Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-03-29
and examined /:

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Answer Col. Bergen came
to my tent with candle in his hand.
had not gone to sleep. I raised up my
head. Said he, sis that you, Murray R''
Said !, SIT is" and he walked back to
his lent In a short time he came back
again without any candle, touched me on
my feet, and told me to get up and come
out. / asked him if / could put on my
shoes. He told me, "No, you won't
have any use for them long" / went
out and he took me into his tent with
three other men. They all had pistols.
He told me / must now make confee-
sion; if l did not he would blow my
damned heart out
Question-He had pistol in his hand |?
Answer-Yes, sir.
Question Cocked2
Answer-No, sir; he did not have it
cooked then; he was sitting on the bed.
Question--How many men had hes
Answer-Three men. ] told him l
knew of nothing to confess.
Question-You then told him about
what you had told US?
Answer Just what ! have told you
about the same thing. He told me then
''You are damned liar" and got up,
and all four of them cooked their pistols,
and he told me if did not confess he
would blow my heart out.
Question-Pointed the pistols at your
breast?
Answer-Yes, sir. Then he
put rope around my neck, took me out
to piece of woods about seventy five
yards, tied my hands behind me, and led
me up to tree, threw the rope over g
limb, and asked me if / was ready to
make my confession. l told him l had
no confession to make. Then they drew
me up off the ground, and let me hang
there little while-not long.
Question-By slip knot?
Answer-It was a slip-knot.
QuestiOn-Choked you?
Answer-Yes; choked me pretty bad;
let me hang little while. Then let me
down, and asked me if l was ready to
confess; told him l had no confession
to make Said he, eff you don't confess
l will break you damned neck" and he
gathered the rope again, and he and an
other one pulled me up very roughly, and
suspended me great deal longer than he
did before; can't tel how long; / hung
there till / was unconscious; suffered all
the pain till became unconscious. He
then let me down; / was not able to stand.
When / came to, was leaning or sitting
up against the tree, and few men were
rubbing me.
Queslion-To rouse and restore you to
consciousness?
Answer suppose SO. They had
taken the rope off my neck. When
got so / could speak, he asked me if
was ready to make confession; told him
had none to mske-that ] knew nothing
10 confess. He then gave the order TO
put the rope on my neck again, and told
the sergeant ''HaDg him up to the limb,
and let him hang till eight O'Clock to.
morrow; then cut him down and bury him
under the tree ON which he hung" and
he just remarked to me that if | had any
thing TO say-my last words-to speak
l told him had nothing TO gay, but that
if he hung me up to that tree till was
dead, that he would have but three more
days. He asked me TO give an explana-
ton of that word. l did SO; told him,
''You may be alive tomorrow morning,
and you may not; you may be hanging to
a limb close by. If you hang me dead l
sm sure you viii go through the very
same thing" The Colonel stopped then,
s.aid little while, and gave me till 10
O'Clock the next night to make my con-
fession, and told me if / did not confess
By that time he would take me out and
kill me dead. ! told him, 81 have no
confession to make; l never expect to
make any more than / have" Then the
rope was taken from my neck, my hands
united, and l was carried back to the
camp. He told me should not say any
thing about what had passed that night,
if l ever divulged he would kill me on
sight Well, of course, l never did say
anything about it till l was released by
Judge Brooks, at Salisbury.
Question-Did you make an affidavit
that he did intend TO kill you, in order to
have him held to bail by Judge Brooks2
Answer-Yes, sir.
George s. Rogers, farmer, another
witness, was examined before the same
We give portion of his ev-
idence:
Answer-Then Bergen came to the tent
where l was, and told me he wanted me
to go to his tent. He told me must tell
who hung Wyatt Outlaw. l told him |
did not know. He said, "You are a
damned liar; l know you do know"
Then he remarked, ''Don't you know
that 'Dolph Moore and Jim Hunter were
the men who hung Outlaw" told him |
l did not know. He said again | was a |
damned liar. He told me he would give |
me till that night to tell, and if did not |
tell he would make me tell. He said, 81 |
will break your damned neck if you do |
not tell" Then he told me to 60 10 my
tent and stay there. That night about 10 |
o clock he came 10 my tent and told me
to come up to his tent. went there, aud |
he asked me then if would confess that
/ knew who hung Outlaw. told him | |
could not-I did not know. Again he
said was a damned liar, and went for a
rope. Pistols were lying on the BID, and
he picked up his pistol. l stepped out
side OF his tent. He put rope around
my neck, and led me off to the woods
about seventy five or one hundred yards,
and asked me then if l would tell. l said
| could not tell did not know. Then
he ordered the lieutenant to pull me up.
Question-Was the rope put around
your neck with running. noose2
Answer-Tes, sir. He stood in front
of me with pistol cooked, fastened the
lope, and the Lieutenant pulled IL until it
wastight.
Questionable raise you off your feet!
Answer-No, sir.
Question 1t was pulled until the rope
was tight9
Answer-Yes, sir.
Question-Did it choke you somewhat
Answer-Yes, sir.
Question-How long did ne keep you
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