The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-11-07
Horrible Incident of Guerilla War.
fare I'm Missouri.

fare I'm Missouri.
| TEN REBELS SHOT BY ORDER OF GEN M'NEIII
FULL PARTICULARS OF THE SCENE.
From the Palmyra Courier.
Saturday last, the 18th instant, wit
messed the performance of tragedy in this
once quiet and beautiful city of Palmyra,
which in ordinarily peaceful times would
have created profound sensation through
out the entire country, but which now
scarcely produces a distinct ripple upon
the surface of our turbulent social tide.
1t will be remembered by our readers
that on the occasion of Porter's descent
upon Palmyra, he captured, among other
persons, an old and highly respected resi-
dent of this city, by name, Andrew Ais
man. This person formerly belonged to
the 3rd Missouri Cavalry, though too old
to endure all the hardships of very active
duty. He was therefore detailed as kind
OF special or extra Provost Marshal's
Guard or cicerone- making himself gene
rally useful in variety Of ways to the
military of the place. Being an old resi-
dent and widely acquainted with the peo-
pie of the place and vicinity, he was fire.
quently called upon for information touch
ing the loyalty Of men, which he always
gave to the extent of his ability, although
acting, we believe, in all such cases, with
great candor, and actuated solely by con-
scientious desire to discharge his whole du-
ty to his government. His knowledge of
the surrounding country was the reason of
his being frequently called upon to act as
guide to scouting parties sent out to ar
rest disloyal persons. So efficiently and
successfully did he act in these various ca
pacities, that he won the bitter hatred of
all the rebels in this city and vicinity, and
they only awaited the coming of a favora-
able opportunity to crafty their desire for
revenge.
The opportunity came at last, when Por-
ter took Palmyra. That the villains.
with POrter's assent, satiated their thirst
for his blood by the deliberate and prede-
termined murder of their helpless victim,
no truly loyal man doubts. When they
killed him, or how, or where, are items of
the act not yet revealed to the public
Whether he was stabbed at midnight by
the dagger Of the assassin, or shot at mid
day by the rifle of the guerilla whether
he was hung, and his body hidden beneath
the scanty soil of some oaken thicket, or
left as food for hogs to fatten upon or
whether, like the Inflated Wheat, his
throat was severed from ear to ear, and his
body sunk beneath the wave-we know
not. But that he was foully, causelessly
murdered, it is useless to attempt to DENY.
When General Mcneil returned to Pal
myra, after that event, and ascertained
the circumstances under which Allsman
had been abducted, he caused to be issued,
after due deliberation, the following no.
tice:
PALMYRA, Mo-, October 8.
JOSEPH G. PORTER
SIR: Andrew Allsman, an aged citizen of
Palmyra, and non-cOmbatant, having been
carried from his home by band of persons I'M
lawfully arrayed against the peace and good
order of the State of Missouri, and which band
was under your control, this is to notify YOU
that unless said Andrew Allsman is returned,
unframed, to his family, within ten days from
date, ten men who have belonged to your band,
and unlawfully sworn by you to carry arms
against the Government of the United States,
and who are now in custody, will be shot, as a
meet reward for their crimes, among which is
the illegal restraining of said Allsman of his
liberty, and, if not returned presumptively
aiding in his murder.
Your prompt attention to this will save much
suffering.
Yours, &C., W.R. STRACHAN,
Provost Marshal General, Dist. N E. Mo-
Per order of Brigadier General commanding
McNeil's column.
A written duplicate of this notice he
caused to be placed in the hands of the
wife of Joseph G. Porter, at her residence
in Lewis county, who, it was well known,
was in frequent communication with her
husband. The notice was published wide
ly, and as Porter was in Northeast Mis-
souri, during the whole of the ten days sub
sequent to the date of this notice, it is i'm
possible that, with all his varieed channels
of information, he remained unappraised
of Gen McNeil's determination in the
premises.
Many rebels believed the whole thing
was merely intended as scare-declar-
ing that Mcneil did not daye(D to carry
out the threat
Ten ten days elapsed, and no tidings
OttulO VI UuC LII Is
not our intention to dwell upon the details
Of the transaction. The tenth day expir-
ed with last Friday. On that day ten
rebel prisoners, already in custody, were
selected to pay with their lives the penal
ty demanded. The names of the men so
selected were as follows:
Willis Baker, Lewis County; Thomas
Humston, Lewis County; Morgan Bixler,
Lewis County John Y. McPheeters, Lew
is county; Herbert Hudson, Rails Coun-
ty; Captain Thomas A. Snyder, Monroe
County Eleaser Lake, Scotland County !;
Hiram Smith, Knsx County.
These parties were informed by Friday
evening, that unless Mr.. Allsman was re-
turned to his family by one o'clock on the
following day, they should be shot at that
hour.
Most of them received the announce
ment with composure or Indifference. The
Rev. John S. Greene, of this city, remain
ed with them during the night, as their
| spiritual adviser, endeavoring to prepare
them for their sudden entrance into the
| presence Of their Maker