Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1869-07-13
lFrOm the Glasgow tMo. }; Journal
The Mcneil Butehery at Palmyra.


every year, the story of the most atrocious
and horrible occurrences in the annals of bar
barious warfare. On the 18th day of 0cto-
Der, 1862, deed was enacted at the Fair
Grounds at Palmyra, Missouri, which sent a
thrill of horror throughout 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 cot-
fins. and for no crime of their own, murdered
like 50 many swine. Murdered Butchered
By the old blotcb upon creations face, John
Mcneil, now by the grace of bayonets, Tom
Fletcher, and the Devil, Sheriff OF St Louis
county, aud Bddic.! full fellowship.
There was our poor, handsome, gallant boy
hood friend, Tom Sideuer. As pure soul
as ever winged its flight from blood-stained
sod to that God who will yet, to all eternity,
damn the fiendish butcher Mcneil! Poor
Tom He was a model paragon of manly
grace and beauty. So exqulsitely formed,
features SO perfect and so fair. SO brave and
vet SO gentle. that even the vile reptile, Win
chell. now Editor of the Hannibal Courier,
said that ''n his beauty and his wickedness,
he reminded him of Absalum." Poor fellow
He was engaged to be married to young
lady in Monroe county. 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 married in it, he i'll
tended to die in it, Arrayed in his elegant
black broadcloth, and his white silk vest,
when he mounted his coarse plank coffin in
the wagon that was to bear him to death, he
looked as if he were going to be married in
stead of shot The very guards cried like
children wien they bade him good bye
Raising his cap, and bowling to the weeping
bo tbo he
from their sight, forever Half an hour at-
terwurd, six musket balls pierced his noble
heart, and his white silk wedding vest was
torn and dyed in his martyr-blood
There was poor old Willis Baker, his head
whitened with the SHOWS of more than seven
ty winters. Heroic old man With his
white hair streaming in the wind. he seated
himself on his rude coffin, ard died without
a shudder, refusing with his last breath, to
forgive his executors, and swearing be would
smeet them and torment them in hell, through
all eternity" !"
There was that helpless half idiot boy from
Lewis county, who allowed himself to be
blindfolded then hearing Sidcner and the
others refuse, slipped up one corner Of the
bandage, aud seeing tho rest with their eyes
uncovered, removed the handkerchief from
his own, and died as innocent lamb
There were IIumstead aud Bixler and Nc
Pheeters.
And there was that most wonderful martyr
Of all-youug Smith, of Knox cUunty-whO
died for another man. Humphrey was the
doomed man. His heart>hroken wife, in
widows weeds, with her eight 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
Ill
pteous, that soul Of adumant must have
melted under it, besought him for the life of
her husband and father. She was brutai!y
Shelby County, whom the angel of God, few
months atterward, smote with Herodian rotten
ness and worms-Stracham whose flesh liter
ally petriGed aud fell from his living skeleton,
at New Orleans-S tracham who has long been
paying in the deepest blackest, hottest hole in
perdition, the penalty of his forty ply damna
tiun-deservng crimes, was Provost Marshal.
He saw the frantic agony Of the woman !;
called her into his Office and told her that
he would save her husband, if she would give
him three hundred dollars, aud then submit
but oh, humanity shudders, sckens at the
horrid- proposal J. The wretched, half crazed ,
agonized wife, not knowing what che did, ac
ceded to save her husbands life. Aud the
next morning. she was found lying insane
and nearly dead. with her babe at her breast,
! near the public spring Of Palmyra. After all
this her husband was only released on condi-
ton that another should be shot in his place.
Young Smith was selected. And then en-
sued Il contest, without Il parallel in all the
! six thousand years of human history. Hum
| phrey refused to let any man die in his stead;
| declared he should feel himself murderer if
he did. Smith protested that he was only a
poor orphan boy, and SO far as he knew ther c
was not a soul on earth to grleve for him
J that Humphrey had large family entirely
dependent upon him for daily bread, and it
was his duty to live while he could And
! Smith, the simple country lad only seventeen
years old, the Hero without a peer on all
Fames mighty scroll, took his seat on his
! rough box-and was shot!
We might dwell for hours on the incidents
connected with the most frightfuI butchery
/ of ancient or modern ages. But why go on
| The murder was done The Confederate
| Government talked Of demanding the mur-
| derer Mcneil. Then memorial" was got
! ten up, and signed by two thousand Missou-
| rians, recommending the accursed old monster
on account of his Palmyra massacre to the
| special favor of Abe Lincoln. And he was
promoted to Brigadier Generalship.
The green sod of the Palmyra Fair Grounds
long since drank up the life blood of the ten
innocent, heroic hearts. The melancholy
eIms wave their dark boughs peacefully over
the scene of the terrible tragedy. The last
time we saw the place. the plow had turned
up part of the historic grounds, and the
green corn glttered in the sunlight where
once the murderer's musket. cleaned. All
traces of the fearful crime had faded from the
spot: and everything was quiet serene, and
beautiful, as of yore. But until the heavens
are rolled away as scroll, and the great Arch.
angel sounds the knell of Time, the Blood
| Spots of the Palmyra massacre will stand out
deep. dark and inefaceable upon the records
of Ear,h's direst horrors It's frightful mem