Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1862-12-04
the McNeil Murder-A Hard Arsu.
m0me.

The Cincinnati Gasstts Of Monday devotel
ia leader 10 defense Of "Retaliation for Rebel
Atrocities" Half the column is given to
justification Of the Hendish and wanton murder
Of ten cItisens Of Palmyra, Missouri, BY order
Of General MoNElL. The Gasetts perslstently
denies or ignores the accredited and well-knoWn
facts Of the case, as presented to the public in
numerous letters from that vicinity, and also In
articles from Union papers Of that State.
| II will be remembered that the ten men
seized and shot because ALLsMAN, alleged IA
have been captured and held by the rebels,
was not returned within brief specified time,
were not rebel soldiers, but citizens. That they
sympathlzed with the rebels, and that some Of
them had been engaged In guerrillas, is not de-
MED; but they were not then under arms, or
engaged In any open acts of hostility to the
Government.
The wife Of ALLsMAN begged McNEL to
spare these men for few days. and see II her
husband would not return; bu. her earnest en-
treaties were Indignantly spurned. ALLsMAN
has since returned; he was in Illinois at the
time; not In the hands of the rebels, but beyond
their reach.
The whole proceedings were characterized by
the most heartless and fendish atroclty. For
example, q young man, who had no family 10
take care of, came forward, and offered him
self, and was accepted as q substitute for q
friend who had wife and children dependent
upon him. No army officer, 80 far as the pub
lIc has heard, has attempted to excuse or de-
fsnd the conduct Of MoNErL; but several have
cut him In the most direct way. One whom he
met in st. Louis publicly refused to drink with
him; told him he did not drink With murderers,
and that he was disgra ce to the service, and
ended With giving his address for the convent
encs Of MoNEIL, II be thought himself insult
ed. Other officers--among them Gen. Nc
KiNsTRY-have denounced him to his face in
strong terms, and refused to accept or renew his
acquaintance.
These and other facts have shown that the
killing of those ten men was not justified by
auy rule of civilized, scarcely, of savage war
fare. but was simply q cold blooded and heart
Less murder-such as only dend could commit,
and ihat It 10 so regarded both In and out of
the army. And yet strange to say. the Gazette
attempts to defend and justify 1t. Its argument
Is piece Of cheap and common sophistry. The
real facts Of the case are ignored, while false
suggestions AID assumptions are substituted.
10 this way the Gazette prepares itself to say:
They who are on the side of the Government
for which Gen McNeil is fighting, will natu-
rally conclude that the bearing Of ell the cir
cumstanoes was toward justification of his act,
until the contrary Is shown. The contrary has
not been shown. There is an effort to excite
public indignation over this affair, to reflect
odium on the cause, but IL comes from those
whose prejudices are too much In favor of the
eide for which Gen. Porter iS fighting, to per.
NIT them to take just view Of the case.
A paper. which finds itsslf driven to the ne.
ces.ity Of eIousing aud defending that heartless
murder, might do well to give up the task Of
trying to fnd grounds tor accusing Democratic
papers of dIsloyalty. Il will prove labor lOst.