The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1897-09-29

thi hihihS CAptiiChCS sic tuis ihaif aiu
fewer would wish to repeat it.
knew the Rodens, all of whom were
killed, and the fact of their murder is
well known to every one in and about
this section.
As Hardcastle was also shot, and left
for dead, and survived this frightful
ordeal, 1 hunted him up in 1892, and
had him write me his story. 1t is this;
ION the 2lst of December, 1868, /
was at home on furlough. My people
at that time were living in Marshall
county, Alabama, on the northern side
of the Tennessee river. About ten
days before the expiration OF my leave
of absence We were alarmed by the sud-
den appearance in our neighborhood OF
the notorious Ben Harris and his gang
of marauders. knowing that if We
were caught We would in all probabili-
ty share the fate of many Others who
who had been killed by this murderer,
/, together with James NJ. Roden and
Porter Roden, sought refuge in Buck
Island, where Ben Roden had already
driven his cattle, and constructed "A
rude cabin for the shelter of himself
and family in case of necessity, and in
order TO prevent his cattle from being
stolen by various parties of foragers.
4. a., ,F
were joined by the old Mr.. Ben Roden
himself, shortly after we arrived there.
We remained here in supposed security
uutil the morning of December %,
when, about two O'Clock, we were
aroused from our sleep by a knocking
at the door and a demand for our sur
render. To our dismay, we found that
we were in the hands of Ben Harris!
"He demanded to know the place
where We had concealed our boat, and
we were promised our lives if We would
aid him and his men in raising the
boat, which we had sunk, and ferrying
the stock from the island To the north
bank of the river. He was accompan-
led 10y squadron of men in the uni
form of United States cavalry.f
"After We had accomplished this
work We were taken few hundred
yards down the river-bank, and were
then informed that We had to be shot.
1t so happened that old Mr.. Roden had
long been acquainted with Captain
Harris, and he asked him to step aside
that he might speak with him private
ly; but his plea for our lives was in vain.
When he returned he told us that our
case was hopeless, and that We were
condemned 10 be shot, and We all then
saw that the object of Harris in shoot
ing US was to prevent it being known,
when the war might be over, that he
had taken cattle and property belong
ing to Mr. Roden. Harris stated to Us
that if any of us wanted to pray, we
could do so, and that if we had any
thing that we wished to send to our
people, they would take it to them for
any of US. Porter Roden gave them
several things to carry back to his wife
and little children. L have since learn
ed that they never gave these things to
the widow they had made.
"In looking back over this horrible
experience it still seems to me the
prayer Porter Roden made for himself,
and for all of Us, as We stood here with
in a few minutes of eternity, was one
of the most earnest appeals to the mer-
cy of the Eternal Judge of Man that
ever fell from the lips ofmOrtal. When
he had finished we faced them, and as
we stood in line it so happened that 1
was the last one at the end in the right
of the line. Harris and his men began
the shooting from the head of the line,
and shot them all from two to four
times each with their pistols. | being
at the foot of the line was the last one,
and at the flash of the first pistOl-shot
aimed at me at close range / fell to the
ground as if dead. The ball, which
wounded me, passed through my right
arm, for I turned sideways to them as
they shot me, and the bullet cut the
artery in my arm. When they were
dragging our bodies to throw them into
the river, they stopped to feel my pulse
but, fortunately for me, they felt the
side which had already been wounded.
As the pulsation at the wrist was ab-
sent, they threw me with the Others
into the river, like so many hogs As
| was plunged in the water unfortu.
nately 4 became slightly strangled and
coughed. Some one said, Stick your
sabre into his d-d body but L had
fioated out from the bank, beyond the
reach of this weapon, when they shot al
me again but missed me. As they
fired held my breath and sank under
the water, and they turned and left me
for dead.
az floated under some drift-wood
which had caught in the trees on the
bank of the river, and under this brush
succeeded in concealing myself where
could get air until sufficient time had
elapsed for them to get away. l was st
greatly weakened from the cold (fo
this was winter and from the loss o
sAt this PERIOD all traffic across the rive
was stopped and the ferryboats were S-uttles
and concealed IN portions Of the river difiicnl
Of Access and known only 10 few. W hen !
became necessary for one OF the Initiated q
cross the river, the hole was plugged, tb
water baiied OUT and when the oPE-osit
side was reached the plug was removed. an
the boat again sank 10 the level OF the water
hence the name, ''lost ferry"
Harris and his gang were not enlisted 1
the Union army.