The National tribune., 1907-11-21
EXECUTIONS AT LITTLE ROCK.
David o. Dodd, the Boy Spy, and Two
Numbering Guerrillas.

Editor National Tribune: I will say to
Comrade Henry Emerich that Dodd was
captured out about three miles from
Little Rock, on the ClarkevilIe and
Little Rock stage road running south
west He no doubt remembers an
abandoned brick house where our cav
airy pickets stood. They had been
moved out farther, and Dodd had made
q deteur to pass them, but came out
behind them. The Lieutenant of pick
ct post examined his pass, and permit
ted him to go, but his Sergeant said
that there was something wrong with
that boy, and he called him back and
examined him. He made the boy pull
off his boots, and under a false insole
he found the plat of our works, posi-
tions of batteries. the number of troops
and the positions they occupied. He
was turned over to Gen. Steele, who ex-
amined him, and told him that the plat
was made by an older head than his,
and that if he would confess who the
ones were he would send him thru the
lines north, and he should remain there
until after the war was over; but he
refused, and he was turned over to the
Second Division, which was then hold
ing court-martial. Serg't Chas. L.
Field, Co. c, 18th Ill. Cav. had charge
of the Orderlics. He was sent to the
penitentiary in the city. His father lived
at Camden, Ark, inside the rebel lines,
but he had aunts and cousins living in
the city. 1 saw them go to the peni-
tentiary several times We were campetl
on Pine street, the main street leading
there. They encouraged him to die the
death of martyr. My diary says it
was the Sth of January, 1864, in front
of st. Johns Hospital. Two posts were
set in the ground with crossbar, a
rope attached. The ambulance drove
in between, with his coffin or rough
box in, with him sitting on it. They
then stood him up on his coffin next to
the tail end gate of the ambulance, with
his hands tied behind him. They blind
folded him. We hung several after
ward and never blindfolded them He
was told then If he would confess he
could go free, but he refused. A Chap
lain prayed for him. 1 stood about 40
feet west of him and was six feet two
inches tall, so i could look over all the
rest / saw the boys face, and tears
came in my eyes. i thought him about
16 or II. When I thought the drum
was about to start up turned my face
away, and when l looked again the
Sergeant was standing In the ambu-
lance trying TO hold him up. but not
on the scaffold Twelve minutes after
the fall life was extinct.
Now, we had other hangings. March
Is, 1864, two guerriIlas or bushwhack-
ers were hung, but / didn't know their
names. They We're hung under the
east side of the penitentiary. They
were captured in Yell County, west OF
Little Rock. They had made a bust
ness of hanging Union men. One was
a man from Pennsylvania who had
moved in that County just before the
war. His four sons were conscripted
but deserted the rebel army and came
home. They hung the four sons and
father, who told them when they hoist
ed him they would have to hoist the
Stars and Stripes. This gang was cred
tied with killing or hanging 35 men
Gen. Steele and some men up in that
County killed or captured them all
They went disguised as rebel soldiers
Who knows anything OF these two men
land what their names were? I stood
within 20 feet Of them. looked up into