Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-12-26
The Mcneil shooting Case-TOry.
ism of the Courier.
ST.. LOUIS, NO., Dec. IS. IS


ST.. LOUIS, Mo-, Dec. IS. 1862.
ED1roR JouRNAL:-Sir: Having noticed
by late papers little "sparring" between
the JOURNAL and the Courier in regard to the
McNiel case, and having profound contempt
for quibbling and falsifying on the part Of
Tory papers, l propose to state what ] know
of the matter.
First, am well acquainted with Brigadier
General McNeil-have talked with him fire.
quently during the last two weeks, and have
heard him converse with other parties in re-
gard to the shooting of those ten men at Pal
myra, No., and am convinced that, although
the act was severe, he did his duty and fol-
lowed the instructions of the General Govern
ment, which, had he avoided, would have held
him subject to court martial. Nine Of those
men had been desperate and cruel men be-
fore-bridge- burners and bush-whackers,-
which alone was sufficient to condemn them
to be shot. But they had been taken before,
and paroled upon their oaths not to take up
arms again against the Government of the
United States, and were afterwards taken by
Gen. Mcneil at the Kirksville fight, bearing
arms, and had been in the engagement, slaugh-
tering Union men. The other man-the
tenth one was found in the Union camp,
clothed in woman's apparel, as spy, which
is death BY hanging in all cases; but they
shot him with the rest.
I know one thing to be fact-that McNeil's
course in this matter has forever put an end
to bush-whacking and bridge-burning in
Northeast Missouri, and saved thousand
innocent Union men from bloody graves
But perhaps the editor of the Courier would
prefer that thousand Union men should suf-
fer rather than ten assiable, innocent rebels.
If the editor of the Courier desires au-
thority and proof Of the above, all he has to
do is to address few lines to BOX 1914,
st. Louis, No." and I will transmit him the
names of one hundred good citizens of North
east Missouri who will certify to what have
said, and who claim to be Democrats, but not
such as Mahony, Thayer & Co. The men
refer to are Constitutional Democrats, but
not for Constitution that serves part and
not the whole country, who say every honest
man is as free as the air in Heaven to enjoy
his rights as an American citizen, without re-
gard to what section of country he was born
in, and who do not respect an Of. F. w."
more than a poor miserable mud-siW of the
North, but say with Burns that "a man s a
man for a that yin short, Constitution
that aristocracy and wealth cannot use to the
detriment Of the poor, but noble, but views all
men as one mana gift of God.
A NATIVE DEMOCRAT.
Mr.. MAHIN The extract from the Texas
Republican published in yesterday S JOURNAL,
shows the savage manner in which Union
men are dealt with in the rebel States Ad-
NIT all to be true as there stated-oath, pass
words, signs, grips, degrees, &C., and we have
counterpart, in the North, only on the other
side. allude, as you know, to the knights
Of the Golden Circle" who are all traitors at
heart, and only wait for an opportunity to
strike blow that will make them legally
traitors, when they can do so without too
much danger. They have oath, passwords,
&C., and their oath is such as no loyal man
can take. Their oath and signs are known
to more people than they are aware Of; and
they are Individually known much more than
they dream of. There is number in this
city, whose names could be mentioned, who
have been regularly initiated by a man wAo
appeared in our o,cn midst, osssnsi1ly,: for a
very different purpose. They have their Sc
cret meetings, and under the @gis Of the
Democratic party are throwing all the OBJ
stacles in the way of prosecuting the war that
lies in their power. One of this class &C.
knowledged, or rather boosted, the other day,
that he was "a JEFF. Davis secessionist" An
old lady, of near fourscore, turned and looked
him in the face, and said, ''then you are not
fit to lice"
We can bear with the treason of the K. G..
c., because we are strong and know we are
right. My advice would be to leave them to
that contempt and merited punishment which
our loyal citizens will render them when these
troublous times arc past. If we should take
the same way to crush treason here, that they
do to crush Union sentiments in the rebellious
States, those men would fare as did the Union
men in Texas. The time may come when
forbearance will cease to be virtue. If, in
our opinion, that time ever should arrive
we shall then cease preaching
MODERATION.
W All of the regiments organized in
Iowa under the calls for 100000 troops have
now left the State, except the Grey Beard
regir ent, stationed here, and the Irish regi-
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