The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-08-08
WILD MANS MAD DEEDS
.g,o STORY OF THE oApTU RE
GRAFn H,us SOUTHERN SOLDIERS.

OF FIVE SOU 2 -
The strAe Being whose mao a. R Anr.Gs
me n,ssd a Reign Of Terror IN nraes >
"nvNEe Made War Upon tne
Af~ Hns and Finally Net MOST h0r-
rible Fate. -..-. n;snntch.
From -" arA July 3l-"Speak-
80 Of thrilling Incidents OF 'ne ra'n "a
ing o. hava escaped the historians sa'
~nlt WIZ George Anderson of this cry 70 , ,p',
Capt o 80 vou ever hear the story OF the
writer, ,an Of the Cumberland Mountains
w 10 ina- ,bat strange individual sue
s In ioui 90 :y-;-btening and demoralizlng the
e. oeicers and men of my company "o - 20
v-n-', tbo scream of shot ana Sheii Vi 'ne
'nau ~ - whole brigade OF yankees hao
ever ~ prsgg,s army was falling back
1-.,1essee before the battle OF
through o,-cra astand was made at stevens IN
81 CnlcaLi i aoS Ala. The two little towns
2 and D, D. at the foot of the Cumberland
are sI.u ''s near the banks of the tennessee
noun noun "t Tbs enemy we're close behind US, 50
H. onr army went into temporary S@rnp,
Nltto-ies we're placed in posltlon anu oul
- vas well guarded by scouts auu pieAT nS
~ order to prevent SURPRISE 0rI " 20
nrepared for any sudden auva iIHd for oicrat
pany was one of those deIan .t aU p Inc
anti We formed a part OF me 3uOet i .Le
81 of pickets some three or i0u' '--
rear of the main army. .
81 bsd only sixty men in my company at
80 One-half of them were on duty
11a o;obt the other half during the day. The
a; we're placed almost fifty yards apart
n,n,her of scouts were detailed TO
Itch the enemy in front OF US. In pacing
nv men on the picket line L visited each
r6st Near the center OF the line man
vas stationed at the mouth OF a narrow
/ dsrk-looking ravlne, which leu up soiIo
usbare into the mountains. The post was
dor larger oak tree, and at night the
snot was so dark man could not be seen
~ feee away. The first night we were on
sntv Andrew Mason, one of the best and
hrayest men in my company. was at the
4 most under the big tree.
"When the pickets were relieved the
naxt morning Mason was missing. His gun
wss found on the ground at the post, and
there were signs of desperate struggle,
but Mason could not be found. Ills gun
had not been discharged, and l thought q
4 small scouting party OF the enemy had
nTan
nrisouer | ordered the scouts in front to
keep a close watch for foraging or scouting
narfies of the enemy, and when the plckets
we're changed at shutdown | cautioned the
E man who took the post under the big oak to
q keep q careful lookout and not get captured.
Il "That night some of the scouts came in
q and reported that there was not blue coat
81 within ten miles of US. The second morn
81 ing the picket under the oak was gone. his
gun was there and again there was evidence
Of a struggle, but outside OF a circle OF
8 twenty feet we could discover no foot
q nrints and the mans capture was a
mystery
81 THE mysterious capture of two pickets
Il somewhat alarmed the men. but the man
q assigned TO the post on the third night did
q not finch. He was strapping young fell
& low named Brown, as brave as lion, and
q when | cautioned him to be watchful he
RI answered with a laugh that it would take a
8 whole company to carry him off alive.
q Next morning Brown was gone He he'd
been captured and carried off in the same
81 mysterious manner. By this time my men
II were alarmed by these mysterious captures
and was almost convinced that the men
had deserted. | determined to put man
on the post that night l could trust, and
make an effort to solve the mystery.
when the hour for relieving the pickets
arrived, the day man on the post at the
ravine was missing and his gun found lying
on the ground. This thing was getting
decidedly sensational and l determined to
clear up the mystery that night. Calling
Sergt Motion aside told him of my belief
that the men were deserving, and asked him
to take the post that night and clear up the
mystery of tne affair il possible. He readily
assented, and retired to my tent confident
that the sergeant would be found at his post
the next morning. Imagine my surprise
when lieutenant came to my tent the fol
loving morning and informed me that
Sergt. Motion was missing. l hurried over
to the post and there l found the sergeant's
81 gun and plenty of evidence that he had not
M deserted.
Sergt. Motion was a powerful man
"a physically, and his struggle with his cap
TORS must have been q desperate one in
deed The ground was torn and trampled
i0r space of fifty feet, and there were
GloodStains everywhere. l tried to trace
Tue men and their captain, but the ground
everywhere around was covered with loose
s'0neS, and there were no footprints.
When the news of Sergt. Moulton's can't
uIe spread through the company it caused
general alarm. The men. swore the place
was haunted, and giant ghost had carried
sway our plckets. | don't believe man in
my company would have volunteered to 81
~ Vuat post made up my mind would
So,. tne mystery that night if it cost me
. .an my company. During the day l de-
1'igu I'VE men for duty at the oak.
gu Vney were not molested When
oisu' came | placed a man there
b, usual, telling him would
T TS'eaa extra guard around the place
od uou, laklng ten picked men, men whose
souage cauld rely on, l stationed them al
tb b"t intervals so as to completely surround
10y ao w oak tree where five OF my men had
~ Uevn 20 mysteriously captured. NV orders
or;., 4ol every man to remain perfectly
t sI.e' until he heard struggle under tbs
81 'neh all rush to the relief of the mar
~ .ue post. There was to be no shot fired
80 Vcouio be avoided. / wanted to capture
No. ~. Mys'erious enemy alive. l took a posi-
feyt inside inside my line of guards and about fifty
leet from the tired. Ia y
ell -ue darkness was intense and the
sa aus opp ssive. Not sound broke the
II tbC,,nt. .l Il until near midnight, when
g haSpU heard a faint noise among tn,
81 sn5 I "H OF the big tree. listened intently
81 bTon sTon heard plainly the rustling of the
II rno,,a ues as though some wild animal was
ling . about in the tree
n beo.S was probably five minutes altar
81 tbs thu t-o .ue rustling among the branches Of
81 with ee "hen some object fell to the Ground
CIV - a heaVy thud. Instantly there was
II De- ~ ~ pain or terror from the sentinel nm
rnob Tree, and l shouted TO nv men r.
q onlv sd III ward. AS we closed in we coulC
q IoTdo ee Two forms struggling as if for life
b m1i 'IGleu my men to seize both and q
tHtCAiy as possible 7 mada 1ich.