Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-05-04
The QUANTRELL GANG.

NGUlOGTS.
Il want to say TO you that I thiuI
Gov. Crittenden did exactly right whe1
ne mad Jesse James killed" said Col
W. Y. Moberly to reporter Of The st
Louis Republican, "and he deserves
the thanks of every law-abiding citi
zen In Missouri. am not democrat
and would not vote for Gov. Critten
den, but III stand by him in this matter
every time. There are few men in
this state who know any more about
oushwhacking than do, and am in
favor OF clearing out such internal
devils as James without mercy"
Col. Moberly, who Is now practicinp
law In st. Louis, was, during the war
Northumberland of the 1st Missouri
militia and afterward colonel of the
35th regiment, with headquarters al
Brunswick. He organized the first
regiment Of militia organized in the
state and claims that he is entitled to
the $1,000 offered for such service at
that time. The city of MOberly, Mo,
is named after him, and he was presi-
dent of the North Missouri railroad
and the president of the Missouri Val
ley railroad.
you are rather severe on brother
james" suggested the reporter.
Yes" responded Col. MobeTly, "but
not too severe, and I'll tell you why.
For four years fought against those
internal devils, the Jameses, Bill All.
derson, Todd, and QuantIell, and l am
satisfied from my observations that
any mercy shown to them is wasted.
/ will tell you one or two anecdotes
which will illustrate the brutal, devil.
ish character of the gang Of which the
James boys were prominent members.
One Sunday night in 1868, twelve
pickets brought to my office at Bruins.
wick two women who told a most
pitiful tale. One Of them said that
she wanted me to send men to Carroll
county to catch Quantrell and his
men. She said that company
of peaceable, unarmed citizens had
gathered there, and Quantrell and
his gang had fred upon them, killing
twelve Of them. Her husband IaI
home as fast as he could and was fol
lowed by the bushwhackers, who
caught him and slowly tortured him
TO death. First, they cut off his hands
at the wrists, then they cut off his ears
then his nose, and finally his head.
said it was no use to send out any mer
then, as the scoundIels were probabl,
in some other county by that time
but l sent out forty men, and whel
they came back they fully corroboratet
what the woman had told me, ant
more too. She had told me only par
Of the story, for these outlaws, one o
which was Jesse James, had mutilatet
her husbands body in the most sicken
ing manner, just out of pure devilish
ness. After this they went to Ger
man settlement, where four aged Ger
mans and their women had been lef
at home to take care of the family
These devils appeared in federal uni
forms, said that they were federal sol
diers and wanted something to eat
They talked union, and were treated
very kindly. There were twelve o
fifteen of them. and the old men fet
them and their horses and gave then
the most hospitable treatment. Whel
they had had all they wanted to ca
and drink they made the old men sad
die their horses out in the stable lo'
jumped into their saddles, turned an
shot down the inoffensive old men i
cold blood. Then they warned tn
women that il they stirred out of tn
house that day they would be kille
too. This was in Charlton county, an
Jesse James was one of the men VIII
committed this outrage"
"But don't you thing that Jess
by a large force of menY
mo, sir. lie would have killed
dozen at least and then perhaps woul
have made his escape after all Ia
the pleasure of killing some of Quar-
trell's men, and they were LITERAL
girdled with revolvers. Quantrell use
to sit on his horse with his reins in hi
teeth and fire with both hands. Thes
are facts that have told you, but
could not repeat them at the time, fC
was surrounded by these me
for three years. Bill Anderson ono
sent word to Huntsville that he wa
coming there to take the town at ce
tain time, but the people didn't believ
1t. They didn't suppose he would a
tempt it, but at the appointed time
rode into town, robbed the bank, mu
dered people on every hand and mad
his escape. In Moberly once receive
note from him saying that he woul
be there the next day to take the tow
and l knew he would keep his wor
unless could prevent it. So 1 starte
off with FIVE hundred men that nigh
waylaid him as he was coming to til
city and killed several of his men. II
did not visit MOberly, but he wOul
have done it if l hadn't waylaid hin
No, sir, Gov. Crittenden was right, an
every man in the state ought to stan
by him in this matter"