The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1862-10-10
Shooting Of Bush ~ hacker. in Mis-
souri,.

The st. Louis Repubiicoa, Of Wednes-
day, gives the following account of the
shooting of six notorious bushwhackers, by
order of Gen. LOUIS MERRILL, who com
mands the Union troops in Northwest
Missouri, which took place On the 18th
ult., at Macon City: every man of them
had for the third time been captured while
engaged in the business of robbery and
assassination among his own neighbors
All of them had twice. some of them
three, and others had four times made
solemn oath to bear faithful allegiance to
the Federal Government, to never take
up arms in behalf of the traitors cause,
but in all respects to deport themselves as
true and loyal citizens of the United
States. And every man of these ten
traitors had periured himself as often as
he had subscribed to this OATH and at the
same time his hands were red with repeat
ed MURDERS -
At II O'Clock A. NJ. the procession was
formed, and the silent multitude, civil and
military, moved at the signal of the muf-
fled drum, toward the field of execution.
The executioners were detailed from the
Twenty third Missouri Infantry, and num-
bered sixty-six men. They marched six
abreast, with prisoner in the rear of each
file. A hollow square, or rather parallel
ogram, was formed on a slightly declining
prairie a half mile south of the village
The executioners formed the south line of
this square, the balance of the Missouri
Twenty-third the east and west lines, and
Merrills Horse the north. The execution
ers were divided off into firing parties of
six for each prisoner, leaving reserve of
six that were stationed a few PAGES in the
rear. Gen. Merrill and Staff we're station
ed close within the northeast angle of the
square. The firing parties formed a COM
plete line, but were detached about two
PAGES from each other. Each prisoner was
marched out ten PAGES in front, and i'm
mediately south of his six executioners.
This order having been completed, the
prisoners were severally blinded with ban
dages Of white cloth, and were then re-
quired to kneel for the terrible doom that
awaited them At this time every tongue
was silent, and nothing was more audible
than the heart-throbs of the deeply moved
and sympathizing multitude.
At signal from the commanding Off
Ger, DR.. Lands then stepped forward to
address the Throne of Grace. His prayer
was the utterance of plying heart
brief, eloquent and impressive. 1t was an
earnest appeal for pardoning mercy for
those who were about to step into the pre-
sence of their Maker.
And then followed the closing scene of
this imposing drama. The prisoners re-
manned kneeling, while sixty muskets were
pointed at their palpitating hearts. What
fearful pause! and 0, how brief! The
signal is given, and the fatal volley is dis
charged. Bahold the awful change! A
moment since those ten men stood before
us in the perfection of life. Alas! what
and where are they now? Every lip is
dumb every eye is dim !-every beam
of intelligence is faded out forever! What
a swift exit from time to eternity
The names of the deceased are as fol-
lows: Frank E. Drake, DR.. A. @. Rowe,
Ebert Hamilton, William Searcy, J. A.
Wysong, J. H. Fox, Edward Riggs, David
Bell, John H. Oldham, James H. Hall and
D. S. Washburne. The bodies Of five of
the deceased were claimed by their re-
spective friends; the balance were inferred
by military direction.
Much credit is due to Gen. Merrill for
the impressive order with which this exc
cution was conducted. A conviction was
left upon the minds Of all present, that
these men were executed as painful mill
tary duty, and because the safety Of our
people and the cause of our country de-
manded the sacrifice. May it prove SOL
emn warning to the hundreds of misguided
men that are still hunting down the loyal
people of this State with the ferocity of
savages.