St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1869-05-07
BuShaChacker MOsby.

Yesterday, while riding in the Penn
sylvania Avenue cars, who should enter
but Col. Mostly, late c. S. \. From
the fact that he carried in his hand a lit.
tie black valise, on which was printed in
large white letters, ''COI. JOHN $ MOS
By, everybody in the cars was per force
made acquainted with the countenance
OF this notorious bushwhacker and cow
ardly murderer. lie comes to Washing
ton very frequently, puts up at Willard
and attracts great attention. He seldom
hears any good of himself from the con.
versing groups at the hotel, for some Of
his victims are generally about to make
few comments on his character as a
''soldier." How soon the human heart
torglves The men murdered in cold
blood by this wretch are legion, and vet
he visits Washington, Philadelphia and
New York, and his Democratic brethren
receive him with distinguished honors
One OF his dastardly acts alone, which !
never call to mind without a shudder.
should bring him to the galows and an
lgnominious death In the fill of 1864,
when in the valley OF the Shenandoah,
with the prince of soldiers, Gen. Sheri-
dan, a number of brutal acts, perpetrateL
by this tiend, came under my own per
sonal observation. The one, however, to
which particularly refer, was the hang
ing OF seven Union prisoners near Berry
vile. Gen. Custer had few days pre-
vious executed a rebel spy near Middle
town. This so exasperated Mosby that
he determined to be avenged, and calling
out his prisoners, he made them cast lots
for death by hanging. Capt. Brewster
of Sheridan's staff, was among the num-
Der, and was one Of the lucky fellows
drawing a blank, which, in that particu-
lar lottery, although not a winning card
was Il very desirable one. | shall never
forget his narration of that terrible af-
fair the pathetic appeals for mercy
the brutal oaths OF the captors as they
tightened the fatal ropes about the necks
OF the prisoners, and the frightful death
struggle. One hour after this act was
perpetrated, | saw the bodies as they
hung by the roadside, the faces black
from >utfocation, and the tongues pro-
truding from the bloody mouths. 1t was
Il sight to rouse the blacklist demon of
vengeance, and as Sheridan's dusky col
umnS passed, many an eve kindled with
wrath, and many Il vow was taken to
avenge that horrible atrocity. "Ecngc-
ance Is mine. saith the Lord of hosts"
but Mostly the rebel butcher, seems 10
fear neither the vengeance of God or man
as he swaggers into Washington, osten-
tatiously parading To- the public gaze his
tull name and former title and rank in
the army OF the rebellion. u 'uSh. Cor
to st. .4Lj,ns Messenger. Apr. 3.
SPIRIT PHorOGRAPIIS. - tricky
photographer has been doing 4 good
business in New York by taking what he
called spirit photographs, for which he
obtained high price. He advertised
that he would take portraits of any One.
with the spirit OF any deceased relative
or friend who might happen TO he pres
ent ut the time, standing in the back
ground. sure enough there was always
Il shadowy figure in the background.
which the sittcrS sometimes thought re-
sembled their relatives and sometimes did
not. The spirit, however, was there,
and thev were satisfied that it must be
some departed friend, even if they could
not identity il. The police, however,
suspected there was a cheat i'll the opcr-
alton, and arrested the proprietor of the
gallery and his operator, and on eNaml-
nation it was proved that by ordinary
scientific and chemical means just such
shadowy pictures could be produced by
any photographer. so another set OF
fools have the satisfaction OF knowing
how easy it is to be cheated.