The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-11-05

came wild as deer and when a farmer wanted
fresh side meat he took his rife 10 the woods
and shot porker All the hogs werc branded
! with the owners marks II was charged that
sometimes tho Hildebrands wore too careless about
looking for the brand and sho, neighbours hog
They became known as hog thieves, though they
stouuy denied tho accusation In the first year
Of the war many horses were appropriated by men
going away 10 the front Sam Hildebrand and
has brother Frank were accused Of stealing horse
prominent farmer named fiman McIvaino
became the head Of vigilance committee to hunt
down horse thieves The Hidebrands heard that
they were suspected: they took to tho woods After
hiding few days Sam came home after some
thing 10 cat lie had hardly sat down to tho table
In one hand and pone OF corn bread in the other
be made Tor the woods for upon opening the door
he saw thai hs house was surrounded by the yigi-
lance committee Many shots were fred at him
took his vic and their i've small children 20 a
war was over. Sam was then 25 years old
, "Iiildebrand always declared that he was driven
10 bc an outlaw. He knew nothing Of the merits
Of Jnionism OF Secession, lie had claimed TO DO
Union sympathy T. and wanted to stay at home
apdie, the war fight ilself bn, his brother Frank
surrendered 10 the vigilantes, who took him back
| 20 the vooda and hanged him TO tree.
mec oTssnset into COMPANY o odcrSi home
| guards. Sam then Joined the Southern Conicd
eIasy. as he said for sei.p,o,cS,ion nut he soon
! His brother Washington lIildehrnnd and friend
Of tho family were prospecting for lead at place
famous st Joe lead mines at Bonnie Tcrrc. A
man, named blanche, who had been one Of the
hc'Sho1ts oy ,ne GeS's a SMy OF
I Federal militia. With detachment VI his men
Flnnchc went 10 the mine. called the two men out
| and commanded his squad 10 fire. Roth men fell
dead, The captain tod citizen he had Killed the
men because they were friends Of Sam liildebrhnd
About this time Sans mother was driven from the
/ homestead nv vigilance mob Shortly after
This Federal captain named Adolph surrounded
| The homestead With his company and mixture OF
Sans brother Henry, boy only 10 years old
! When Sam heard Of this lie swore he would kill
every man in any way connected with the affair
and ho knew most Of them and whore they lived
Within the neu three yeays lie came very near
while these events were happening Sam
, had pu, in n crop et tho farm he icnt"d on Fla.
now-bM a, las, Firmnn Mciiys'nr found GU,
! whore he was. Mcllvaine got eighty Union sol
di'ts from the EnrriS1n 81 iron,on IN Iron count
he saw. tha, the ,Fcderals had surrounded
and and dashed through a gap in the lines The
| soldiers fired nj him az h. ran: a shot struck him
below the knee; breaking a bone, The trooIEs.,-
! they were cHyalrv--pursucd him closely; Whtic
they STOPPED IN let down rail fence he hid him.
~ in gully hall iu Of dry leaves, The ;oI,,
/
burned the house that sheltered his family
Sam told me along IN, o! that while tie lay
| against the United States In general and Firman
Mcll,aine and his other personal enemies in par.
nsulnT That psG, al, friend n@med pigg Re,
The wounded man lay tll his hone knit "a
, soon az he was able TO travel he was taken by
, ate. IN Green county. Ark. on the way there
he fell in with Tom Halle regular daredevil
zen his old nsisneoth S,o; Up on lS Rive, and
| 5ushwhacking job. After arriving in camp, Hill.
| drhrand went 10 Gen. Jeir Thompson, Il Confcdsr-
! bloomfield Mo lie told HIS story and the Gen.
crai wrote MIN c9nniSSion as major sam
! From tina, day until the close Of the war and
IN fact I'll dozen years after the last gun was
mics and the chief tantazcr oi the Federal Az.
