Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1869-06-16

self to be blindfolded; then hearing Sid
ener and the others rufuse, slipped up
one corner of the bandage, and seeing
the rest with their eyes uncovered, re-
moved the handkerchief from his own,
and died as innocent as a lamb.
There were Humstead and BiXler and
McPheeters.
And there was that most wonderful
martyr of all-yOung Smith, of Knox
COunty-whO died for another man.
Humphrey was the doomed man. His
heart-broken 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 to the feet of Mcneil, and in ac-
cents so piteOus, that a soul of adamant
must have melted under it, besOught
him for the life of her husband and IA
ther. She was brutally repulsed. But
StratCham, the monster OfShelby COun-
ty, whom the angel of God, a few months
afterward smOte, the HeTOdian rotten
ness and WOrms-Stratcham, whose
flesh literally petrified and fell from his
living skeleton, at New Orleans-StTat-
cham who has long been paying in the
deepest, blacklist, hottest hole in perdi-
tiOn, the penalty of his own fOrty-ply
damnation-deserving crimes, was Pro-
vOst Marshal. Hes 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, and then sUbmit-bUt
oh! humanity shudders, sickens at the
hOrrid proposal! The wretched, half
crazed, agonized wife, not knowing what
she did, acceded to save her husbands
life; and the next morning she was
found lying insane and nearly dead,
with her babe at her breast, near the
public spring at Palmyra. After all
this her husband was only released on
condition that another should be shot
in his place.
Young Smith was selected. And then
ensUed a contest, without a 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 q murderer if he did. Smith
protested that he was only poor orphan
boy, and so far as he knew there was
not a soul on earth, to grieve for him;
that Humphrey had a large family en-
| tirely dependent upon him for daily
| bread, and it was his duty to live while
/ he could; and Smith, the simple cOun-
| try lad only seventeen years old, the
| Hero without q peer on all Fame's
mighty scroll, took his seat Onhis rough
| bOx-and wasshOt!
/ We might dwell for hours on theinci-
dents connected with the most frightfUl
| butchery of ancient or modern ages.
But why go on? The murder was done,
/ The Confederate Government talked OF
! demanding the murderer Mcneil, Then
| a memorial was gotten up, and signed
| by two thousand MissOurians, recon-
mending the accursed old monster on
account of his Palmyra massacre to the
! special favor of Abe Lincoln. And he
was promoted to a Brigadier General
ship.
The green sod of the Palmyra FAN
| Grounds long since drank up the life.
blood of ten innocent, heroic hearts
/ The melancholy elms wave their darE
/ boughs peacefully over the scene of the
! terrible tradgey. The last time we saw
! the place, the plOw had turned up par
of the historic grounds, and the greer
corn glittered in the sunlight where
once the murderer's musket cleaned
I All traces of the fearful crime had faded
from the spot; and every thing was quie
serene, and beautiful, as of yOre, bu
until the heavens are rolled away as
scroll, and the great Archangel sounds
the kneII of Time, the Blood Spots of tht
Palmyra massacre, will stand out deeI
dark and ineffaceable upon the record:
Of Earth's direst horrors! It's frightful
memories can never, should, new
er die! Generation after generation
should repeat the story; mothers should
/ tell it to theirchildren. And the names
Butcher Mcneil and all the signers o.
/ his "black memorial" should be in
( scribed in black letters of flame upon
the gates of he'll, and damned with
their owners, to everlasting infamy
] hatred and eXecratiOn!