Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1866-03-29

this plot nearly TO pertecton-hao fe-
iieved McCulloch at Fort Mason, and
were nearly ready to release the prison
ers. when they were a second time be-
traFed, and the scheme frustrated. The
four leaders at once deserted and es-
capped, but three Of them were taken, and
put in 'ironsat San Antonio. All this
was in Mag, 1862. As socn as this con-
spiracy was discovered, the rebels de-
termined 70 make short workAof ahe
odd Dutchmen." and sent up one
Captain Duff, with over three hundred
cavalry, which we're to escort the rem
naut Of The Eighth Infantry toiSaaS Am
tonic for safe keeping, and. then go to
work on the Gern16ns. For the honor
of the American name letme mention
that this Captain Duff, like his eompeer,
Wirz, was foreigner. He was born In
Scotland, held a petty command at
Brownsville, from which be ingloriously
retreated before small force of Yam"
KEGS, and was a ct instrument Of the
vengeance that was to be wreaked on
the heads Of the offending Germans
After getting the prisoners safe in San
Antonio, he proceeded in his mission.
He issued q proclamation establishing
martial Law 10 the German counties, sand
ordered alto be enrolled and take the
oath to the Confederacy, under pain Of
arrest and Imprisonment. The terrible
threats made by him, and, more particns
larly by one of his Lieutepants, who is
said to have. ordered that no prisoners
be taken, Induced the greater part Of
those who had fed 10 the MOUNTAINS on
his approach to RETURN either through
despair, ITO protect their homes and
families. Six or seven hundred came
down, delivered themselves up, and took
the.oa.h; but a band Of sixty-two, most
" young men without families, brave
and determined, resolved TO escape into
Mexico. At the same time, Mr.. Hamil-
ton (now Governor) escaped from the
mountains at the head of thirty or forty
men, and, by good management, get
clear of his pursuers, and crossed the
Rio Grande little below Eagle Pass
The others were not so fortunate. On
the morning Of August 10, 1862, their
little camp near Fort Clark, on he Nue.
ees, was surrounded by force Of l20
rebels, and they were furiously attacked.
The Germans, led by-Simon (before
mentioned) were camped under little
clump of cedar trees, which afforded
them slight protection, while the rebels
en- all sides screened. themselves behind
the cbapperal and thick bushes, from
which they delivered their ijse inalmoht
perfect safety. From 2 o'clock in the
morning until 10 in the afternoon the
battle was kept up without intermission,
the rebels making three or four unsne@
cessfnl charges. At last the Germans,
reduced to fifteen in number, still able
to walk, made desperate charge in a
body, and escaped. The rebels rushed
upon the field and put to death. all lhe
| wounded without mercy. OF the sixty
two who we're encamped together, seven
were America 8, and escaped at the first
! alarm, leaving So to coptinue the fight.
The bodies were left unburied, as two
of my informants afterward visited the
field, and counted the skulls. The reb-
els lost six killed and twenty wounded.
| This battle nafke ] the real beginning
of the persecution, Inaamed By the
desperate resistance made by the gallant
little band, Duff 9 caValryirahged through
Gillespie, Kerr, Comal,F Kendall and
Bazaar, without limit and without oppo~
| sition, doing whatever their ruffianly willie
| miahk nrnsn4as-- - naiv+r- cfer5--~or TO
| burn at houses that were abandoned,
and to shoot or hang, at sight, any who
were suspected CT having participated. in
the late battle, or being indirectly con
nected withsit In short time nearly
| fifty persons, mostly, old men, had been
murdered without form of trial. One OF
my informants mentfonsd to me BY
name, in the space OF a few minutes,
twenty-six men, with whom he was per--
sonalIy acquainted, who persisted within
month after The battle, eight Of whom
were hanged in one day ON the same
tree; six drowned in one pond on the
same'day, and two hanged on another
tree at once. Y Eg0 kftA'-- ar
| From a memorandum before me !
take the following particulars. DR.. Daw-
SOD, OF Baudera City, states as follows:
"Was q surgeon at Fort Clarke in
August 1862. / arrived Sunday morn>
ing, August IL, 1862, on the battle
ground. Twenty-one soldiers were turn.
ed over to me. Saw few dead soldiers
and pile Of dead bodies OF the bush.
whaekers. Inquired where the wounded
of the latter we're Reply-tDid not
take any prisoners In the course -ol
the morning report was made that two
prisoners were taken in a new cedar
thicket, one Of them seriously wounded
his brother unhurt, nursing him. Lieu
tenant Lilly asked, did yon not blow
out their brainsT Reply No, / did
not, nor will do it, / remarked, Send
my steward, Beier, after them, and !
will attend to them Lilly said be
would not have them among his men
On my reply that they would be taken
to the Major rancho, be sent men off;
the order l did not hear. Soon after,
heard two or three pistol shots; and
Lilly, pointing IN the direction, made
the remark, with an oath, that / need
not bother myself about the wounded.
Then a column of smoke was seen to
rise, and an explosion OF something like
powder>haska took place, showing that
4 the fire had reached the dead bodies.
The cedar thicket was reduced to ashes
August Luchenbach was taken on
the Eagle Pass road, turned over from
one squad to another, AMI was last re
ported to have been seen near Castro
vile. Three months later bis body was
found, dried up to a mummy, leanine
upright against tree; and the limb t.
which he apparently was hung, stucl
through his eyes, kept the corpse to the
erect position. / had bin buried. = e
IAN inofensive man, Gustavus Tege
ner, was taken out Of his house in Ker
county, pulled up and down aeveraI
times, to extort from him a confession
| where his brother was, the latter having
been in command at the Neuces fight
On his declaration that if he did know
he would not betray his brother, be wal
hung for good, cut down and thrown in.
to pond of water The GOODNESS o
the water made him revive, when b.
Commenced serier of horrible twiteh
ings, and finally lodged his head on {
rock, with his face upward and heaveds
deep groan. The limb to which he haG
been hung was then brought aud with !
hrs brains were mashed out ~
=" MIR. Eppe, living at Fort Clarke, say