New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1872-10-06
BLOODY BURTON.
A Horrible "Reminiscences of the War of
the Rebellion in HissoRri-The Butcher
of1SO Men.
From the St. Louis Democrat

] A dOFFIDES heulll1BCeHCS OF EMe w AT
a the Rebellion in Missouri-The Butche
q of1SO Men.
a From the St. Louis Democrat
r During the war hundreds OF sceundreI
h took adVanta of the situation to plunde
e. the defenseless in the districts overrun an
If laid waste by armies They robbed an
d murdered without hesitation or regard /
r sentiment. Their hands were against ever
o man, and every mans hand. was againe
It them. One OF the most ferocious and h0l
e rible creatures of this class was known t
{. live in the Ozark mountains, near the Ark
g ansas and Missouri State line, and in yer
t short time he was spoken of and feared il
' that region, both by citizens and soldiery
0 The name of the rufian, robber and red
I, handed murderer was Frank Burton, ant
7 | he was originally a horse thief in Arkansas
I but was so closely pursued into Texas by
1 | crowd bent on lynching him. that he con
} Guided to seek pastures new, and fount
! them IN the Ozark mountains. Forsyth
Missouri and Carrollton, Arkansas ar,
about forty miles apart, and at the side
of the road between them Burton selected
his place of abode. He built half hut al
the mouth of a natural cave in the side OF
the mountain, about 400 feet above the
road, and there lived alone.
Few people saw him and lived to relate
it afterward. He always carried long
rlne and heavy SIDE arms, and would
shoot down and rob any one unfortunate
enough to come within range of his gun,
After his deeds began to be known a de-
! tachment of federal soldiers was sent after
him at half a dozen different times, but
always returned one, two or half a dozen
men short. Burton wore an old butternut
suit, much the color Of the trees and rocks
on the mountain side, and was an adept at
hiding himself and slipping from bush to
bush without being seen On one occasion
| a company of twenty or thirty men hunted
| him for week, aud at last got him on a
| mountain, which they surrounded. They
| then started up the slope, but had pro
| ceeded but few PAGES when puff OF
! smoke issued from behind a rock a cOuple
| OF hundred yards away, and the foremost
| man fell with bullet hole through his
| chest. Before the others had recovered from
| their surprise another puff of smoke was
seen, and another man fell. The survivors
made rush for the rock, firing as thew ran.
but ere they reached it another shot from
the deadly rifle of the rObber brought down
third man. The party at last reached the
! rock only to find that the assassin had dis
appeared without leaving a trace. While
looking for his track they again heard the
crack OF his rifle, and another of their num-
Der dropped dead. This was continued un-
til terror took possession of the party. and
they beat hasty retreat, nearly one-haIf of
those remaining being convinced that the
object of their search was something more
than mortal. The General in command of
that district at last offered large reward
tor theohead of the scOundrel, and the re-
ward was increased when it was found that
he continued to rob and kill unmolested.
Five thousand dollars was at last offered
for him dead or alive, and description of
hlIn was printed and circulated among the |
troops.
He was described as short and heavy-set, |
with immense and muscular hands and |
arms. His hair and rough unkemDt beard |
were black as the plumage of crow, and |
he was utterly filthy and disgusting in ap-
pearance, as he sometimes did not wash |
his face or hands for weeks. The neigh
bors living too near him he killed or drove
away, and it is said, and probably with
truth, that he murdered no less than 1870
persons while in chat region. One family, 4
living within a couple Of miles of his cave.
he spared for lis own convenience. The
family consisted of the father, half-witted
puny creature, the wife and one child,
boy ten or twelve years old Burton when
ID the nelghbOrhOOd, occasionally visited
the house and forced them to furnish
him with provisions. He threatened
them with death if they ever admitted
that they knew him, or that he came
to, the house, and as they knew that he
would keep his word, they answered all ino
lulr1es by denying that they knew or had
5ver seen him. Tie hut in which the family
lived was at the base of the mountain, and
stood in the centre Of cleared slope. about
'OO yards across Burton, when coming to
o the house, would stop at the edge of the
clearing and carefully inspect the premises
o satisfy himself that no enemies were
there. Finding that all was Sc.
ure, he would then hail the family, and |
rider The man ana boy to leave, which thew
lever failed to do. With his rife on his
I'm ne would then advance to the cabin,
nd direct the woman to prepare his dinner
= breakfast, as the case might be. The
woman feared and loathed him, but was
trald to refuse, knowing that he would
hoot her down at the first word of TemOna ii
trance.
Two federal soldiers ID camp seven
niles from the spot, concluded to attempt c
is capture, and obtaining leave Of absence, T
tarted for the house. Before leaving L
amp they dressed themselves in dirty, tat /
cred linen clothing, although the month e
as November, and the weather was bit p
9rly cold. Ore Of them was Zachariah d
homas, Of company A, First Iowa cavalry, e
nd the other was member of the Tenth
LIMOS cavalry, whose name is forgotten. fl
n approaching the house, they concealed Il
lelr pistols in the woods, and without arms Fl
any kind entered the clearing and hailed n
le woman Ii was then about twilight. o
| Il
ar, and Thomas afterward said he would it
ave given anything he possessed to have IL
cen out OF the scrape. The woman an IL
yered the call, and they told her they b.
anted to see Burton. She said he was tC
1T there, but they insisted that they must in
e him, and would remain until he came. re
ne woman finding they were obstinate at
st consented to let them remain over
ght, and promised to send her son for in
triton in the morning.
They passed a miserable and anxious =,
ght, and rose long before daylight. About g.
ght o'clock the boy returned and reported III
at he had found Burton and informed him q.
at two men were waiting to see him. Bur N
Il had answered that he would come over. III
d In few minutes afterward he appeared p,
the edge Of the clearing. Thomas and m
companion walked out to the gate and r.
~ surveyed each other for moment or an
o in silence. Burton did not seem pleased or
their appearance, and once or twice Grew .,
his gun as if to fire. They shouted 10 n
q not to shoot, and throwing NJ their H.
rs, declared that they had no weapons.
rton took another survey of them, and str
ally slowly approached, informing them co
It he would tire on them on the least ap- III
trance of treachery, and that he only in
Ived his usual custom Of firing on any III
! within pistol shot of him out OF curl hn
5y to hear what they had to say. The an
} at last entered the house, and Burton, ros
7r ordering the men in front of him, sat tbf
IN to breakfast with his gun resting liz
inst the bed and in easy reach e
'homas, who was thin and very pale.
ed as spokesman and informed him that -
Y had few days before escaped from a t tLe
eral prison al Springfield, and that thew 10
~