The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-11-08
RETRIBUrIoN AT LAST
A Tale of Texas During War Times.
ST lse PAiikias, hnfa0r e .s TAs My,feyieEi Eaemy :'' '' P!of and CosaEsr
 Piot.'' efe., efe.
CHAPTER I.

It was in Red River county, Texas, in the year 1864, sn the banks of the river chat divides Texas from Louisiana A bluish smoke was curling in graceful circles above the tree tops from a camp fire that was burning at the loot of the pines and oaks tha. grew in great pro- nsion.
 Around this fire was a group of seven men, vho were clothed in the ragged uniforms of the confederate soldiers. They were evidently not regular soldiers, as their conversation showed. An os- server, standing waere he could have seen them without hearing what they were saying would have thought they were "jayhawkers," as the murderous bands of soldier-robbers were called who went about killing defenseless men. wo- men and children in order to rob and plnnder them.
 But, these seven men were not iay- hawkers they were bent on deed oi death, but not for plunder. They were a detachment of a company of bushwhack- CTS, and thought that they were doing their country service by secretly ridding tt of all who staid away from active ser vice on some excuse, and then gave aid and comfort against the majority of men who were fighting in the cauae of the southern confederacy.
 These bushwhackers were not robbers they would have been ready to fight at being called murderers; they did not allow any one to hint that their work was not as much a work of patriotism as was that of the men who enlisted in the regular army; they held that as in the days of the revolution man was doing his country valiant service, and was ac- counted patriot when he hunted down and hung the stay-at-home tory, so must the man be looked on who would assist in hanging all who did service to the enemy by staying at home and giving the enemy all the aid and encourage ment possible, and doing all in their power to retard the cause of those fight ing agains, that enemy.
 1t was this mistaken belief, this mis- appreh .nsion of what constitutes patriot ism; this carrying out the unjus, maxim. All is fair in love and war;" that took 50 many real good men into the swamps and Iungles as "bushwhackers."
 Such was the little band of men we ind in the Red river swamp on this November evening, as they gathered around their camp fire and listened to their leader as he talked to them of the past, and of the work then before them.
 His name was George Berkley. He was noble specimen of physical man. hood, standing fully six feet in his boots Young Berkley had been educated at Harvard university. and his parents were or had wealthy, his father hay ing owned one of the largest sugar plan sa,ions in Louisiana, some of the "loy al |" citizens of the state, who called them selves patriots because they shirked the dangers and responsibilities of the war by staying out of the army, but assisted to rob and plunder the homes of those who were Sighting. and bleeding, and dying for what they thought was truth and justice. had burned the plantation of Major Wm. Berkley, plundered ii of every thing that could be carried off, ran the family to the swamps, and took the negroes across the lines," which meant that they were taken within the pickess of the federal army, 10 pick up living as best they could.
 This act of robbery had so fired the heart of young George Berkley, then youth of only Io years, but fully grown and strong, that he had gathered band of determined men, and organized " them into the band we have seen above. They would have blushed at having been even accused of doing anything that could be construed into being dishonora- ble; their mctto was: "Our lives in de fense of the helpless and weak our re- ward the approval of good conscience"
 @Captain," said one of the men, as they were preparing to eat their evening meal, "this is "Wednesday, the a,d of November; tomorrow will be the 7srd, and the last Thursday in November the day all the Yankees will be observing as thanksgiving."
 @YeA know that, Mr. Hawkns," an- swered the captain. But do not think tAae vs should give up being thankful on that day just because the 'Yankees ksep it. ThGs are good many things tAas - people of the s,uth do that do not think ;s czeditahie to us. can senem- R m