Mexico weekly ledger., 1884-09-25
A ROMANCE OF THE WAR.
The Crime Of Missouri Guerilla-
Married to the Woman Whose
Husband he Murdered.
From the Pistsblrg Leader.

From the Pistsblrg Leader.
Quite recently gentleman living
n Pittsburg received letter from
lis son, who resides in the State OF
notifying him of the death
II a lady connection of the family,
,amed Mrs. Wilson, whose demise
near the town of Mexico,
No. "Her death recalls one of those
Incidents Of the war which read more
ike romance than the narration of q
sober fact" remarked the recipient
Of the letter to a Leader reporter.
''Some time about the period Of the
war young Missourian. who had
been married but a few months, feel
ing that the demands of his country
were stronger than those of home,
bade farewell to his lovely wife and
enlisted in the army Of the North.
But short time after his enlistment
q letter announced the arrival of q
young stranger in the family circle,
and the soldier applied for permission
to go home on furlough too see his
offspring. The permission was grant
ed a month or two later, and, filed
with joyful anticipation Of the glad
meeting that would hail his return,
he started from Virginia to his home.
Missouri at this time was overrun
with a savage set Of men who pursued
a regular guerilla warfare and were
called bushwhackers. From the
bushes that hedged the roadsides
they sent their murderous bullets to
the hearts of unsuspecting travellers
who passed their place of conceal
ment, and many are the tales OF how
they rode up at night, and firing
through the windows Of humble
dwellings, killed the innocent men
who were sitting at the fireside sur
rounded by their little ones. Our
soldier had arrived within three miles
of his home, one dark night, when he
was seized by one of these bands OF
guerillas as he was riding along the
lonely road and by them strung up to
tree, as they were rebels and hated
a Union man as Lucifer hates st.
Michael. His body was cut down
the next day by his friends and in.
tered in the village church yard. As
the years rolled by time softened the
sorrow Of his widow, so that when
her hand was sought by a wealthy
neighbor, whose name was Wilson.
she consented to the marriage. Time
sped along on rapid wing. The wal
had been ended, and only the reun'
lions of veterans and the stories o1
battled-scarred men, kept the scenes
of the conflict wildly in the mind
Ever since the close of the rebellion
lit has been the custom Of body o
men styling themselves Members o
the Lost Cause to meet at statet
periods in various sections Of tn
country. Wilson was a member o
this organization, and in the cours
of events his house was selected a
the place of their reunion. On th
evening when they met there Wilso
and several of the men were chattin
, together in one room, recalling tn
, escapades they had been engaged i
personally during the war, while hi
wife was in an adjoining room, Ell
, gagged in some household work. Du
. ing the conversation Wilson remarke
, to one of the men: Il have alway
o felt sorry that we did not let th'
young fellow go home and see b
o wife and child, as he begged so har
!. to be allowed to do before we hur
r. him up At that moment Mrs. Wi
n son appeared in the room with b
= face blanched to the whiteness
= snow, and in hurried words asket
a Wilson, were you one Of the mi
"a who helped to hang that man?' I
% replied that he was. 'Then,' 50
= she, we must separate. can nev
!. forgive you. That man was my hu
II band So they parted. On |
=, deathbed Wilson bequeathed to /
" and the daughter she had horne b
~ a large estate. Her son by her fiji
= lhrs rsband was a delicate lad and
herited from his father a handsol
competency. Before he attained
majority he died from consumptit
d Just before his death he held Ct
he versation with his mother, durl
~ which he said he didn't believe
er crime of the father should be made
ne burden on the shoulders Of his st
Ut sister, and asked his mother if
10 had any objection to his leaving
he property to the daughter Of Wills
an She replied that be didn't care W
81 disposition he made of it, and he
0" quethed it to his step-slster.
eS- mother only survived him few We
eT as her affection seemed to have d
ed centered in him, and the letter
mo nounces her death. so runs
~ world away"
nus The fact that Lieut.. Lockwo
hy one OF the dead of the Greely ex
'us dition, reached a point a few 10
MS further north than ever before recs