The herald., 1895-09-08
NEVER KILLED A
MAN WITH HIS OWN HAND
BUT OTHERS DID

Killed man2 No. I've ordered my
battery to fire and have fought it from
daylight until dark; but personally and
with my own hand 1 never, so far as I
know, killed or wounded Yankee"
Major Joe Sayres of Texas it was who
made the answer set forth above. He was
in the appropriations committee rooms
of the capitol at Washington at the time.
''As look back over my experiences"
he observed retrospectively, II recall but
one real good opportunity to shoot any
body which came personally in my way.
We had blundered up on a brigade of
Yankees and got into q fight. Neither
side was out looking for the other. and it
was more or less of a surprise to both. 1
was detailed at headquarters at the time.
and employed during the two or three
hours OF fighting in carrying dispatches
from one point to another. was going
to the extreme left of the fight on ono
occasion. When the Yankees went into
action they had their knapsacks and
blankets on their backs. They had taken
them off and lef. them in one long VIA
row lying on the ground. The surge OF
the battle had driven them back from
this line, and it so fell out that as rode
along l was skirting this ridge Of knap.
sacks and blankets. 1t was a good deal
of personal property to leave lying around
but both the Yankees and we were pref
ty busy that day, and none of us bad
time to look after it as we would have
liked.
"As cantered along the line of KNAPP
sacks l wasn't looking for the enemy.
The battle was going on half mile
away, and as the Yankees had been forced
L. ol- tt,o,,,
crates were between me ana the foe. This
being the ground plan of the situation, l
was, as you may we'll believe, trihe as
tonished, even discouraged, when big
Yankee suddenly sprang up from among
the knapsacks and snapped his Enfield at
me. The gun didn't go off, which may
account for my being the present chair
man of the appropriations committee.
Before 1 could make the slightest return
to the point-blank civilities of my friend
of the Opposite party, he cast his gun to
the ground with wrathful curse and
turned and ran away like deer.
my six-snooter was by that time in
my hand and l spurred after him in hot,
instructive pursuit. ran up within six
feet of my man, and pcir ting my pts oil
at the gentleman in Blue, called on him
to surrender. He only made some disre-
spectful observation and ran faster. with
out even turning his head. This, of course,
L
couldn't do it. The business looked too
much like butcheIy. But felt the mill
tary necessity of capturing my man. That
was what we were there for-to kill,
wound OF capture each other-and l could
MT regard myself as having done my
duty unless l was able to report success
as to one of the three propositions.
'But do my best couldn't make it.
Time and again 1 rode fairly up to n1y
Yankee until the nose of my horse stuck
over his shoulder. l called on him to
stop and become a captive dozen times
In tact carried on a long conversation
with him, only he didn't say anything
more relevant to the business in hand
than string of profanity. Four or five
times l thought of shooting, but it was
no use. l wasn't built to shoot people IN
the ba TX. Once concluded to hit him a
rap with my pistol; that was toward the
last OF the chase. l did strike at him,
but missed, and in my enthusiasm came
mighy near leaving the saddle to stand
on my head. l pulled up then and asked
myself what's the uss?' 1 concluded to
let my friend run on if he wanted to.
If I shot him down ir wouldn't end the
wal. 1t would go on just the same and
last Just as long. One Yankee more or
less wouldn't cut any figure. DHe was run
ming toward the north, too, running in
th~ right dirartion afta~ watching him