hoFitics in southeast Missouri Making his
general rendezvous in Green couriy, Ark. no
went on various bushwhack!ng trips TO his old
home, always after some man who had incurred
| his hate. Once h. went Gs far north, as Pike
find target for old Kill.Dcyil. OF course he
added new enemies 10 his list IS the Hhr went on
men I who tnfGrT s% on him and rtisd to get him
Trips entirely alone, travelling nioOt or hoiSc-
hack by night and lying up Ivy day " Other
Halle and other M;ssouriars who had old scores
10 settle; ON such trips they would sometimes
{ Shargc Inipusn 4 FEDERAL camp outnumbcrirg
thcm ten 10 one, shooting as they went and never
stopping till they gained safe place on the other
side, Then Sam would creep back to some point
from which he, could count the corpses and per
haps take another crack at the surprised soldiers
1T was early in June, 1862 that sam Hide.
S ,r h m1nn'Sd horse and s1anGd on his ars
learned the names Of several Southern sympa.
,hi7crs along his road. Sam had definite object
ing around for Geoge C9rnecious, the man who
hal reported his whereabouts 10 Mcllyaine. After
two days and nights he found MS man and shot
him dead, COrneciouS the first man he ever
Killed Micrwad he told with gcc how delighted
~ he cut the his' notch in his rihe stock his
\fter seeing that his family were housed and do
ing well he took some corn bread for raIons and lit
on, on foot one night for Mcllyaine's farm. Ito
selected field on the top Of high bluH overlook
ing the river The men were harvesting wheat
there Some grain had been cut the dav before. and
1 shock the ri min while the negroes Graded. But
carly In the morning he saw his victim grading
wheat 10 another part Of me field and he tined 10
crawl along the buI 10 get 10 place near enough
10 take good aim. 7 he negroes came too near
him as they worked around, and he gave up that
plan. lie went around under the buG and had
the satisfaction OF seeing Mcllyaine ride down to
the ford to water his horse. \ limb from tree
Vas in his way, and he COULDN'T draw q bad.
/ That night sam slept under a ledge Oi the Liuif,
! Next day hc tried III vain TO get whcge he could
shoot Mcllvainc without being, caught himself,
lie slept another night under the ledge and Chewcd
wheat heads TO satisfy hunger, llc crossed the
river on fish tap Ia rye field Of AIcyaine's
ana lay hidden Tor several hours The negroes
were cutting rye, but his enemy not there.
o. At last Nc !vaIne came TO the field and hogan
. cradline. lie made ono round, and just beyond
where the bush whacker lay he stopped 10 whc,
his blade fildebfand shot him through the
hearL This shows how persistent the man was:
he was out for blood. ard when he once got on the
| trail o! an enemy II was all up with the enemy.
"On his next trip into Missouri sam killed an
: intormcr who grew too cOnlding and told him he
WAS out looking fo- San ilildcbrandS scalp.
lie made another ulp with Tom Halle and ono
other man. searching through two counties for q
man named Slqkcs, who on previous expeditions
had sheltered him, pretending 10 be- a friend, but
later laid plans 10 de..vcr him up Sam had been
told that STOKES wa m infrrmcr but he wanted
. I" make sure before kllling him, When he finally
r learned that Stokes was al home he went 10 his
d house alone Nit"r da-k. Stokes received him
with his usual IcndliH~,S lie told iiiGvhrHud
there We're no tcdcrhlS in the ncrhhprhrpd aud
asked the huShwhHCkcr TO stay Win TIM over
night Sam thanked him, but SAID he would
Golon ncighhors mile away. lie then rci,rl"i
10 Tom Halle and his other man hidden in the
! woods. aic and The other put On lcdc al uni.
( forms and rode TO SIOtcS'S approaching from
another di.rgtinn. They pretended 10 I've hot On
llildebrard's trail and asked IL Stokes hid seen
him. Stokes 'oyiullg informed thea that Sam
had Just conc 10 the ne'ghb0''s TO spend the night
and he got his gun and went along with them to
be in nj the death, lie was in sure enough,