Wichita eagle., 1888-03-03
. !. . !. ~ TT -
LET NO ONE TRESSPASS.
: NV Friends will not disturb this
/: place. My Enemies shall not.
=: Sept. %, 1865. LEN CLINTON.

?lunket, ''stood six feet two inches in his
stocking feet, and was just % years old,
and not er pound OF surplus flesh erbout
him. He was the best shot in north Ala
hama, and warn't Altered to back up what
ne thought was right. Thar was lots er
disagreements during OF the war, and
more especially here in these noun
tains. Len didn't have nothing to 90
with politics nor war for er long time. for
he warr't q man to talk much, but it got
SO arter awhile that it warn't safe for no
body to travel Ground ermong these noun
tains, for one side or the other was NOR n
apt to put er bullet into you when you
varn't thinking erbout it. One day
erlong in the latter part OF 10 Len was
over to old man Burrows still, and While
he was thar erbout fourteen er fifteen of
the bushwhacking gang come up. Thar
yarnt none of these bushwackerS that
nankered after any trouble with Len, SO
they got Ground and talked and drank,
and drank and talked till erlong UP III the
day erlong come old man Edwards boy
going 10 mill with a turn OF wheat. Oid
Edwards was a terrible jeff Davis man,
and the bushwhackers warnt ergwine to
let him get any milling done if they could
help it. They stopped the boy, and all OF
'em cot out in the road Ground him, and
they had the little fellow scared to death,
and he commenced to beg 'em, but they
had their heads set on devilment and they
war bound to have trouble. One of EN-
cut the bag open and let the wheat run
out on the ground. and one OF 'em stuck
his knife in the old mare just to see her
iump, and some of 'em said let's give the
boy good whipping and send him back
to his old rebel dad, and it was no sooner
said than right to cutting switches they
went and the boy was crying and begging
and Len he'd sot thar on an old bench and
hadn't said nothing yet, but all of a SUD
den he grabbed his old gun and spfang
behind er tree and then he lowed:
1.-THE first man that lays er switch on
that boy, I'll git him.
1.-The bushwhackers got furious then
and grabbed thar guns and the captain OF
the gang come down ercross the boy with
a switch, and as he did the cracks of Lens
gun was heerd and it settled that captain
Lens gun cracked ergin and another OF
the bushwhackers fell, and then they al
took to trees, for they knowed Len had
two pistols with him and he was just as
good with er pistol as he was with er gun
From that time on Len Clinton was looked
| on as er jeff Davis man, and he had II
keep his eye skunt according.
''In less than no time it was well known
| that Len Clinton was great Jeff DAVIS
man, and he pretty soon was made captain
| of his side, and thar war thirty or forty
| fellows that didn't want no better fur
| than to follow Len to recover stolen prop
erty or to avenge the wrongs committed
~. IL IF fhn hnr cir
| Len was just beginning to git thing:
| Strengthened out in his settlement so as {
| fellow could sorter live, when in pops one
er these here conscript officers and tell:
| him he must go TO the war.
GIVE got ernough war right here il
| these mountains, said Len.
But the conscript officer he raised e.
row and tried to make him so and h
| couldn't, and he had to leave there fastel
| than he come, and he done mighty well t.
| get erway at all.
| cit warn't long after this till one nigh
| Len he heered horses feet, and he knoweC
| thar was trouble He lit outen bed ant
| got fixed for er fight, and he bowed hi
| horn to call up help, and he knowed he'C
| have help in CT few minutes, and tn
| fellows what was GROUND his hous
knowed it, too, so they let in to do wha
they did do in mighty quick order. /
was the conscript officer that was Their
| erlonc with er lot of cavelry that he't
been over to Wedowee and got, and the
war Cwine to take Len dead or erlive
| They didn't take him though, but the.
heat down that front door yonder an,
! lred right into the house, and the ball
killed two sweet little girls of Lens, an
| by this time Lens crowd was in hearin
and their horses hoofs could be herd, S
the cavalry and the conscript officer fairl
few away from here and outen thes
mountains. Lens two little girls wer
killed and they are buried right dow
yonder by that tree, and there is er bloc
cut outen the tree and piece of plank
fit into ii that has the names OF all tina
cavalry crowd on il, and Len he knel
down by his little girls that night whe
they were killed. and he raised his han
to heaven and swore that he would XII
every man that was IN the crowd. OF he
lose his own life in the attempt
Thar are eighteen names on that piet
| Of plank down ycuder By them grave:
and every one of EN- have got X opposii
but one, which is er sign that they hay
been killed They have all been kiIle
but one. and he was the captain and Il
very main one that Len wanted 10 xii
for he heerd him give the order fire"
|
sGen had only one child left: she w
er baby, Just twelve months old, and
| got SO erter erwhile that he couldn't sta
at home and his wife couldn't stay, so ST
took the little babe and started TO 10 ov.