American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-11-13
3{listell2neous,
H.LDE23a4U1, TIE AMERICAN
HOB Roy.
In Outlaws Account cf Gis 3wa Life.
MEMPHIS, Tenn, Oct. Il, go.



Editor st. Louis Times:
AS fair play is one of the Jewels
of American character, and Is it is
considered right aud proper to give
even "thc dcvil his due" hone
you will not refuse to give to the
public, throug', your widely read
paper, Sam EiilderbHnd's own state
| ment of bis history since the begin
u;ng OF the late terrible wAr-io the
! end tat tair,ninded men may judge
| whether there was not some good
reason aud strong provocatInn for
the desperate deeds charged against
| he.
When the war began, | was lead
| ing "A quiet, peaceful life, trying to
provide fer my family in an honest
! though humble sphere Of lite. In
The condition OF affairs in my part
Of Missouri, / had mad, up my mind
to keep out of the troubles aud take
no part ia the war. In 1862, my
| hro:hrr{ Frank Hilderbrand, went
itsio the State Guards under jeff
| h0mpSOn. On Franks return to
ste our mother and family, he was
captured by IA mob headed by young
| McElvane, BY McElvaue'S order,
Frank MAS killed after his capture
Ills head was mashed, his body
manglrd and cut t. pieces, in such ii
! shocking manner that the most bar
1 harUuS savage would have blushed
to have been guilty of the deed
His body WAS then thrown into Il
mineral hole, fifty feet deep, and
lett To rot.
The next outrage committed on
my kiHdred and family was the mur-
der of my brother, George Wa hing
ton, and IA Can idian named EuStace
Landu>ky, who waS engaged to be
MAI ried to my sister Mary. The last
murders were perpetIated by me-
in uniform, who were soldiers in the
Federal army. Two weeks afte,
shese ontrageS, my sister Mar died
of ~ broken heart.
| Two weeks later, these men came
to my mothers house. and loadrt
several wagons with Der property
dl owe Off all our cattle, and set fire
to her house, the best Stone dwelling
in the settlement. My poor, broken
hearted mother, seeing the hous,
bHlnIr 6, sent 'IY little brother Hen
rY to those hei.rllpss wretches, Il
ask for tho farIily Bible, as a reli,
to he kep' Wien all else waH gone
not dreT,.niLg Of harm to the LITTLE
teudo' OoI. What can express he
hoc:o and agony, when these de
D1ns shot my little brother, 10
. we've years old, through the bow
els, aud a tiend put his foot on hi
mead and cut his throat?
Thus were these atrociOus ont
II RACES of blood aud cruelty and rol
berry committed upon my kindred
r Let any man put the question to hi
10 soul. whether such deeds wonld no
have aroused him to desperate rt
., taliatiOn, at Il time when the law ha
d. no power TO avenge IA kman's wrong
= for him aud for the sake of justic,
Yet even then | bore these accuml
lated Ouiragrs, W thout lifting "a han
to aven9e my brothers ami sister
;, blood. Loving my darling wife an
little children better than anythin
in the world, | forced my heart [
bear on in silence. Though crushe
like il worm. refused to sting ii
3. foot that crushed me.
During all these outrages, | ha
resolved not to go into the Southei
army, nor to meddle in the trouble
in any way. | removed from Re
River to Flat Woods, distant tive
~ five miles, hoping that no har
would hefall me or my wife al
children. il | would get out of Il
Immediate neighborhood of tho
who had murdered and outras,
my family.
u But, to my surprise. about Il
middle of May, just when my ere
g. WAS looking we'll, and hope "
> It 0ng that | would he left in pea,
about sunrise one morning my hou
}. was surrounded by McEjvane al
!, his crew of sonre thirty OF forty me
all well armed.
..u | remembered the fate of I
or h'oth"rS and friends, &lau ghtcrcd
,c%, r.f cold blood, like sheep, after tn,
It capture. and | knew there Was
i.iy hope Of mercy or just, from sri
- dem0Is; no hope except in I
courase and Strength that God h
given ire.
The die with me was cast. | h
sought peace and quiet, but t
blood honnds had tralled me. "
at hay. The cOliiict that had Il
+. tron was forced upon me. The
tentative was lie or deafh.
/ met my pHrsucrS AT Ire door.
SHOT down two OF them in tn
. tracks, made rush Tor the woa
and escaped. Finding 1t inpo>s
to i've at or near home. went
Arkansas, and aftcrward got
r~, wife and four children. The t
-1-~ men + killed in mr door was
first blood ever shed by Hp. I'll
when Il price WAS set on my lpa,
n elrteImluCd to avcnme the death
= my brothers. rode several ii,
from AikAnSaS before | could get
short McE,vanc, the infam
&c. butcher who had murdered
tyle. brothers and songht my lie. I'll
srd meAUt to harnl nOlOiy else
III they would leave me undsturh
bnt some of the soldiers, pilOted
Jim CrIiG, very meddlesome 5
: undertook tn have me killed.
>ss Ia self defense, | turned loose
III th"nf aud made many of those
----' Sought my life bite the dust. | oi
met chem in the woods. They
knew me, aud w0nld offer TO as
ces. me They wonld make appointing
md to b'inS mr provisions to my hit
ouize places. aud would pilot soldiers Il
'r \. to try to have me arrested. alw
killed that kind of men. | Il
captured many Union snldiers, h
never hurt non treated them INK
NJ " unless they had brutaIly ire;
r,,r 5 uthern prisoners, and | knew
| have had hundreds of
sc. HS,adth escapes for my life :, b