Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1889-10-16
In DEATHS PRESENCE.
Sensations Of q Man Who Knows
His Fate Ii Sealed.

A Government ScOu. Describes His Feel
InEs While Being Used for = Target
By = Guerrilla aud while waiting
60 Re Hanged.
In the summer of 1884, when the rebel
guerrilla Joe Shelby and his band were the
terror OF Southern Missouri, was captured
by a detachment of them while acting as
regimental mail carrier. At lonely spot
on the highway, between the Union videttes
and the camp, three men suddenly sprang
out of the woods at me. The hour was four
o'clock in the afternoon, and as was with
In the Union lines / was unsuspicious Of
danger. Just minute before the men be-
trayed themselves a rabbit had crossed the
highway ahead Of me, and had drawn my
revolver, hoping for q shot. therefore had
il in my hand when the trio made the rush.
One sprang for my horses head and the
| other two closed in broadside. / fired and
killed the first man dead In his tracks. AS
l whesled to FIRE on my right my horse
made spring and my bullet struck the man
| In the left shoulder. Before l could make
another move the third man pulled me from
my horse. We were only half a mile from
the Union camp, and they did not do any
shooting for fear Of creating an alarm. AS
l was pulled to the ground the man struck
me on the head with the butt OF revolver
and for the next ive minutes / was uncon-
scious. When came to l had been dragged
on the road into the bushes, as had the
dead body OF the guerrilla, and my
horse was standing near by. The one whom
had wounded had his knife in his hand and
wanted to finish me, but the other pro-
tested and held him OF. l was finally or
dored to mount, my feet made fast under
the saddle, and after going through the
woods about thirty rods we came TO the
spot where the guerrillas had left their
| horses. They mounted, struck into a bride
| path, and after going about three miles we
came upon the guerrillascamp. There were
| from eIghty-hve to q hundred men, and
things looked as If they had been there
several days. They were q tough-lookiDg
lot OF men, dressed in all sorts of clothes
and armed with all sorts Of weapons, and
them, The rebel guerrillas OF Virginia oc-
casionally spared prisoner, but the West
| ern guerrillas had no pity.
As soon as It was known that had killed
| one man and wounded another they were
| for killing me at once. A dozen ways of
| doing II were suggested, but it was now
| growing dark, there was large mail to be
opened and read, and "Cap'n Bill' Or
dered that 1 should be tied to tree and
| guarded through the night, and added that
my case would be disposed of before they
moved in the morning. twas lashed to a
tree In . sitting position, guard took q
seat on stump near oy' and thus began
the nignt Ine HuerrlAlas cooked ana ate
| supper DuC relusou "e poUn 1oou anu
orlnk. men s Pro.Ssteu =. ~ Ih.s tfeAsinens s S
tn1 su0,u w1o 0ie0 W OA0" NY Ao~" oAA
u !oion smut up
| Ane man sonVonoeo 70 % n.ukou uouOS
tess nopeS 1oE roPrioT1 unth sne moose 10
SlHs.S ~. -. no.. .,h.S ~
nS0 tpst ~ houts "ors numbered, nso
notnlng 70 hope toEi u was an extra mali
was riding Win. an9 my tat!9re 70 appear
would not 90 noucco. enc FspoFts P mY
rcvolveL ooui0 nv nn.o "" Se'n - Soo ~ .hs
Hny in 1,suu'. ~. . 80, .,,.,.ctn" 80
ES - % "..". n-n- "a over n nv
"oN 80 .at,.Sr rr,s.alf th.t
~inu' SHV OO:N ~ IL. -o,,,6
go on IA -" -
ensS S, ~ tesl a - 90 49, h.S .;,hsr
EuoEInS nu ny aS..s.
oocs Anneu " ~ S.
nSlG SiOso 70 s.S %. ~ 80 s kS;sY
~ : o'tne. SS.SIh"S | S,,,s.d a. o,,t ,hat I
uui@sio uui @sion go -aI;a1sd Indaed thsre
wrA " ulc lois
was teelaR Oh olStion 1'0UU "
i IySN~0 49, ,1ltf
did NOT CHING 70 u SS yea mlghs expect.
The thought OF OegglnH them 70 spare me
| never occurred. Ooulo nave got loose ana
armed mysei ! snoulo nave IouRnt tue
Wnois eFpWo instead Oh running sway
Boon attSF miAhIsne len @SleeP' sco
that WIN copsldeFSosS hHlse gong on
around me. j" was qsyngnt whep aEoAe,
ana the men were turning out' fney
cooked ana ave DreaKIas1, onering me no
part' ana Knew Unat every minute orooknI :
me nearer oea'n; was no. norvoue, UuC
| vas curious 70 xuo" mn%v oTnoI % t Sy
peERt eHoPL AIUer oreSAlaS' u"o ooen
dlSPoesN o. tns men kA'nereo oOouS me,
ana "Cap'n 0nF esaq ~ s9e man WHOM
had wounded In inc snou'aeFi
Hes your meat, in course, but the boys
want to see some fun out OF 1t. Yod kin
| crack at him on hand
The man had his left arm IN q sling. He
drew heavy FaYolger and walked on dis
tance OF ntteep Pacee, ana then turned ana
leveled on me. Ishutn my eyes and counted,
l had got to ''seven" when the report game.
The bullet hit the tree, ak inches above my
head, and to the right, and there was gen
oral laugh. He raised his arm again, and
this time had counted only "six" when the
report came, He made line shot, but was
seven or eight inehes too high, The pain OF
! his wound had unneFyed niW- 9ho mon