The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-07
HIS LAST FOURTH OF JULY!
How a Young -Confederate
was Tortured to Oeath
Continued from last geek

but having losL DIS hotiei q"
early age, he was taken by his fatheF
to a small town not far from Lexington,
Kentucky, where he lived at the be
ginning of the Southern struggle for
independence. He was not get OF age
when he left his home and friends to
cast his fortunes with the Confederacy,
becoming a member of Col. Grigsby's
Kentucky cavalry, and having plenty
Of hard fighting under the amousGen
John Morgan.
In 1864, when the C%onfederates
evacuated the southwestern borders
of kentucky, he was commissioners a
captain, with special orders to remain
within the Federal lines for the pur-
pose of enlis.ing recruits, co lecting
stragglers, and obtaining il TO nation
as we'll as OF ~inf1icting any and all pos
sible damage on the enemy's lines OF
communication. The State at that
time was full of absentees from the
Southern army, who were unwilling
to submit to the rigors and discipline
of the regular forces, but were ever
ready to engage III any partiz IN enter
prise that promised active work and
liberal pay. Consequently, Berry found
no difficulty in collecting a band Of
brave fellows, as reckless as himself,
whose dashing exploits and wonderful
rapidity of movement added new terrors
TO the name of the "one armed devil,
which was the title given him by the
Federals. Many thrilling incidents Of
this par.iZln warfare might be narrat-
ed but for the present it must suffice
to say, that Berry and his men carried
CONSERVATION and dismay throughout
the whole country around Lexington.
and even to the gates of Louisville it
self. Never was the Dark and Bloody
Ground more prolific Of terrible scenes
than during the last six months of the
war.
When the great Surrender occurred,
Berry's friends urged him to fly from
the country TO avoid the wrath Of the
triumphant Unionists, who would Ger
tainly pursue him with viadictive cru
city to the grave. He, however, rely
ing on his Confederate commission to
exempt him from charges of bush
whacking, quietly remained at home,
and was May Both, 1861 regularly
admitted to parole, like all other
Southern officers, by Gen. Palmer, tn,
cornmandsnt at Louisville, who assured
him he should not be molested so long
as he should submit to the laws and
attend to his own business. Yet, on
the night of December 9TH, 1865, II
troop of cavalry, by a forced march o.
more than forty miles, surprised Berry
in his bed and carried him off with
every insult and indignity to be ar
raigned before a military court-mlrtial
on seventeen different charges, includ
ing highway robbery. arson, rape, and
murder! The Radical papers, mean
while, teemed with accusations assert
ing that he was guilty Of every crime
in the decalogue. When trial came
on, 1t was found that the testimony on
behalf of the prosecutor was Of the
most abominable and unreliable char
acter: whereas, several Union men of
prominece in the State and a colonel
OF a negro regiment, who had been
captured by Berry, all bore witness
that he had repeatedly shown mercy
to prisoners at the risk of bis own life.
But TIE Court las is the case with
nearly all military commissions organ
lied to try political cases was conven-
ed, not to decide justly and imparti
ally, but to cOnrtct; and the proceed
ings were marked by such manifest
j injustice tfrat the counsel for the pris
oner were ready to abandon the case in
disgust. On the first day of FEBRUARY,
1866, a verdict Of guilty Of bush
whacking and the murder Of unarmed
captives was delivered, and Berry was
sentenced to be hanged And with
an indecent cruelty that shows the
spirit of his cut-throat custodians. they
caused the gallows to be erected full
three weeks before the day set for his
execution, directly in front of his win
dows. They were, however cheated
of their prey President Johnson COM
muted the sentence to ten years at
hard labor in Albany Penitentiary.
When Berry reached his new prison,
some time in March, 1866. he found
that evil report had preceded him,
and that he was counted one of the
most wicked and desperate men in the
institution. Called by a sense of I'M
just treatment, and lrritated by the
dOmineering tone OF a brutal turnkey,
he lost his temper and made replies
which is caused him to be severely pun
lshed. He was locked in a narrow
closet, called the s'shower BATH and
several buckets Of ice-cold water were
allowed to trickle slowly upon the top
of his closely shorn bead To the
credit of humanity, it must be
added that this method of punishment
hQC hpan fnrovnr ohnIiohaI - NJ,
York Penitentiary; the Legislature
having abolished it, in consequence
of the public Indignation over the
death of a prisoner while undergoing
the torture. After undergoing the
water bath with un%hinching resolution,
Berry, was marched to a cell. and left
IN solitary confinement. In this hole.
which about six feet long and four
broad, he passed sir ycors ofhis life
o a time he remained cheerful.
huoyed by hopes Of pardon; but after
spending several thousand dollars. of
his own and his brothers money. he
became satisfied of the futility of his
hopes, and soon began to drop. His
friends repeatedly brought his case to
the attention of the Government bat
always unsuccessfully, although his ap-
placatlon was strongly endorsed bv
such men as Gov. Stevenson, of Ky,
Gov. Palmer, Of Illinois, Major-Gene.
raj Rousseau, Ex Gov. Bramlette. Gen.
Ward, Hon, j. j. Guthrie, George d.
Prentice and Senator Clayton, who
married a cousin of Berry. and Others
of similar celebrity. Unhappy for the
miserable prisoner the Metric, uo.