Selected three men and went to Missouri to avenge the death of Rev. William Polk.—Got ammunition in Fredericktown.—Killed the German who informed on Polk.—Return to Arkansas. 244 CHAPTER XXXII. Started with eight men on a trip to Arkansas river.—Hung a “Scallawag” on White river.—Went into Conway county.—Treachery of a negro on Point Remove.—“Foot-burning” atrocities.—Started back and hung a renegade. 250 CHAPTER XXXIII. Gloomy prospects for the South.—Takes a trip to Missouri with four men.—Saved from capture by a woman.—Visits his mother on Big river.—Robs the store of J. V. Tyler at Big River Mills—Escapes to Arkansas. 257 CHAPTER XXXIV. Started to Missouri with three men.—Surrounded at night near Fredericktown.—Narrow escape by a cunning device.—Retired to Simms‘ Mountain.—Swapped horses with Robert Hill, and captured some more.—Killed Free Jim and kidnapped a negro boy. 264 CHAPTER XXXV. Trip to Missouri with four men.—Attempt to rob Taylor‘s store.—Fight with Lieut. Brown and his soldiers.—Killed Miller and Johnson at Flat Woods.—Return home from his last raid.—The war is pronounced to be at an end.—Reflections on the termination of the war.—Mrs. Hildebrand‘s advice.—The parole at Jacksonport. 275 CHAPTER XXXVI. Imprisoned in Jacksonport jail.—Mrs. Hildebrand returns to Missouri.—Escape from prison.—Final settlement in Ste. Genevieve county.—St. Louis detectives make their first trip.—The Governor‘s reward.—Wounded by Peterson.—Removed to his uncle‘s.—Fight at John Williams‘.—Kills James McLaine.—Hides in a cave. 286 CHAPTER XXXVII. Military operations for his capture.—Col. Bowen captures the Cave.—Progress of the campaign.—Advent of Governor McClurg.—The Militia called out.—Don Quixote affair at the Brick Church.—The campaign ended.—Mrs. Hildebrand escapes to Illinois.—“Sam” leaves Missouri.—His final proclamation. 300 PREFACE. The public having been grossly imposed upon by several spurious productions purporting to be the “Life of Sam Hildebrand,” we have no apology to offer for presenting the reader with his authentic narrative. His confession was faithfully written down from his own lips, as the foregoing certificates abundantly prove. From this copious manuscript we have prepared his autobiography for the press, with a scrupulous care to give it literally, so far as the arbitrary rules of language would permit. Sam Hildebrand and the authors of this work were raised up from boyhood together, in the same neighborhood, and we are confident that no material facts have been suppressed by Hildebrand in his confession. The whole narrative is given to the reader without any effort upon our part either to justify or condemn his acts. Our design was to give the genuine autobiography of Sam Hildebrand; this we have done.