Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1869-11-13
MlLDERBnASp.

MlLDERBRAND.
Asssser rom the Nissc uri outlaw Iaf,
Hcsjnnirr az ~, ~ ~ AWAITS nrSm tn
Tine.
From the st. Louis Timcs.l
MEMPHIS, Tenn, Oct. l7.-As "fail
play IL one of the Jewels of American
character, and as 1t Is considered riph,
and proper to give the "devii his due, !
l hope you will not refuse to give L
the public, through your widely read
paper, Sam Hilderbfand's own state
ment of his history since the begin
ming Of the late terrible war; to ths
end that fair-minded men may Judge
whether there was not some good
reasons aud provocation for the DIES
perate deeds charged against me.
When the war began, was lead
ing q quiet, peaceable life, trying r.
provide for my family In a homes,
though humble sphere of life. In the
condition Of affairs in my part o.
Missouri had made up my mind tC
keep out of the troubles and take nc
part In the war. In 1862 my brother
Frank Hilderbrand, went into the
State Guards, under jeff Thompson.
On Franks return to see our mother
and family, he was captured by o
mob headed by young McElvane.-
BY McElvane's order, Frank was
killed after his capture his heal was
mashed In such shocking manner
that the most barbarious savage
would have blushed to have been
guilty of the deed. His body was
then thrown Into a IMMORAL hole 60
feet deep and left to rot.
The next outrage committed on my
kindred and family was the murder
of my brother, George Washington,
and . Canadian named Eustache
Landusky, who was engaged to be
married to my sister Mary. These
last murders were perpetrated by
men In Union uniform, and who were
soldiers of the Federal army. Two
weeks after these tragedies my sister
Mary died of trouble and broken
heart.
Two weeks latter these men came
to my mothers house and loaded sew
eral wagons with her property, drove
Off all our cattle and ret fire to her
house, the best stone dwelling I'm the
settlement. MY poor, dear, broken
hearted mother, seeing the house
burning, sent my little brother Hen
nv to those heartless wretches and
asked for the family Bible as a relic
to be kept when all else was gone
Not dreaming of harm to the little
tender boy, what can express her hor-
ror and agony when these demons
shot my little brother, not IL years
old, through tho bowels, and a fiend
then nut his foot on his head and cut
his throat. Thus were these astro-
cious deeds of blood and cruelty and
robbery committed on NV Kindred
and family. Let any man nut the
Question 10 his soul. whether such
outrages would not have aroused him
to desperate retaliation, at a time
when the law no longer Ind power to
avenre a mans wrongs for him and
for the sake of Justice I bore the ac-
cumulated outrages without lifting a
hand to avenge my brothers. and SIS
ter's blood. Loving my darling wife
and little children better than did
anything on earth, forced my heart
to bear on In silence. Though crushed
like q worm, 1 refused to sting the
foot that crushed me.
During all these outrages had resolv-
ed to not go In the Southern army, nor
to NEEDLE In the troubles In any way.
] removed from Big River to Flat
Woods, distant Is miles, hoping that
no harm would hefall meor my wife
and Children, II would get out of the
immediate neighoorhood OF those VINO
nad murdered anu outrageu my iam'
lily.
But, 70 my surprise, ABOUT the mid
ole OF May, just wnen my crop was
looking Wei, ana nope was strong
that wouio oe IeIt III Peace, aoout
sunrise one morning my mouse was
surrounaed pS Mcriv W, ,, anu ms ~
crew oi oo OF ~ mie1, ~. wc', ~ ~.
anu Iiienos, sia"ghtcIcu ,m vo.u u,oog =
nnow thare was No hone ~ mercy or