The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-07-25
AN EVIL EYE.

1t was asserted that Dan Vernon was
the boldest and most cruel bushwhackeT
in Virginia during the war. When Sher-
idan entered the Shenandoah valley,
some OF our foragerS rausacked the
house occupied hy Mrs. Vernon, others
stole all the poultry and live stock, and
when the the third set came there was a
tragedy. Dan was in the confederate
ranks up the valley, and his wife and
children were left in a bad situation.
They had no food in the house when
the hungry foragers demanded a meal,
and not a living thing had been left on
the farm. The woman, deSpairing and
desperate, made fierce personal attack
on the men who had entered her house.
and in the struggle gun was diScharg-
ed, and the heavy ounce ball killed two
of her children as they clung to her
skirts. The fOragerS were no better
than thieves i'll this instance, and had
the official attempt to discover their
identity been successful they would have
received punishment.
The woman left the murdered chill
dren on the floor. and fed with the 9th
ers up the valley, and her footsteps had
scarcely grown cold when the avenger
of her great wrongs appeared and de-
manded blood for blOod-and MORE
Dan Vernon was permitted to leave the
ranks to become a destroying angel.
The children were buried under a cherry
tree in the yard by our men, but no hand
wiped up the dark and terrible blood
stains on the farm house floor. The
husband and father, painting for ven
geance, crept into the deserted house
three nights after the burial and dipping
his fingers into the mdried blood he
swore to rest not, but to kill and destroy
as long as life was left in him.
l do not know what Vernon did when
he left his home to become a confederate
soldier, but 1 do know that when he re-
turned to it as an ayenger he had no
more mercy in him than tiger. A
scouting party riding up the valley lost
its captain and two men by successive
shots from a Henry rifle, and the man
who fired them escaped through the
woods. That night avidette,, was struck
from his horse and his throat cut
Next day teamster was killed. In
one week time Dan Vernon had killed
thirteen men. He left no wounded be-
hind him. When he fired, it was with
deadly aim, and the victim went down
with scarcely a cry from his lips.
a refugee who came in gave us such
details Of Dan as we did not know. and
when it was known that he was BUSH
tailed to hunt him down. They pur-
sued him in vain. Knowing every acre
of ground in the valley, he not only
eIuded pursuit, but many of the men
pursuing him never came back to us.
If their bodies were found, bulleU-hole
was proof that Dan Vernon had added
another victim to his list. In four
weeks he had scored thirty-fOur victims,
and foraging and scouting parties dread
ed that one man more than a whole reg
iment of Early's army. He would muir
der picket at one point during the
night, and the next day buShwhack a
troop ten miles away, and he moved
with the stealth of tiger. No man
ever gave an alarm after knowing of
his presence.
Well, what l set out to tell was how
we captured Dan one fine day, and how
singularly he escaped. Parties were
cOntinuallyhuntingh him without success,
while one party one day found him
without searching. About fifty of us
were thrown forward one day from the
picket post TO a new position just de-
/ serted by the enemy. Included in this
/ territory was a log house, supposed to
/ be deserted, but when we came to in
veStigate we discovered ''butternut'
/ curled up and asleep on rude bed in a
/ corner. He had gone to sleep within
J the confederate lines, and when he
awoke the blue-cOats were about and
/ beyond him.
Who the prisoner was no one seemed
/ to care, but it was the accepted opinion
/ that he was no more than private sol
! dier, and | was detailed to guard him
until he could be sent back to head
quarters. The man betrayed no alarm
when reused from sleep. As far as we
could see he was unarmed, and when
the boys joked him on capture he coolly
replied
'Well, it amt nuthing to weep over
/ | was Citing purity tired of this thing
/ anyhow
! l had a fair look at the mans face
and found something there to puzzle