The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1862-12-13
ThA PALMYRA Ma ssacre

We take the following article from the Londo
Times, Of TIE l4sh ult II h q scathiny denuuc!
tion OF the lasc foul massacre Of ten OonfsderaI
prisoners ss Palmyfa, Missouri by order Of Ger
McNiell:
War Ia q horrible sco1rgs bu. T. Is not In til
hsat of CO a let that its horror becem 3 imprssss
ON the mi1d OF the brave man IN shs wild excite
Uent Of thai hour thsre II NJ placs fcr ply W
All Il ways told that il - after the ba tie and W
standing among the dying sod the wounded tia
tbs gAsat reactio1 comes. It ia then that d-rc
warriors become msr .ifI and th 1t deadly Ems aie
take on themse vas the ufh % ct god Samaritans
The dreadful duty OF slaughter Is z'alorsiy per
formed evsn by the best Aen whsn Their hand IA !
add thsir blood Is up: hus to kill Ia cold blood an
take the lives OF uarssisting men pat to dss Il
captives who have surrendered on promise Of qnas
ter this !, TIE most fearful necessi which cou
ia upon soldier, md I not necessity, it Ia tn
mos. h,nd 81 csin, that can be psrpe.rated ny
cowardly and cru Il n &'ure
The sc,'uns we pub sh to-day If tina massscr
of ten Come ierase prls0ne Of war at ilai7rs Il
Missouri will he sead With shu1dsr Hil owe
Christendom, General Mcneil has earned ~" b N
80 f u place among The monsters VITO shed hloo.
l1si1giy. Wa tied not recount hara ID dstaiis o
this seksn'aS tragedy cas cool. de,,bers = selec
ticn OF tie ten victims all, as we should ,eg
froM their names, nsdve Americans the ar I'd u,
them with their c,filns beside them tho sl,v an
engthenad procession TO T. dists1t pls f slAuzh
ter; tbs drawing np OF thu firing party; the "a
tally inene ,sus De; an thsn tia esne.si Il Isl
OF the massacre with sevolvers- all this IL fo.s
without. ~ mp Ssby or ceosnrs. By friend os tn,
e5sassi l.; but the facts 'hsmsesvss will eoplaspc
thu interest every re sdsr And what had he.
poor men dcuof How had hey forfeited their rig i
TO bs treated prisoners Of WAT In what w ~ ID
they sina~t against taat military Gods whica ons
preserves the contests Of men from % com px worse
than shs contests Of ~ Id saiss7 HID they con
spren % overpower theie cap oss. or ha thsy con
trivsd an efcapes Nnthias of tia sort IS al eg ID
atrs} Si.r n
dure esl scarce ? % said to ba In danger. Il !,
situtted near the bsdh Of tbs Unpsr Mi4sissinai
where the F-deta guabea.s ase al. pow-, ;ui a
LAD, however, been for short tine Ia the p3 ses
sion OF the Confede ates, End bad recently ben re-
ctvered by aen Mcneil 1t was then 81 GOV red
that a MAJ named andrew Ailsnan had oi,sp.
p ased during n time of tbs Cbof-ierase occaoa
tnl 1t is not sugge atsd that he hal sea XIII i.
de- may hsvs bee. carried away a. 9 prisoner d
war; he may have lad away of hi. 0w free via
al taat = knowa q rim il, that no not as hi
krmsr homa. his un- plain ii bs nee OF me 10
dsv;6uai formed ths excuse Of Cen McNsit r ,nur
dering in colo blood ten of ,hs prisoners in hi,
bands-Inen vac had no shioR to DO with Aiis,r a.
and who wsre in all probebii ty. cspti es al tn
time that AGspaa left Palmyra. 1t was dem
crate, we'll con sidered Get of niltsr7 murder c :.
ried aut with sli the forms of m ta.y tx acui N
Whist must hs the COG 4qaeIccf Ger McNs'
eseuinss W sush al act this hOstis h4aani eene
rss; If he wsFs to iail into rho hands OF The Con- e
crates they woali If COURSE hang him ami witt
the sppla. SO Of sl mankind But General I. h
can 10 such craven iced Of blo1d - no: iiksiy tc
put himself in shs Eeignb 1soooi OF danger ecu
Mcneil, Ike General Baar whose eva fam, hs
has low soipssd, viii Keep himself out OF h&-ca
way. 1t IL. howeves, 70 b. feared thai 1he-l tn
tidiays Of this treaaherous e.u-y re aai :ae O..
Tolerate ehists they 40 will nS IL Esceasssy &c
FAKE the innocent q r gor the guilty. /. Is %.
pcssibls that II his had occurred tsfors the iay =
soa o. Maryland the C,nisuerxss night have
slaughtered ia retaliation 81 isast al eqna unbs,
OF the II O09 mn the5 parn.ed i,u.iy a. Tia
psr's Ferry. II was ii deeds hike tasas thai tie
horrors which occurred during the e; Vii war Ia spsz
took tnsir rixs Even CABRERA va uos SO destitute
Of excuse 81 tais MoNtsi seems 10 aays bssa Ce
brora had the murder Of ala mother t. rev =ass md
his vengeance was terrible; out Mcneil IL a .ceIe
amateur bAschec W. h,os bns scsrosIy d4rs Il
expect that tie Confederate viii keep .csi. haad
ami sa.ir csu,e clear OF such deeds AZ thess l: Il
f,F better to gu fer such atrocities tnaI 10 co1na,
thsrS Hishsts, thsy have fought like beays NIX q
and in this respect, IS lsst q ey havs the ympay
# all mon Of fisnt feeling throughout tas :, Grid
ton very shame We trust ,hsf viii desceud to
lowell WITH these ruff ana aad ialrdArers wh ,se
deeds deny them to be either brave naa or " q
civilized human beings snd ihe echoes OF ane,e
crime viii csaw forth ths exeoraticas OF mss
kidd.