The National tribune., 1888-08-23


control Of the train and had 1t run up to the
depot. There they got the prisoners all out
There were some furloughed soldiers on the
train, in al about 20, as well as ] could learn.
They had them under guard near the depot
building in charge of someone-nOt Anderson,
however; and were so held by them for some
time, during which time they were scattered
over the town, and may have been robbing.
Then someone came up TO the guards who had
the prisoners in charge. and said they might as
well kin them now. This may have been An
derson. Those then IN charge of the prisoners
Immediately fired on and killed all Of them.
They were nearly all killed at the first FIRE,
except Williams, of my company. He, as we
learned from the citizens there, tried 10 get
away, and lodged around the corner of the
depot, and was only wounded at the first FIRE.
4 They then laid him on the railroad track. In
the meantime they had set the express train
on fire aud sent it On up tho track burning
with no one on it. 1t was entirely consumed
How far it went ] did not learn. A freight
train coming along slowed up, and they took
it in charge back some distance from the depot
and made the engineer run 1t up to the depot
When he came near where Williams lay wound
ed, but not dead, on the track ne stopped,
and there being rebel riding on horse
back on each side Of his engine with pistols
pointed at his head, they asked him what be
stoDped for. He said, There is a man there
and bid him on his life to 90 on with his train.
lie did 50, and so ran tie train over Williams
killing him. They then burned thSt train
also, and think the depot or station-house.
The rebels then went ont Of town, going TO
the southeast. For some distance in that d.
Tecti0n the road ran over open prairie, then
ran straight south through a lane Of perhaps
half q mile in length, with high stake and
ridered fence on both sides and with the tim
Der coming right up to the south end Of it. II
is some two and q half or three miles from the
town 10 this point of the timber at the end of
the lane.
Comrade Russell IL mistaken when he says
Maj. Johnson was Of the 18th 30. Militia, and
had been following the bushwhackers The
fact is Maj. Johnson was Of the 47th No, but
that was a L months regiment just then called
into service, and had been enlisted fer only
one year. They were entirely raw recruits,
without any sort Of experience. They had not
been following the Tcbs, for the rebs had not
been north Of the railroad, and Maj. Johnson
had come down from the north, from Paris
Hannibal, or somewhere up there. | think
he was simply coming down to join in
a general scout after the bushwhaCkeTs.
johnson came into Ceutralia before the Tebs, got
into the timber and each Of them saw the other,
and this was, l think, the first either knew Of
the whereabouts OF the other. johnson fol-
lowed on 10 avenge the death of those killed
/ IN the town, and the rebels formed ia column
In the timber with their front near the end Of
the lane and waited. J0hnson's men were raw
infantry, armed with muskets and mounted.
( The rebels carried from one to seven revolYers
each, AID were the worse set of devils that
ever lived. Johnson never did form q line, but
moved his men in column in ordinary march
ing order, and if be had an advance-guard out
/ st all u was not far out, as ] learned and Is
/ must have been the fact When johnson was
!. l. Ill
or rather up, for think il was a little up Hill,
the rebels charged out Of the woods and right
down his column and among his men, putting
them into utter confusion and route. john
sons men could not get out to the sides for the
+ high fences; and the lane was long one, SO
/ they could not get back 10 the end Of it. A
few got across the fences on foot, but were shot
down, aud few did get back to the end of the
/ lane, bit were pursued and killed. / never
knew, as is stated by Comrade Russell, that
johnson left any OF his men in the town. But
/ suppose he did, and that accounts fer any
Of them escaping, for those 50 left escaped as
they probably retreated any way, the rebels
did not come back into the town. All in 81, as
j understood it, little over l40 were killed
there that day-all Union soldiers. Some 20
or SO Of JObnson's men escaped. Comrade
Russell says y were left in the town, and three
that We're left on the field for dead recovered.
So | suppose this is about right.
/ have spoken about how they finally killed
and of course maugied the body of Comrede
Williams, Of nay company. as to Comrade
Russell, Of Co. G Of my regiment they
scalped him and carried of the scalp.
This scalpiug was net an infrequent thing
with them. They used to have the gcalps
hanging on their brides, and used TO trade
with them to get those that would match,
rs can be proved By & man now holding State
Office in this State. Quite a number Of the
/ dead bodies were mutilated, some IN a manner
that would not do TO tell IL print. In this
latter class was Capt. Smith, Of J0hnsons COM
mand whose grave | visited yesterday in the
National Cemetery at Jefferson City IN com
pany with a gentleman who knew him well in
lie, and who was coEversaBt with the facts.
! Capt. j. Foster ms own Captain, who, as ] said,
buried the dead, told nae Of the mutations,
but he knew none Of them save those of our
! own regiment.
! Such IN brief was the Ceutralia massacre.
/ There were some $50 or 3G0 Of the rebels. They
+ were led by the notorious Bill Anderson. They
+ were the companies OF Anderson and Gordon
sHd fellow named Jones, aud ! think leader
by the name Of Stewart had company there.
1 The YOungers and Jamescs who have since be-
came both famous aud infamous, were in the
crowd, and among the worst Of them.
1 think Comrade Russell is mistaken as to
+ the troops that killed Bill Anderson, and |
( know be IS mistaken as 10 where il was done.
( lie was killed in fight with some troops
! under command, as then reported In the papers,
Of Gen. Craig, who commanded in the District
F Of st. Joseph, aud it was not a few miles above
Jefferson City. nor were they trying TO cross
4 the Missouri River. tx was away above Glag-
+ Cow, and some distance from the river. 1t
was in a fight in which Anderson used his
usual tactics, when he did fight at all, that is,
70 charge, and he charged on our men, aud /
/ think rather through the line, and was killed
! ia the charge. This was more than month
j after the Centralia massacre Russell speaks
Of the men who killed him emptying their
+ rey0lyeTs into his dead body As TO this
know nothing, but ] saw within q short time
after his death q picture Of bin taken after
death, and there was about IL no sign OF his
( having been thus treated, If he had been. II
I is likely some Of them would have shot him 50
that the picture would have shown it,
All ia all, the Ceutralia massacre marks the
most brutal episode of the war, unless it was
the Lawrence massacre. These two stand Out
as monuments to prove that the men who were
guilty OF them were the greatest fends ever
found IN this country or any other-E. J
SAITH, Go. 3, LIST Iowa Cav, sedalia, No.
j have met over 50 people cured Of dyspep
STA by Hoods Sarsaparilla," says travelling
merchant.
Give Them Their Dues.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: How does i
I come that men who have lost leg above tht