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

somo man whom he know 70 be Cnionist Tho
bushwhacker would gain the other fellows conf-
dence by cursing Sam Hildebrana Vas popu,ar
sure Of your audience and then he would listen
TO the Union mans Boosting about how ne hsd
whacker. then he would take his victim TO the
woods and string him up 70 limb Or sn3o, MN IN
his tracks Sam seemed 70 BE- a. his pes. w ,n NE n
mics and 20, rid Of them
Il tell you this ignorant young farmer gave
the authorities heap Of trouble During mo
last two years Of the war almost the sole object
Of the Federal military operations in southeast as,
River bushwhacker Gov. Fletcher offered a
reward for him dead OF. alive. When Gov. Nc.
SS a ss%s G ed he sam kept o sns
In the bushwhacEing department OF tle ,onI,u-
crncy for nearly two months after The surrender
2G,h Of May and went back 10 the The farm his family
still occupied in Green county, Ark. lie raised
big corn crop there in the summer Of IS Next
on much larger scslc, with nne prospects, when
he was arr ted and Jailed at Jacksonport on s!is
picion n being mixed up in murder lie lay
there with a ball and chain attached To him Tor
aged 70 cut tho letters of and he escaped Mean
tine, Ills brother illiam who had served through
whacker family back 70 the old home on Big
River, believing Sam would surely be hanged.
Sam went at once to the old home willing TO
forgive ana forget he was sick Of fighting and
had pretty nearly cleaned out nll his enemies
anyhon Put the few old vigilantes who still
remained objected 10 his presence, SO he went 10
place ON the Illinois side Of the Mississippi
about forty miles south Of St. Louis, where he
lac could have robbed trains, but ne didn't no
wanted ~ settle down and support his family.
30 once more he came back and took farm a
lew miles from his old home Dozens Of men,
ciuzcns anu detectives cagcr for the State reward
nOunucd nm: lie was shot from the bushes and
bauIy wVunued in the leg. While this wound
was healing, he lay at his uncle in a log house
near big Iiver Mills, and here he fought his last
bag D"ue. sheriff brccGinridgc, Of ST Francois
tuTe nim while lie lay wounded. Surrounding
we mouse tley opened up lively lire. For two
dass oSm hildebrand shot at the officers through
sniaIi crack between the logs. They riddlcd
ue mouse with bullets. sam KILLED and wounded
several VI ms besegcrs, but was not hit himself
wine Tile onlccrs Mere carrying away one Of their
dead lie Crdwicd out Of the house into the woods
iIienus found MIN and hauled him TO a farmhouse
IN wagon ana TO stu another house, followed
~ me .Icrin y men. As u place VI last resort
sam was taken TO u cave opening from a high
Oiuh on inc Uans Oi Zig itivei where IN war tines
nc ad Often found sale retreat IL IN stll called
l4iIutIrand cave large company Of militia
rc-eniorCcd tile SneIiiI anu tIied To dlslodgc the
OUTLAW. but one man could hold that cave against
hundred. lie hnally escaped " Illinois.
sam wandered around over tho Southern
Sta1ts, and then in missouri and Illinois, iUr n
dozen Yeas lie loved home as few men love l.,
often lie was reported dead, and there were many
VINO claimed tue GcWGId. Iiut the corpse always
TUNED out In be the wrong one. from time To
ullc' NICH even blS ClOseSN t'loldS hdu btSun 10
believe hlm done 10. at last, san would turn
ny at his home on Bg River AZ lively as o cickct
eat square meal VITA his wife and children
and huny away with his hand on the tGggcr
II na, never been asserted. far as know, that
hidrbiand ever tired 10 kill any man after tho
wai closed, except in sclt.deien c.
AZ ! said before, he died with his boots on.
In 1877, think II was there was a saloon brawl
III the little town OF Pinckncyvlile Ill. \ man
, Was killed One story To the effect that no
was stranger and that somebody who knew
sam nildebrand Identified the corpse az that
, VI the tOfmcr bushwhackcr. However man
came forward aud tried Ia collect the reward
with story 10 the effect that he killed iildcbr and
with full knowledge Of his identity. lie said that
the outlaw got into Quarrel with him and being
drunk and of his guard thought 10 fnghten him
by ptociaimlng himself sam llildcb and: then
the man stabbed him In the back. believe, how
ever the Tcwad Was never paid. The body was
; Brought 10 Pennington. my county seat whcr,
both friends and foes fully identified 1t as that Of
Samuel lildcbTaui."