The evening times., 1899-01-23
MANY TROUBLES OF
M0UNTAlNEER BRYSON
Comes to Washington to Have
His Pension Restored.
History as Soldier ON Both Sides
During the Civil War.
Impressed Into the Confederate Ser
vice, But Deserts and Enters
That of the Union.

Probably one of the most pathetic cases
of deserving poverty that has been fond
| in Washington for long time is that OF
James Bryson, an old Union solder, II
years old, and typical mountainess
whose home Is in the wild rugged noun
| tains of the western part of North Caro-
| lima near the Tennessee line. The old
| man reached Washington Thursday and is
now being cared for at the So dfers and
| Sailors Temporary Home at 305 Missouri
Avenue. His mission here is to secure
| justice at the hands of the Pension Office.
For a number of years, from 1890 until
| 1896 he drew pension of $12 per month,
| but at the end of that time it was stopped
| upon the complaint OF several of his enc
miles, who charged him with serving in
| the Confederate army. When the civil
war broke out he was an active man in
| the prime of life and resided in the vi
| cinity Of the locality in the mountains of
| North Carolina, where he was reared. His
! sympathes were with the North from the
| start and he was in the habit of aiding
| the Northern men who had settled in the
| South and who were compelled when the
| Confederates made ii too hot for them to
| ledNe the Dy RululnS lHtu
| through the Confederate lines. For the
| first two years of the war his disSoyaity
| to the South was not discovered, but when
| the tide began TO turn against the Con-
| federacy and the ranks of the Confederate
army were sadly in need of being recruit
| ed with able bodied men,. the conSclipting
| officers of the Confederate government be-
| gan TO harrass those who remained at
| home, and as Bryson was one of these his
|
| learned that he was an object of suspi-
cion and for nearly two years managed to
elude the rowing bands of Confederates
and North Carolina Indians who infested
the country. During that whole time he
was subjected to hardships and dangers
| that cannot be oyerestimated. Very often
| the Confederates would remain in the vi
cinity OF his home for days at time
watching for an opportunity to apprehend
and compel him to join the Confederate
army. During these periods he was fore
| ed TO sleep in the open air. Often in the
winte. time when the weather was freez-
ing cold and the ground covered with
| snow he was obliged TO roll several logs
! together, leaving sufficient room for his
body, and after removing the snow from
| between the logs would sleep there.
! The old man was perfectly familiar with
| the mountains for miles round his home
\ anu dS the war pIOSItSSeu anu the meu
| captured from the Federal armies were
sent South to the various prisons in the
| Carolinas and Georgia he had many op-
portunities to aid the prisoners who had
| escaped and were making their way
| North. He never failed to aid anyone
| deserving of his sympathy and he said to
| a Times reporter that he had guided at
| least fifty men through the Confederate
| lines in the vicinity of his home. He re-
peatedly fed hungry Union men from his
scanty stores OF provisions for which he
| never received any pay. All the mount
| ain trails in the section OF the country in
| which he lived were guarded by bands of
| the North Carolina Indians who had been
| induced TO join the Confederate army SEN
| tinels were posted at all places where II
was thought probable that anyone would
| attempt TO pass through the mountains and
| only the most rugged and inaccessible
| places were left unguarded. The Indians
| were dead shots and were extremely cruel
| and it was hard matter TO escape their
| vigilance. He again and again ran the
! risk of being caught by these dusky foes
| and on numerous occasions he and the
| men whom he was guiding narrowly es-
! capped with their lives. Finally in the ear
| ~ part OF 1854 he was captured by A hand
| OF the Confederates who were searching
| the country over for recruits for the army
| He was told that unless he enlisted in the
/ Confederate army that they would shoot
| MN. In order TO save his life he enlisted
| For about twelve months he served in
| Thomas Legion which was made I'd of
| Indians and men who had been conscript-
| ed from the surrounding States At the
| first opportunity he deserted when the
command in which he was serving was
stationed near Athens, Tenn. He made
ms way with much difficulty into the I'm
| ion lines and there enlisted In the Seven
1 tod
ly after his enlistment he was promoted
| TO sergency for gallantry in action In
| august 1860, he WAS mustered out of the
| service and given his discharge paper
which he still has in his possession.
AL the close of the war he was broken in
health as result of the hardships and
| exposure which he endured while aiding
| Union men TO escape through the Confeds
crate lines. For about thirty years he
worked on his farm, although scarcely able
| TO the laborious duties, and managed to
| exc out an existence. At last he became
| so feeble that he was unable TO work. and
in 1890 he applied for a pension. which he
! secured. He enjoyed his well-deseryed
pension until August, 1896, when it was
| cut oil. The old man had incurred the en-
| nifty of three or four men in his neighbor-
hood. and out of revenge they wrote let
| ter to the Pension Office stating that Bry-
son mad been member of the Confederate
army, but neglecting to tell of the COM
pulsion under which he labored before
| joining the Federal army and as a reseult
| the pension was stopped. The story of the
manner in which the old man incurred the
| enmity OF the persons who wrote is a re-
| cital of one OF many tragic incidents which
occur in the mountains of the South John
| Bryson, son of the man now in Wash
| ington, became involved in a quarrel with
two men, both sons of prominent citizens
in the vicinity of Murray, N c. Nothing
came of the quarrel for a long time but
both sides threatened injury-to the other
Finally the two men with whom young
| Bryson had had the difficulty concealed
themselves in defle of the mountains
through which they knew he would pass,
and just as they came to the ambush they
fired upon him, killing him instantly. 1t
was three days before the body was found.
but when the father learned OF the deed
| he set out to bring the murderers to JUS
| tice. He secured sufficient evidence to con-
| vict the culprits, but when the case was
taken to the supreme court of the State
| the decision OF the lower court was not
sustained and the murderers were releas-
ed They Immediately left the State, and
| have never been seen in the vicinity of
| their old homes. Further efforts have been
made to secure them, but these attempts
have been unavailing. The old man says
that after the trial in the supreme court
and the release of the defendants the at
torney who defended the men on trial, at
the instigation of his clients, wrote to the
Pension Office here the letter which lost
him his pension. @H9SH
The old mountaineer is apparently honest
and deserving. He is very feeble and is