White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-08-24
oUANrRELL,s DEATH PROVEN.

The notOrity gained by this guerrilla in Mis-
souri, and Kansas is q sufficient excuse for devo-
ting some little space to the question whether he
really survived the war. The account of two eye
witnesses of his DEATH heretofore alluded to by us
AZ given to the Kansas City Times, was that after
crossing the Mississippi below Napoleon, Guam
trell fought his way to Kentucky, where, after
eluding the vigilance of the federal forces for q
time, he and his reduced band were surrounded in
q barn; and that he was mOrtally wounded in
their partially successful attempt to cut their way
through their besiegers- The Grand Army Jour
nal of the 9Th inst. contains letter from q per-
son evidently ignorant of the statements of the
Times, bnt confirming them in every particular.
1t is dated at Chattanooga, Tenn, the 10th ut.,
and signed "Sylvester Cheatham, private Co. I,
Second U. s. infantry" and his account, conden-
sed, is as follows:
In the spring of 1865 he was a member of an
independent scouting party" under Gen. Pal
mer, in Kentucky, commanded by "Ed. Terrell,
man who afterwards made himself notorious by
many murders which he committed. "Their
motto, Cheatham says, was no quarter and
they seem to have been merely guerrillas, fighting
under the same black flag ar Quantrell, though
on a different side. With but fourteen men Ter
rel came upon Quantrell's band, which, to avoid
a rain storm, had taken refuge in barn owned
by Mr.. Wakefield, six miles east of TaylOrsville.
Quantrell and his men endeavored to escape, and
most of them did 80, but he himself was shot down
by Cheatham and captured. He gave his name as
Joseph Clark, and, on being charged with being
Quautrell, Oeuleu saying tnat MS men calleu
him 30 because he came from Missouri. He sta
ted that with forty -four men he had crossed the
Mississippi below Memphis, and came ND through
West Tennessee to Kentucky, losing ten men on
the way. On being twitted with having "made
a very poor fight he explained that it had rainedi
so hard that his mems arms were out of order,
adding, al never fight when 1 can avoid it.
Examining his wound, they found he had been
shot through the right hand and in the back, the
ball entering under the right shoulder and ran
xba of tha oh
veyed him to the house of Mr.. Wakefield, at which
Dr. McClaskie dressed his wounds and pronounced
them fatal. Terrell wished to kill him, but the
band talked the matter over, and, by persuasion
of Cheatham, resolved to take him alive to Louis
vile. Quantrell, being too i'll to attempt to es-
cape, and also pledging himself not to do SO, they
then left him and went to Bloomfield, returning
the next morning with spring wagon to convey
him to Louisville. On their return he told them
that "one-armed Barry and Tom Henry had been
after him, but he regarded lis word of honor too
much to permit himself to he taken away" They
then conveyed him to Louisville and turned him
over to the military authorities. Soon afterwards
Cheatham read an account Of his DEATH (Accor
ding to the account of his two companions, now
living in jackson County, in this State, it was at
the Government hospital in that city that they,
disguised as civilians, attended him in his last
and saw him buried.) Cheatham adds
quainted with Prof. Crenshaw, of Missouri, who
knew Quantrell, and chad often met him on the
and given him spiritual advice" He
gave the Professor description of the man wOun-
ded at Wake6eld's barn, as .'abont five feet ten
inches in height, had fair complexion, very much
tanned, light hair and moustache, and blue eyes;
had lately shaved off his Burnside whiskers; APP
peared to be twenty-eight thirty years old (;
was quick spoken, had thick under-lip, and a
very slight lisp in his speech, that only close
observer would notice; he would be taken for q
perfect gentleman in appearance; had an Indian |
scalp attached to his birdie, and it stated he
wore it hanging from his waist belt.
The Professor decided that "mOst undoubtedly |
that was Quantrell." Cheatham afterwards met |
man in the Cherokee Nation who had belonged |
10 Quantrells band; he also SAID the above was |
proper description of his old leader.
Cheatham expresses willingness to make af8da- |
Tit to his statements and there is q tone of sin
,erity in his narrative which convinces of his |
ruthfulness. His account of the death of the man
lie believed to be Quantrell, and the independent
of the two men in jackson County who
new the guerrilla well, tally exactly that it
nay be considered established that he persisted as
hey relate. 1t is remarkable that the fact has
lot been known long ago to the public generally.
{ is now to be hoped that we shall hear no more
f impostors afflicted with the strange mania of
'assing themselves off for him.-St Loxis Repxbli-