Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-12-10

4
that they had frightened the rebels out
of the country, and promising to return
in few days and burn the house and
settlement The men had been left in a
thick piece of woods about mile of,
and the two gentlemen, having secured
their horses behind the garden, and
placed trusty negro to watch the APP
1 proaches. were just about TO sit down to
dinner when their lookout came rushing
in with the intelligence that Peigler was
galloping up the avenue alone. They
had scarcely time to run to the window
and prime their pistols before the Tory
was at the HORSEBACK, mounted on fine
blooded stallion, which had been stolen
from my fathers place six months be-
fore. The fellow evidently believed him
self master of the situation, ami had no
idea of any enemy being near, for he was
cursing and swearing that he had left
one of his pistols in the dining. room;
that II he failed to find it he would cut
the throat of every negro on the place;
and that, anyhow, he meant to pay him.
self for the trouble of returning by TAX
ing anything valuable he could find and
burning the cursed rebels nest at once.
1t would have been easy to shoot him as
he stood fastening his horse, and my
father raised his pistol to obey the i'm
| pulse, but Theus caught his hand, and
| with clenched teeth and features calm
with determined rage drew his sword
and stepped behind the half-open piazza
| door. Dave was the most powerful of
the brothers, and the smallest of the sew
en- stood six feet two, and weighed 1870
| pounds. But both the officers were stall
wart men and conspicuous for their cool
courage. Ihave seen my father in his
| old days hold down struggling buck
| with one hand while he cut its throat
with the other. He caught the Cap
tain's idea in a moment, and he quick
| ly slipped behind the door of the
hall, drawing out the tough buck
| skin string which every man was apt
| to carry in the most convenient pocket.
| The outlaw staggered up the broad
brick steps, pistol in hand, and walked
recklessly into the hall. The next in.
slant he was felled to the floor by a fear.
full blow with the fiat of the Captains
saber, which broke short at the hilt, and
before he could recover himself both
men were upon him and had pinioned
his arms with the strong deer-hide thong.
Even then it required severe struggle
to quiet him, but when he recognized mis-
captors and felt the cold muzzle of
my fathers pistol touching his temple
| all his braggadocio vanished, and he
begged for his life like the coward that
! he was. Theus did not utter a single
| word, but, stepping out on the piazza,
sounded three long notes of his horn.
| The grinning negro had, without any or
| ders, brought a stout piece of rope and
tied the feet of Peigler securely together;
| then taking one of nay fathers pistols he
mounted guard over the prisoner while
| his two captors sat down to their frugal
| dinner. Neither of them had spoken
| word to the conquered ruffian, nor did
| their conversation after the capture
| make the slightest allusion to him. The
| signal had been heard, and the squad of
| homespun cavalry galloped up TO the
| front of the house just as the two rose
| from the table. The negro was ordered
to unite Peigler's feet, and Theus, speak
| ing to him for the first time, commanded
him to mount his horse. The men, most
Of whom recognized him, looked signifi-
cantly at each other as he sullenly
| obeyed, and one of them dismounted
and, coolly picking up the rope with
| which he had been tied, fastened 1t in a
coil behind his saddle, frightened his
| girths and mounting again, as If the last
act was his only reason for alighting, rode
up and took hold of the bride of the
| stolen animal, upon which the prisoner
| had been placed. A scout was then de-
tached to gather information about the
| enemy's cavalry, and after "a few neces-
sary orders the command moved rapidly
down the road.
"Peigler maintained a sullcn silence
and avoided the looks Of his guard, but
| his eye wandered restessly over the road
and the woods which bordered it. He
knew perfectly well what he had to en-
| pect, but the fIrst impulse of cowardice
| had given way TO desperate resolution,
and he made up his mind, as he after
| ward acknowledged, that it was better to
be shot or sabered in hopeless attempt
at escape than to submit quietly to the
rope. His arms were tightly pinioned,
but his legs were free, and he suddenly
leaped from the saddle just as they were
| approaching the Old Church and darted
into little bay by the roadside.
flake him alive, menp shouted the
Captain, and in moment the whole
party were scattered over the woods in
pursuit. The outlaw had the advantage
OF the horsemen in the thick cover
| through which he ran and they would
have been forced TO shoot him TO prevent
| his escape III his foot had not caught In
bullace-vine, throwing him heavily to
the ground. He was soon secured and
dragged back to the road. The Captain
ordered halt and began 10 inspect the
trees, which you know are mostly oaks
and hickories near the Brick Church. 1t
was not long before he found one suited
to his purpose, and, as few formalities
were observed in those days when
| Tory, rope and tree were SO conyen-
lently brought together, preparations
were soon made for the execution. The
rope was fastened securely 10 stout
limb, the saddle was removed from the
stolen horse and the prisoner was set
! astride of him bareback with the moose
around his neck. When man finds
| death inevitable he must be a poor
creature indeed If he does not sum
mon up all his manhood to meet
| it, and Dave Peigler, coward and
| bully as ne was, astonished his exc.
cutioners by the cool defiance with
which he faced his end. You know
there's straight reach Of quarter OF
mile in the State road at that point, and
| just as the rope was adjusted and the