Bumgarner- Pg 3
___________________ after all, for when I stuck the gun in his face, the cock, which was hung on a hair trigger, went down with a crack, but the cap failed to go off, and that saved his life. But I had the cap box and another cap on before the excitement of the moment was over."
"He then began to beg me not to kill him; I told him there was no danger -- he had treated me well, and all I wanted was for him to pilot me back to my camp. I told him he was to march before me, and if I found he was misleading me I would shoot him for I would myself be shot if caught. So I opened the door and bade him march, and I followed close behind him into the dark. As we left the door, I glanced back, and saw the old man throw up his hands and exclaim. "My God, did you ever see anything like it?"
"It was starlight, and we proceeded through the woods, my prisoner in the lead and myself just behind with my gun at a charge. We talked very little. In an hour or so, after struggling through the dark woods, we struck the pike, near a big brick house. Here some hounds set up a bowl, and I knew that this would alarm somebody, so I ordered my prisoner to double-quick it down the pike toward Lewisburg. I kept right behind him with my gun ready. Oh my, but we got tired. He begged to rest, but I would not consent. We kept on that run for six miles
Finally, I beheld in the distance, for I was peering ahead all the time, the form of a man on horseback. We slackened up, and as we approached he called out: "Who comes there?" I replied, "A friend -- a Union soldier," for I thought I recognized his voice. I explained that I had a prisoner in charge and that I could not lay down my gun, so he ordered me to hold it high over my head, which I did and approached him. I was elated to find it was Bill Veasy, an old Ironton boy. He showed me where the reserve was and I went there, where I found Billy St. Clair and Brown Veasy. Then my prisoner guided me to the church in Lewisburg where my company was. They were very much astonished at my appearance, and greeted me as one from the dead."
"The next morning I went to regimental headquarters where I found Col. Tomlinson and Lieut. Col. Enochs, who laughed heartily at my narrative. But on my way there, I met Dr. Myers, our regimental surgeon, who gave me fits for not shooting the rebel. Afterward, when the Doctor found out that my prisoner was a brother of the
__________ girl he was engaged to, he wasn't half so bloody thirsty."
"And now to gather in the threads of this long story; Walker and Bumgarner were in that barn for which we poked about for provisions, but we didn't happen to poke them up. Walker was sent to Camp Chase, and after the war returned to his home on the Kanawha, where he was killedby a well that caved in on him while he was cleaning it. Bumgarner met a slightly different fate After the war, he with a horse trader came into Ohio to sell some horses. He murdered his associate, was arrested, tried and hung at Marietta."
"And this is all of my story, except that the rifle which I took from Walker, and to which I owe my liberty, is at the Ironton Water Works, in the possession of E. Lawton.