Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1890-03-14
KENTUckY,s BORDER WAR.
From the RecoIlections of a Twelve-Yesr-
Old of 1862.

From the Recollections of Twelve-Year-
Old Of 1862.
My native town Of Hartford, KY, and
the surrounding county were as badly
divided as any section of any border
state, and raids and reprisals were
frequent and often very bloody. Mat
tiers became so unsettled that it was
no uncommon sight to see mea carry
their guns to church and to funerals. |
have seen a country church congregation
where, on the 'mens side" as it is called,
bayonets stood against the wall or leaned
up over mems shoulders while they lis
tened to the discourse. Sentinels were
on such occasions placed on duty and all
hands were in readiness at any moment
to see a gang of guerrillas dash down
upon the "hitching poles" where the
horses of the congregation were tied
These scenes were not without their hu-
morous features. One old gentleman,
bearing the suggestive name of Aunt
Billy" who had never fired gun in his
life, joined in one of the home guardraid
He created much merriment when he
discovered that the trigger of his musket
was loose. He said he "moight as well
go home as his gun was broke and would
not shoot"
This same man asked which side of the
army General Items" belonged to. He
saw his name mentioned in every paper,
and had never heard which army he
was in.
A company of home guards were
summoned to meet for the drill. One
old farmer thought he would distinguish
himself for proficiency, so lie braced him
self up and put his heels together and
extended his toes at a proper angle, and
called out: Fix the balance, capting,
I'm in line"
One of my neighbors was a southern
sympathizer, and he had two grown sons
who got themselves into trouble by their
patriotic display. Orders had been issued
by the department commander to arrest
anybody known to shout the familiar
"Hurrah for jeff Davis and the South
ern Confederacy."
These boys had been reported to the
post commander as having offended in
this way, and they were arrested and put
in the county Jail. They said they would
rot in prison before they would take the
oath of allegiance to "Lincoln's hire
| lings," but they reconsidered this resolu-
ton and were released on bail Not
many weeks passed before the eldest
" ent to country church one Sunday,
and during the services in the church he
selected a fine horse owned in the neigh
borhood and mounted and rode away.
L. :
of his capture in an engagement between
Federal soldiers and a band of guerrillas,
near Paducah He was taken to Louis
vile, KY, where it was learned that he
was a bail jumper. At this time the
government was practicing retaliation
A band of guerrillas had few days be
fore taken two citizens of village il
Green county into the street and sho
them down. The commander of the
forces at Louisville condemned five guer
rilla prisoners to be sent down to the
same spot and executed in retaliation
Morgan was among the number. An
escort of soldiers took the five doomed
men, with collins for each and went by
rail to Mumfordsville and thence by
wagon to the scene of the recent muir
ders. Here the men were blindfolded
their hands pinioned at their backs anC
the collins arranged in a row, and eacl
man stood up in front of his coffin.
The guns We're loaded bv the officers
and handed to the soldiers to fire. On,
blank load and one ball was to be free
at each victim, but the men who did TIN
firing did not know who had the blanl
cartridge. At the command to fire the
hills re-echoed the familiar sound of tn
vollcy of musketrv, and the smok
lifted, revealing five PROSTATE forms
As an officer approached he observed
that Morgan was breathing. He wa
living across his coffin, with his head IA
one side and his feet at the other. Thu
officer fired pistol ball into his body
when the muscular action caused til,
body to bound several feet into the air
He sank back dead. not having spokel
since the first volley was fired. He ha,
not been hit by the volley, but fell wit
his fellow victims, and no doubt though
himself dead, so great was the effect o
the terrible expectation. The five mel
We're buried in one grave. This practic
of retaliation seemed at the time, AM
does yet, to be one of the most terribl
aspects of war; yet it materially lesSene'
the number of victims to the rapidly in
creasing bands who owed allegiance t.
no higher court than their own seltisl
, and demoralized natures.-War G
Benton.
Eumorists Influence.
/, am cripple. but | never think o