The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-12-20
A NEW RODERICK DHU!


Towns County.
he authority that we have at pres
/ ent is the official report of the Deputy
in charge of the squad which was inter
ested 1t appears that a few nights ago
a Deputy Marshal of Marshal Fitzsim-
mons force, with seven Assistant Dep
uties and eight guards, organized for
a raid into Towns County. One of the
1 objects of the raid wa to capture a
man by the name of Berrony, who was
/ reported to be moonshiner," and the
( leader of band of men organized for
the purpose of defying the Revenue
officers and protecting the hidden stills
of the mountain branches.
The raiding party moved along
| quietly and by nightfall was in the
neighborhood of Berrony's house. They
waited until the family had gone TO
sleep and then surrounded the house,
and,closed in on the unsuspecting family.
IeBerrony, though surprised while asleep,
sprang from his bed and fed clad only
in his night clothes. Despite this light
weight, ne was overtaken by the Dep.
uties and tied.
In the meantime his family had
awakened and came to the door in more
or less confusion, and making good
deal of fuss While the Deputies were
engaged with the prisoner and The
people at the door, a daughter of the
prisoner, about eighteen years of age.
slipped ont of the back door, dressed
in the garment in which she had been
sleeping, and made for the mountain
side with the fleetness of young ante
lope. She carried in her right hand a
fox-horn, and fled through the night
like ga apparition
A Deputy put out in pursuit of the
fleeing maiden, but his boots and
clothes encumber6d him, and she, trip
ping over the sleeping flowers with bare
feet, soon reached the top of the hill.
Once there she turned and, like New
frederick Dhu, she gave one blast upon
her bugle horn. IT was "well nigh
worth thousand men," for as the echoes
of the horn died away in the valleys of
the night armed men gathered silently
but swiftly to the callof the lightly
clad, but stout-hearted buoler.
As rapidly as possible the Deputy had
his prisoner dressed, and forming bis
men in close order, moved off toward
his wagons. He and his men were fol-
lowed by the family of the prisoner,
which was constantly reinforced by the
arrival of mountaineers, aroused and
angry. BY the time the Deputies had
gone mile the threatening force be-
hind had grown to twenty or twenty
five men, and things looked squally.
When they had reached long, narrow
defle, the Deputy in charge found that
there was large force of men in front
of him. and that each side of the defile
was held by sharp-shooting mountain
GERS who were hidden in the woods.
The force in his rear was pressed closer
on him, and he called a halt and began
to look into things. He found his
situation desperate. He could turn no
way without encountering an armed
squad, and he felt that fight in the
dark could promise nothing but blood
shed and death. He therefore began to
parley. The mountaiueers demanded
the release of Berrony, who is said to
have been their leader The Deputy at
first protested and refused, but he soon
found that there were fifty men op.
posed to him with the advantages Of
position The men agreed that certain
discovered stills should be given up,
but they would not listen to Befrony
being taken away. At length the De-
putty surrendered him, and he joined
his friends in the woods.
The Deputies had two other prisoners,
and attempted to get away with them.
As they were marching along through
the dark some one whispered to one of
" IA Ia
posed that it was one of his fellow
Deputies, aud moved in the direction
indicated. Suddenly he was knocked
down, and bundled up and pitched into
fence corner. The Deputies discover
ing his capture, halted again and held
council Of war. They were afraid to
fire on the moonshiners, because they
were afraid the missing Deputy was in
their power And the moonshineis
were afraid to fire on them for fear of
hitting the prisoners The two squads
confronted each other quietly in the
dark woods for a while, when the De- |
puties silently but in god order with
drew and hurried out of Towns County. |
They carried off their two prisoners but
left Berrony behind.
This is the report in substance as
made by the Deputy to Marshal Fitz-
simmons. The Marshal is not in the
city at present, but we presume when
he returns he will take steps TO have
the arrest Of the defiant mountaineers
made over again, and made so that it
will stick
Mr.. Robinson, the Deputy Marshal
who was in charge of the raiding party,
has reached the city, and gives full
account of the affair. He says that it
is impossible to overestimate the de-
fance with which the mountaineers met
the officers. ass 5x
He says that Berrony is "a Frenchman
Of bravery and ability and shrewdness,
and that he has determined party fol-
lowing that fully understand the stu
alton. He said that when they arrested |
Berrony he said: have two stills
and there they are. ! defy you to take
them" rs II
When his friends began to gathersin |
the woods and darkness came on he |
would call out to them, There's only
twelve of them here, but they're armed
to teeth. Don't attack them till the |
rest of the boys comet"
Robinson turned to him and said:
The first shot they fire ON us pli
kill you"
He replied 6 Kill and be did. III
you hurt me not man Of you will get
out of these hills alive" He then went
on and said: "If you don't hurt me
they won't hurt you." an
When the attack seemed imminent