Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1879-08-07
WAS IT MAGNETIsM2
A Thrilling Story of the Rebellion

IL mas DCcn dSScTJCO JildI IaIl
Vernon was the boldestand most
cruel bush-whacker in Virginia
during the war. When Sherman
entered the Shenandoah Valley
some of our foragers ransacked
the house occupied by Mrs. Yer
non, others stole all the poultry
and live stock, and when the
third set came along there was a
tragedy. 0I Ik8u)
Dan was in the Confederate
ranks up the valley, and his wife
and four children were left in a
bad situation. They had no food
in the house when hungry fora
gers demanded a meal, and not
a live thing had been left on the
farm. The woman, despairing
and desolate, made a fierce per-
sonal attack on the men who had
entered her house, and in the
struggle a gun was discharged
and the heavy ounce ball killed
two of her children as they clung
TO her skirts. The foragers were
no better than thieves in this
instance and had the official at
tempt to discover them proved
successful they would have re-
ceived Just punishment. Acts
that should forever curse the
perpetrators were often commit
ted by foragers unknown to of
ficials in authority, and this was
one Of them. go yNN So 3NA
The woman left the murdered
children on the floor and fled
up the valley, and. her footsteps
had scarcely grown cold when
the avenger. of her wrongs APP
peared and demanded blood for
blood-and more. Dan Vernon
was permitted to leave the ranks
to become a destroying angel.
IThe children were buried beneath
a cherry tree in the yard by our
men, but no hand wiped up the
dark and terrible blood stains on
the farmhouse floor. The hus-
band and father, painting for ven
geance, crept into the deserted
house three nights after the bu-
rial, and dipping his fingers, into
the undried blood, he swore to
rest not, but to kill and destroy
as long as life was left him.
! do not know what Dan Ver-
non was when he left, home to
become a Confederate soldier,
but | do know that when he re-
turned to it as an avenger he had
no more mercy in his heart than
a tiger. We heard from him at
once: A scouting party riding
up the Valley lost its captain
and two men by successive shots
from a Henry rifle, and the man
lwho fired them escaped through
the woods. That night a yidette
was struck down from his horse
and his throat cut. Next day a
teamster was killed. Inlhone
weeks time Dan VernonS had
killed thirteen men. -s55 iss
He left no wounded behind.
When he firedit was with a dead
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 ditj was
learned that he was bush-whack-
ing our advance scouts were de-
tailed to hunt him down. ''g "a, +,
They pursuedm vain. Know
ing every acre Of ground in the
Valley, he not only elnded pur-
suit, but many of the men pur-
suing him never came back to
us. If their bodies were found
a bullet hole was proof that Dan
Vernon had added another VIC
finn to his LIST ~ .-s. .4siSszs -.
In four weeks timciDan Yer
non had scored ,thiIty-four vie-
tins, and foraging and scouting
parties dreaded that one man
more than whole regiment of
Early S army. Hewould murder
a picket at one point during the
night, and next day bushwlmck
a troop ten miles away, and he
moved with the stealth, Of a IL
ger. No man ever gave an a.
larm after knowing of his pres
ence. Z '
Well what I. set ont 10 tell
was'how We captured Dan one
fine day, and how singularly, he
escaped. Parties were scontinu-
ally after him without success,
while our party found him with
out searching. A. .slsasss aaHEas 3
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 new territory was a log
house, supposed to be deserted,
but when we cameto investigate
we discovered a "Butternut"
curlcd up and asleep on q rnde
bed in the corner. Hehad gone
to sleep in the Confederate lines,
and when he awoke the blue
coats were about and beyond
him.
Who the prisoner was no one