The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1881-07-07

was done, but all in vain. He sank
visibly from day to day. When IN the
talking mood he repeatedly assured
the writer that he was innocent OF the
charges against him-that he had never
slain nor ill-used a prisoner-that he
had never % his own knowledge killed
more than one man, and hmm he Killed
ia self defence. after he bad been nim-
self shot through the thigh. He de-
clared in the most solemn terms thar
be had been greatly wronged he CON
sideIed himself not more guilty than
any other Confederate officer, who had
operated in an irregular manner within
the enemy's lines as Cor instance Mos
by. or Stringfellow, or even John Nor
gan.
Now, as a matter of course, the state
ment Of a convict undergoing punish
ment is to be taken with a great many
grams of caution; for we rarely find a
3 criminal who does no profess TO be a
~..wronoed and injured man.. But
Whist gives weight TO Berry's asserva-
tons is the fact that he vas on the
point of death, and was fully conscious
of his condition; and he showed the
writer MANY lClttIs IoooIaii ~
statements he ma &c. In one letter
from General Palmer, afterwards Gov.
of IllinuiS,) who WAS President OF the
Court winch sentenced Berry, occurs
this passage Il am satisfied that you
did not mistreat your prisoners, but on
the contrary that you lnterposed to
save the lives of Union soldiers who
had fallen into the hands of other bush
whackers.
NoTE: In the last weeks farmer
and Mech1ajc | gave the concluding
hours of Berry's life his death at day
break on the Fourth of July. amid the
thunders of artillery III honor of the
Anniversary Of American Freedom.
After my return from Albany | wrote
to Berry's brother, DR.. L. j. Berry, of
Aulsville, Missouri, who sent me a large
bundle of documents bearing on the
case. One was the following sworn at
fdavit Of Judge Hoke. ~weil-known
throughout the South -
II am well acquainted with all the
facts connected with the trial, arrest
and Imprisonment of Mr.. Berry, and |
''cheerfully endorse what has been said
''ot him. | defended him g~ratultously
before the military commission. tie
could not have been convicted before
"a Jury, and was convicted from preJu-
dice and mere rumOr.
w. B. HoKE
Il concur entirely with Judge Hoke
"in foregoing statement.
THps. r BRAMLETTE.
u I = Ko,t,.t,, -
DR.. Berry, in hi> letter, says: respect
ing ais brother: - pad above S.. 600
to Yankee thieves and blood suckers for
promises to procure the pardon of my
brother; for it was well understood
that the object of the persecution was
to extort money from him Not less
than twenty Southern soldiers were
tried in Louisville after the war. most
of whom were compelled to pay large
sums to the money hunters on the com
missions which tried them. Ihad sen
erni proposals turing nty BROTHERS, trial
from menlb,ls Of tie Court. that If zoe
wouhi poy $50, 900, lie should be acqult
ted. | can give the name of the officer
who made the proposals. President
Johnson promised me that if | should
get the atfi lavits O two men, whom my
brother had saved from being massacred
by the guerrillas, he would pardon him.
| got the sworn aft %lavits, of Col. j. W.
Finley, and ,lsj. w. s. Montgomery,
both u. S. Officers, that brother Oscar
had saved them from being hanged
yet johnson failed to keep his word.
and the poor fellow died in prison &c.
&C."
his ccOunt seems too outrageous
for belief; but Dir. Berry refers to Col.