The National tribune., 1899-12-07
The East Tsnnesseeans Execute Vengeance
on Their cutors-Advancing the Line

! tribune
The East Tennesseeans Execute Vengeanc
on Their ecutors-Advancing the Lin
OF w rks.
= What air yo'uns gwine ter do with then
air Skunks arter we'unS git 'em back te
camp" asked Basil Peters of ST, pointing
with his thumb over his shoulder to Capt
Washington Stembell and Lieut. Elijai
Wllloughby, c. s. A. as the squad came on
into the plain road about sunrise, and saw
the Union troops in the distance.
"O," answered ST, indifferently, 81 s'post
they'll be sent TO the rear with the Other
prisoners, and then sent to Camp Morton
at Indianapolis, or Camp Chase. at COlum,
bus. or Camp Douglas. at Chicago, OF
Alton, or some O. them places. We've got
| mints and RATS o them everywhere in the
North"
"Whatr said Peters, trembling With
rage. send them black-hearted, murderin'
villains back whar they'un III hev good
houses ter sleep in, plenty o Yankee grub
ter eat, an ncthin' ter debut lay round an
gitfat, an plan more devilment agin we'u uns
an bime-by some o. they'uns' friends W
North'l fix hit ter git they 'unS out, an back
they 'uns ii come, ter be wusser'n ever.
I've done heered tell all about them prisons.
They don't hold them as want ter glt back
no more'n corn-crib I'll hold feathers
Recolleck John Morgan, that yo'uns had
sich a time a-gittin' and then let git away
ter harry we'uns agin. Why, Mister, them
scoundrels We done killed moren dozen
| Union men, ter my own knowledge.
Why, Mister, Wash Stembell and Lie Will
loughby done hung my own cousin, Ralph
| Peters, afore my own eyes. They unS
burnt Brce VOLTS daddy's barn a-huntin'
fur him, and tied his old daddy, who's
cripple with the roomaticks, up by the
thumbs, ter make him tell whar Brice
wuz, an Lie Willoughby done slapped
| his pore ole mother alongside o the
Ix,ritl, lplr. in
and beggin' for her husbands life. Tell
me. Mister, yo' uns amt gwine ter do nothin'
more ter they'unS than ter pen 'em up an
fatten they'uns till they git ready ter run
away%,
Shorty sympathetically. "Men thatd do
| that to any o my kin I'd kill, if | was hung
| for it the next minute"
"No doubt they ought to be punished"
said ST determinedly. But that amt none
o our business. Our dooty 8 to take 'em
back and turn 'em over to the provost
guard. Then you kin prefer charges agin
| 'em. and have 'em regularly tried"
"Try they'uns," said Basil Peters, with
deep scorn. "As much sense in tryin'
| rattlesnake, or a catamount. They'uns
| don't desarve no trial. no more'n a hungry
wolf. They'ufis hain't bin givin' no trial
| ter folks who only wanted ter live at home
honest an peaceable; under the Government
o. their fathers. They've hung them up
| like sheep-killin' dogs"
While this conversation was going on
Basil Peters and Brice Wolf were marching
little in advance. with ST and Shorty,
while the two prisoners We're under the
guard of the vigilant Tennesseeans "a little
| in the rear.
ST and Shorty became occupied in trying
to distinguish the divisions and corps out
in front, so as 10 make their way To their
own certainly and quickly.
They passed uD over 81 hOg-Dack. ana
halted the squad there, while ST and Shorty
went forward little ways TO another rise.
| from which they thought they could see
better. They were alarmed BY a sudden
outburst of firing from the squad, and ran
| back to the hog-back to see what it meant.
They found their own boys standing with
| their guns at ready, while those of the
Tennesseeans were still smoking, and out
| to the left little ways lay Capt. Washing
ton Stembell and Lieut.. Elijah Willoughby
| on the wet grass, dying.
what does this mean" 81 asked angrily
| of Basil Peters, who was coolly wlplng off
his gun.
"Mister, them pizen scoundrels made er
shoot 'em ter stop EN-" answered Peters,
looking squarely in Sis angry eyes. "Yo'
see, Mister, they 'uns had got bout 10 rods
| afore we fetched 'em. Next jump they
| unsd bin in that timber thar, an got clean
off. wuzzent lookin' at the time, an the
o frustrated, an didn't take good aim.
| whirled around an drawed a bead on Wash
Stembell list as he wuZ maxim the last jump
| fur the timber, an fetched him. Bfice brung
down Lie Willoughby at the same time
"Yaas, Mister" drawled Brice Wolf,
laZily and softly, as he pushed back his
long hair and confronted Sis searching
look with steadfast calmness, "hit wuZ
mouty lucky that we got they uns Ist as
we'uns did. The next skip they y'unsd
| a-bin in that thar tall timber, whar we'd
| never found 'em agin."
Sorely perpleXed, and exceedingly irri-
tated, ST looked from one TO the other, only
TO meet in their eyes the calm expression
of plain truth.
Il wonder if they're akchelly killed?" ST
asked, with a CLEAN OF hope, and turning
to look at the men.
"Mister, you kin jist bet your last dollar
they'uns air dead-mouty dead-too dead
10 skin" answered Peters in his soft. lazy
drawl. II kotched Wash StembeIl Jist
above the butt o his right ear. He quit
right then and thar.
"An' | got Lie Willoughby jst behind
his eye," drawled Brice Wolf. "He never
knowed what hurt him, the hound"
ST went over and examined the bodies,
and found it Just as they had said. Both
had planted their bullets precisely where
| they had aimed.
He examined their pockets, and took out
some trinkets and papers, and a couple of
old-fashioned bull's-eye silver watches
That's ole Jeb Stallins's watch" said
Peters, when Si came back with them in
his hand, that Wash Stembell done tuck
away when he was a-huntin' fur young Jeb
to conscrpt him. Hit done broke ole Jebs
heart Ter lose hit. He thought Almost as
much of hit as he done Of mis- SON"
"And tother's Wat Browns" said Brice.
what he done tuck often him arter he shot
him. down thar by Lickskilet."
"BlOOly and dpceltful men shall not live
Scruggs, recalling his Sunday school les
son.
well, I'll turn these over to the Captain,
along with the papers," said ST, when |
| make my report. | can't do nothin' more
| than report what's bin done, and let the
Colonel do what he pleases. Forward
Marchl"
ST strode.on a little ahead of the rest re-
fiecting gloomily on what had happened
Say. that was an awful slick plan of
| them fellers,' burbled little Pete Skidmore,
as he trotted alongside of Shorty, ahead of
| the squad, and a little behind ST. Il seen it
all, but none O. the rest O. the boys did /
knowed it was a-coming from the time we
come out on the level there. You see that
there big lunking boy back there, with the
eyes like a cows, and yarn suspenders that
| hitch the seat OF his pants up on the back of
his neck-hes 42d cousin O. that rebel
Captain. He wasn't as sour on them
prisoners, of course, as that big feller and
| that long-legged one that's been with you
and Si-them that they call Baz and Brice
Well, you know, when we got separated
going around that big mudhole back there,
and crossing the crick, happened to be
with Baz and Brice, and overheard them