Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-02-21
THE LAST OF HIS RACE.
A Strange EventfuI HistOry-A
Bloody Vendetta

Little Rock Gazette, 49,
A Gazette representative was at the
Union depot yesterday when the day
train from Texas came in, and was in.
formed that an officer was on board
who had with him prisoner whose
history was quite remarkable. After
a short search the men were found in
a forward car. The prisoner was an
old man who sat very quietly in his
seat, and did not seem to have much
interest in the world or the develop
ment of Arkansas. He was hand
cuffed and did not care to talk. From
the officer, however, and himself, the
events Of his strange history were
drawn forth, and having been patched
up made the following:
The old mans name is Dahlgreen,
and he lived before the war in the
northern part of Tennessee. His
home was a pleasant one, and with his
wife and two sons he lived very hap
PLY on his farm until quarrel arose
between neighbors. The difficulty
was patched, but one Of the sons
both Of whom had grown to mans
conceived that he had been
wronged, and one day, while he and
his brother were passing along the
road in wagon, they came up with
FIVE men, their neighbors, and the
quarrel broke out afresh. The young
men were courageous and would not
be intimidated by their opponents.
Hot words led to blows, and the five
men. pulling pistols, fred upon the
two Dahlgreen boys and killed them.
They then Runaway, and, fearing the
vengeance of old man Dahlgreen, for
he was even then considered quite an
old man, disappeared from the com.
munity. Of course Dahlgreh and
his wife were nearly distracted at the
sad death of their boys" of whom
they were very proud. and Mrs. Dahl
green never recovered from the blow,
but about the time the war broke out
died, and her husband was left to la
ment the separation Of his family.
He conceived the idea that nothing
was left in this life for him, except to
obtain vengeance on the men who
had robbed him of his sons. He de.
voted the remainder of his life to this
purpose. He began systematically to
search for the five men, whose names
were Gridley, Black, Hewitt, Meyers,
and man called BLACK Tom" but
whose true name was Lurdy, and one
after another was met and killed. He
had no scruples, no conscience. His
sole object was to put the villains who
had made life no object to him, out of
the way He took no interest in the
war. 1t mattered not whether the
north or south were victors. He shot
Meyers and Lurdy in Tennessee, and
escaped the officers who we're set upon
his track. The old man disappeared
from his county, and no traces Of
him were heard for several years, The
man Gridley died Of pneumonia in
Cincinnati, and Black is serving out a
term in the state penitentiary at Co.
lumbus, Ohio, for burglary.
The last Of these men, Hewitt, was
slowly but surely tracked by Dahl
green to Colorado, and was there, in a
little town on the frontier of the state
at Coyote, he came up with him and
shot him in cold blood, after he had
thrown up his hands and asked fol
mercy. The little community was
terribly excited about the murder, and
started officers on the track Of Dahl
green, who threw them off the scent,
No more was heard of him until last
month, when information was received
that he was in Houston, Texas, and
theirs he was arrested.
AS the prisoner concluded what he
had to say, he remarked:
II am satisfied; have had my re-
yenge, and | do not care what becomes
of me. have nothing more to live
for, and would rather hang than not
to have fixed Che men who killed my
bows"
About this time the train moved of
and the interview closed,