,
insulted the ladies, and beaten me most
numerically. approached him slow
! ly, and in whisper asked him, "Do
| you know me, sir-the old man whose
| pockets you first searched, to seewheth-
er he might not have penknife to de-
fend himself, and then kicked and
knocked him down with your fist and
| heavy scabbard ," He presented the
picture of an arrant coward, and in
/ trembling voice, impIored me to have
mercy: "Don't let me be shot; have
pity! Old man, beg for me! | won't
do it again! For Gods sake, save me!
Oh, God, help me-" 'Did you not
tell my daughter there was no God?
Why call on him now?" ooh, have
changed my mind; l believe in God
now" l turned and saw the flushed
and indignant crowd approaching.
"What are they going to dowith me?"
said he. ''DO you hear that sound,
click, click ," Yes" said he, "they
are cooking their pistols" "True,"
said /; land if raise finger you will
have a dozen bullets through your
BRAIN" "Then Twill go to hell: don't
let them kill me. Oh! Lord, have mer-
cy" Speak low," said |, and don't
open your lips" The men advanced.
Already one had pulled me by the coat.
"Show us the men," | gave no clew
by which the guilty could be identifi-
ed. l walked slowly through the car,
sprang into the waiting carriage, and
drove off.
Rev. f. W. Hutter, this is the way
in which l have "gIoated over the bar
barities inflicted on the prisoners"
This is the man whom you have wan
tonly and cruelty traduced. defy you
or any one else to produce a single in
stance to the contrary in my whole
conduct, from the beginningt to the close
of the war.
claim, as an act of justice, that you
send me the name of your author,
whom you call one of the most emf
nent citizens in Charlest0n-a native
and lifelong resident of that city,
whom you have given as authority for
the ISLANDERS which you have perpetra-
ted against me. | defy you to produce
the name Of a single eminent citizen"
who will dare, in the face of this COM
munity, to make the assertion which
you have in such cowardly and un-
christian manner published to the
world. When that name shall be fer
reted out, | will venture to predict