Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1869-07-31
The McNeil Butchery at Palmyra.

once every year. Iue s'o'y VI W.
trocious and horrible occurrences in tile
annals Of barbarous warfare. On the I'm
day of October, 1862, deed was enacted
al lhe Fair Grounds at Palmyra, Missou-
ri, which sent thrill of horror through
ou, The civilized world. Ten brave and
true and innocent men were taken from
their prison, driven TO the edge OF the
town, seated on their rough board collins,
and for no crime Of their own, murdered
like so many swine. Murdered I! Butch
cred by The old blolch upon creations
face, John Mcneil. now by the grace OF
bayone,s, Tom Fletcher, and the Devil.
Sheriff OF ST. Louis county, end Radical
in full fellowship.
There was our poor, handsome. gallant
boyhood friend. Tom Sidener. As pure
a soul as ever winged its flight from blood
stained sod 10 ,ha, God, who will yet. to
all eternity. damn the hendish butcher
Mcneil! Poor Tom He was model
paragon Of manly grace and beauty. SO
exquisiieIy formed; features so perfect
and so fair, so brave and yet so gen'Ie'
that even the vile reptile, Winchell. now
editor of Hannibal Courier, said that "in
his beauty and his wickedness, he re.
minded him of Absalom." Poor fellow !
he was engaged to be married 10 young
lady in Monroe CO. When he learned he
was to be shot, he sent for his wedding
suit, which had Just been made, declaring
that il he could not be merried in il, he in
tended 10 die in it. Arroyed in bis ele-
CANT black brosdcloIh, and his white silk
vest, when lie mounted his coarse plank
coffin in the wagon that was to bear him
10 death, he looked as If he were going to
be married instead of shot! The very
guards cried like children when they bade
him good bye. Raising his cap. and
bowing to the weeping women who lined
the streets. he was driven from their
sight, forever Half an hour afterward,
six musket balls pierced his noble heart,
and his white silk wedding vest was tom
and dyed in his marlyr-blood
There was poor old Willis Baker, his
head whitencd with the SHOWS ui more
than seventy winters. Heroic old man !
With his white hair streaming in the
wind; he seated himself on his rude col
fin, and died wilhou, shudder, refusing
with his last breath, 10 forgive his exeeu-
ioners.
There was that helpless half-idioi boy
from Lewis county. who allowed himself
to be blindfo!ded; then hearing Sldener
and the others refuse, slipped up one
corner of the bsndage, and seeing the rest
with their eyes uncovered, removed the
handkerchief from his own, and died as
innocent as lamb.
There we're Humslead, Bixler and Nc
Pheeiers.
And there was that most wonderful MAJ
tyr Of aII-young Smith, Of Knox county
who died for another man. Humphrey
was the doomed man. His heart broken
wife, in widows weeds, with her eigh.
helpless little ones in deep mourning, that
was only less black than the anguish they
endured, or the heart OF him TO whom she
appealed, rushed to the feet Of Mcneil,
and 10 accents so pi,eous, that soul oi
adamant mus, have melted under II, be-
sought him for the life OF her husband and
father. She was brutally repulsed. But
S,rscham, the monster Of Shelby county,
whom the angel Of God, few months af-
terward, smote with Hcrodisn ro,ienness
and worms-Snacbam, whose flesh liter
ally pelried and fell from his living skeI-
eton, o, New Orleans-SWacham who
has long been paying in the deepest,
blackest, hottest hole in perdilion, the
penalty of his forty-ply damna'lon-serv-
ing crimes, was Proves, Marshal. He
saw the frantic agony Of the woman; call
ed her into his office; and told her that he
would save her husband, ,if she would give
him three hundred dollars. and then sub
mt-bu, oh, humanity shudders. slckens
al the horrd proposal The wretched,
hAf.crazeh. agonIzed wife. no, knowing
what she did. scceGed to save her hus-
bands life And the next morning she
was found lying insane aud nearly dead,
with her babe al her breast, near The pub
lie spring al Pslmyra. After all this her
husband was only released on condition
that another should be shot in his PlSce.
Young Smith was selected. And then
ensued contest. without parallel in all
the six thousand years Of human history.
Humphrey refused to let any man die IN
his stead; declared he should feel himself
a murderer # he did. Smith protested
thai he was only poor orphan boy, and
so far as he knew there was not soul on
earth 10 grieve !or him that Humphrey
had large family entirely depen6en. upon
him for daily bread. and il was his duty
TO live while he could. And Smith, The
simple country lad. only seventeen years
old, the Hrro without a peer on all
Fsme's mighty scroll, took his seat on his
rough box-aDd was shot!
We might dwell for hours on the incl
dents connected with the most irightful
buichery OF ancient or modern times. But
Why 90 on The murder was done
The Confederate Government talked Of
demanding the murderer Mcneil. Then
"memorisl" was gotten up. and signed
by two thousand MIssourisDs. resom-
mending the aceur.ed old monster on sc-
count OF his Palmyra massacre 10 the sPe-
al favour OF Abe Lincoln. And be was
promoted 10 a Bhesdier Generslship.
The green cod OF the Palmyra Fair
Grounds long since drank up the life
blood Of The ten innocent heroic hearts.
II nlannhnlr elns uaHa their DARK