The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1874-03-25


quick as he had come to an about
face" and had turned his back
upon lne, seized gun and dealt
/ him blow on the back of his heal
with the but, which caused him to
see shooting stars if he ever saw
anything afterward which l very
much doubt; and still grasping the
gun, rushed from the house.
| / remember dashing past groop
of women and children, who stared
wonderingly at me, of leaping one
garden fence, then another into an
adjoining field, of running across
it, and of vaulting over another
fence and stumbling upon group
of the 'schivalry" playing cards
Not wishing to follow suit. l
ran up the road in a southerly di-
rection. to the music of q shower
of bullets fired by the card players
and my late guard, who had missed
me and were now giving chase,
having no doubt been informed OF
the direction I had taken by those
women before mentioned.
The bullets hustled past me with
their peculiar ping! ping! ''where
are your .swhere are you?" and one
passed through my coat, grazing
| my skin; still, regardless of every
thing but life itself, on, on / dashed.
Their fire began to slacken, and
only occasionally n stray ball lifted
the dust in the road near me.
Looking back about two hundred
yards, I perceived six ''Johnnies"
in their shirtsleeves bearing down
upon me, their long. ginger colored
hair flying in the wind, and every
nerve strained to full play in the
hope of recapturing me- But on 1
sped till, hastily glancing over my
shoulder, saw only three, who yet
kept up the pursuit, far in the rear.
Still / pressed on.
At length, hearing no more from
my pursuers, gradually slackened
my speed. Still on the alert, I
again looked back. Imagine my
| horror when / saw rebel but
few yards in the rear, with pistol
in his hand, leaping silent as
spectre. He instantly raised the
wepon and fred one barrel at me,
then the others in quick succession;
but SO unsteady was his aim that
none of them took effect.
| It was now my turn. Hastily
wheeling and raising the gun, which
I still retained, to my shoulder, I
fired lie fell like stone l went
up to him. I had shot him through
the left side, near the heart, and
the lifetide was ebbing fast. He
tried to speak, but the blood gush
ing from his mouth choked him.
I picked up his pistol, and loosing
his belt / fastened it around my
own waist, and after destroying my
gun passed on.
now felt comparatively safe, and
was thinking how should yet es-
cape to the Federal lines.
But hark, What is that low pro-
longed sound far in the rear? I
listened. There was no mistaking
that howl. 1t was the deep-baying
of the slave hunters. The rebels,
unable to overtake me, had loosed
q lesh of bloodhounds and set them
on my track Far back down the
road could distinguish their black,
snaky forms and cloud of dust
rising behind their swift feet.
I plunged into the woods on my
right, hoping to find some water by
which 1 might elude their keen
scent 1 soon reached the edge of
q large, stagnant pool. through
which 1 dashed, plunging into
thicket, stumbling over logs, among
briars and brambles, rending my
garments and lacerating my flesh
in horrible manner. / was nearly
exhausted, scarcely q vestige of
clothing remained upon me, and
1 was bleeding from head to foot.
Added to this, the yells of the baf-
fled brute, shutting around the
water / had just passed through,
rang in my ears.
Still 1 stumbled on, the cries of
the hounds souoding nearer, fright
fully nearer. Instinctively glane
ing over my shoulder, I saw one of
them bounding along within a few
wards of me. His bloodshot eyes,
his sleek, black coat fecked with
white foam, and his glittering fangs
fairly froze the blood in my veins.
He spied me and gave series Of
short, sharp yelps, which were
answered by two others not far off
There was no time to be lost. Sud
denly springing to a large tree close
at hand, and placing my back
against it, l raised my revolver and
dropped him in his tracks almost
at my feet. Another coming up /
placed him hors du combat, and the
third, seeing the fate of his com
panions, curled his tail between his
legs and seaInpered of.
I sank down at the foot of the
tree completely exhausted, covered
with blood. sweat, and dust; but
my wounds were not SO bad as I at
first supposed, and after resting
half an hour, 1 arose to my feet
half delirious and staggered on, till
suddenly I heard voice order,
| HALT.
| Looking up, I saw that I hal
biundered upon rebel outpost on
/ the roadside.
"Come In. come in. Yank, hawled
two others who had brought their
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