Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 27.djvu/381

 Rh term "bushwhacker" than he had of the doctrine of transcendentalism. He was at once seized by a number of the Federal soldiers, dragged down High street to the 'pike, and then tied to a wagon. The poor fellow was almost frightened to death, and his heart-rending screams aroused the whole town.

Accustomed as were our people to the brutality of the Federal hordes that prowled through this valley, nothing aroused their sympathy and horror—not even the burning of their homes and churches by the fire fiends of the brutal Sheridan—as did this inhuman outrage. Tied behind a wagon and dragged through the streets, his plaintive cries and shrieks brought to their doors the ladies on either side of the street. Helpless, they stood and wept for the poor unfortunate.

Close behind him walked his aged father and mother, clasping each other's hands, while their cries of distress touched the hearts of all except the inhuman captors. They continued to follow their screaming child until they were driven back by the bayonets of the Federal soldiers.

Custer' s camp was about one mile south of Woodstock. Here he was waited upon by Mrs. J. L. Campbell, Mrs. Murphy, and other ladies of the town, who gave him a truthful statement of the character of the man, and besought Custer to look at him, as one glance would have convinced him of the truth of their statements. He roughly repulsed them. He was afterwards visited by Moses Walton, a distinguished lawyer of Woodstock; by Dr. J. S. Irwin, a Union man, of this town; and by Mr. Adolph Heller, a prominent merchant and a strong Union man, at whose house both Custer and Torbert had occasionally made their headquarters. While Mr. Heller was at heart a Union man, he was not one of that kind who would give information that would injure his neighbors, but was always ready to protect the innocent, so far as it was in his power. He earnestly besought General Custer to release the poor idiot that was in his hands. When Custer intimated that he proposed to have him shot, Mr. Heller boldly exclaimed: "General Custer, you will have to sleep in a bloody grave for this. Surely, a just God will not permit such a crime to go unavenged." These gentlemen left his headquarters saddened by the exhibition of brutality upon the part of Custer. The words of Mr. Heller, we all now know, proved to be prophetic.

Poor Davy Getz was again tied behind a wagon, compelled to walk to Bridgewater, a distance of forty-five miles, there forced to dig his