Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1862-10-10
From the St. Louis Republican
Secession Times in Arkansas

Secession Times in Arkansas
This terrible civil war is accountable for the
development of passions, the working ofwhich
has produced barbarities such as make hu-
manity shudder and grow pale. We have be-
fore US, in the Helena Shield. number of af-
fdavits illustrating the absolute reign of ter
rorism in the Northeastern part of Arkansas
during the excitements of that section previous
TO its occupation by Federal troops. One old
man, tifty-eight years of age, named Isaac
Kay. states, upon oath, that in June, 1861, he
witnessed at JacksOnport, a ''kiDd of trial. :"
Of two men said to be citizens of Lawrence
county, Ark, in the back room of a store;
that be saw the two men taken up stairs into
a loft; that the pretended court took with them
a rope from pair of saddle bags; that the
witness did not see what was done with the ac-
cused; that eight or ten days afterward he saw
the body Of a dead man float past, with feet
up, as though something heavy was tied to the
neck; that he was never able to find out what
had become of the two men, and that he be-
lieves they were first hanged and then thrown
into the river.
The affidavit of lawyer Bamed Hail, sets
forth, in effect. that in July, 1861, he was ar
rested in Gainesville for having said, Il wish
to God the Government stood as it had stood
it would be better for the people" He was
tried by some kind of military assemblage,
and his sentence was that he ''should be hung
or run through the bayonet points" He chose
the latter option. The manner of running
the points. is thus described:
-Four hundred men formed two lines Of two
Z IL.
pointing in-leaving a space of about three
feet between the points. They then took me
to the head Of the men and started me on the
double quick, and had to run through it in
this manner; When l reached the end of the
men, two men were stationed to pull and haul
ME, which they did for about one hundred
yards, one jerking me by the shoulder and
then the other, and misusing me. told them
at last had been abused as much as l was
going to be and would run 10 further. If they
wanted to kill me they could do il. 1 then
walked alorg and they turned back"
Hall was born in Virginia, aud had lived
years in Arkansas, having gone to the latter
State from Missouri, where he had resided five
years. Here is another portion of his deposi-
tion:
DIR. Devies, Mr.. Jones (mercIant;) and a
! Mr.. Harvey, a hotel-keeper, had gone TO Mis-
souri, as spies, about July lst, 1861 and after
/ they returned, l was one day in the Doctor
Office in Gainesville, lying on the bed, as 1 had
suffered from chls. The Doctor remarked
that when they were up in Missouri, they had
! killed one of the damned raseals s--and there
was his scalp, pointing TO a jar where it was.
got up and examined the thing he pointed
I to, and found it was white mans complete
scalp of hair, with the ears attached to 1.-THE
/ knife having been circled around from the
neck under the ears and across the forehead
1t was in kind of pickle, and was fresh.'
! John Smith, 90 years old, for l3 years q
citizen of Van Buren county, was one day
last November sitting before neighbor's fire
when he was taken il custody by squad o
men under the command of Que David Saun-
ders. They took him to Clinton, put him in
! Jail for week or more, and then, with TWEEN.
ty-six others, he was marched down the stair.
where there was crowd of two or three nun
dred people and Il strong guard. There, il
the presence of their neiShbors, the prisoner:
we're chained together. Smith describes tht
manuer as follows:
81 plow chain was fastened about the necl
Of one .nan, a cap ring being used to clasp it
and the other end was fastened around tht
neck of his companion, in similar manner
and when the couples were thus fastened, an
other chain was fastened across from chain Il
chain, and thus all the men were fastened to
gether ia fOurs, thus, III +. We were afoot.-
We marched four days. Oftentimes the guard
had plenty to eGt5 when we had nothing scare
ly. We were cursed and abused along The
road. Some would get tired and when one
out of the four could not march, he and hi
lh'ee companions would be placed in wagon
and be allowed to ride short distance. Th,
wagon turned over once, when four were in it
chained by the neck as I have stated, and on,
of them was crippled.
During this march l suffered much frcn
cold, hunger and the CALLING OF my neck b,
the chain. The chain was so heavy that /
rubbed the skin off my neck on each side Il
crossing streams and mud and brush, we woul,
have to favor each other like oxen do, or a
dogs when chained
The guard said they we're going to hang tn
prisoners but they did not. The prisoners
who were the best men in the county, all far
|
eral of them very old men, were marched o.
to Little Reck, ninety or one hundred mile
distant, where their chains were taken off i
public. The crime of these men was devotio
to the Union. They were put in filthy celli
and fed on bread and beef, remaining unde
this treatment or weeks.
One day they were taken out for examina
tion before Gov. Rector. They were asked
they were willing to volunteer to go to fsil
the Union men, and on declining, wers order
ed back. After few days, they were take
out again and examined. ,Seveuteen out {
the twenty-seven enlisted, and the remainde,
, including Smith, were remanded, and remain
ed until released on the 1st of February-e1
cept one, who died in Jail
This story, which we have condensed fro:
a lengthy narrative, told in plain, unyarnsE
ed, truthful manner, is corroboratcd in a
points by two others of the prisoners then
selves, vouched for as men of veracity and I,
, spectability.
f sigeI on Mcdowell.