PROOF OF AUTHENTICITY. This is to certify that I, the undersigned, am personally acquainted with Samuel S. Hildebrand (better known as “Sam Hildebrand, the Missouri Bushwhacker,” etc.,) and have known him from boyhood; that during the war, and on several occasions since its termination, he promised to give me a full and complete history of his whole war record; that on the night of January 28th, 1870, he came to my house at Big River Mills, in St. Francois county, Missouri, in company with Charles Burks, and gave his consent that I and Charles Burks, in conjunction, might have his confession whenever we were prepared to meet him at a certain place for that purpose; that in the latter part of March, 1870, in the presence of Sam Hildebrand alone, I did write out his confession as he gave it to me, then and there, until the same was completed; and that afterwards James W. Evans and myself, from the material I thus obtained, compiled and completed the said confession, which is now presented to the public as his Autobiography. A. WENDELL KEITH, M. D. * * * * * STATE OF MISSOURI, } COUNTY OF STE. GENEVIEVE. } On this, 14th day of June, 1870, before me, Henry Herter, a Notary Public within and for said county, personally appeared W. H. Couzens, J. N. Burks and G. W. Murphy of the above county and State, and on being duly sworn they stated that they were well acquainted with Charles Burks of the aforesaid county, and A. Wendell Keith, M. D., of St. Francois county, Missouri, and to their certain knowledge the facts set forth in the foregoing certificate are true and correct, and that Samuel S. Hildebrand also acknowledged to them afterwards that he had made to them his complete confession. WM. H. COUZENS, MAJOR C. S. A., J. N. BURKS, G. W. MURPHY. Subscribed and sworn to before me, this 14th day of June, 1870. HENRY HERTER, _Notary Public_. * * * * * The Statement made by A. Wendell Keith, M. D., is entitled to credit from the fact of his well-known veracity and standing in society. HON. ELLIS G. EVANS, Senator, Rolla District. HON. E. C. SEBASTIAN, Representative, St. Francois county. HON. MILTON P. CAYCE, Farmington, Missouri. FRANKLIN MURPHY, Sheriff St. Francois county. WILLIAM R. TAYLOR, Clerk St. Francois county. HON. JOSEPH BOGY, Representative Ste. Genevieve county. CHARLES ROZIER, Clerk Ste. Genevieve county. * * * * * EXECUTIVE OFFICE, JEFFERSON CITY, MO.,} June 22, 1870. } I hereby certify that the persons whose official signatures appear above have been commissioned for the offices indicated; and my personal acquaintance with Dr. Keith, Honorables Evans, Sebastian, Cayce, Bogy and Sheriff Murphy is such that I say without hesitation their statements are entitled to full faith and credit. J. W. McCLURG, _Governor of Missouri_.