The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1890-03-04
ATALE OF WAR.
The Experience of . Pettis Coun'
ty Man in Times OF
Trouble.
How q Scion of an Iilustrious
Kentucky Family Used
the Shotgun in
Georgetown.

ulation WIS mixed and in many codn-
ties. as in Peitis, was thin and scat
tering. Being near the border, the
people became highly infiamed and
, were quickly plunged into internecine
strife among themselves. In add
ton to these horrors, the cOmmuni-
ties were visited by marauding bands
of skirmishers from both sides who
killed and piundered right and left.
One day federal squad of"Jayhaw.
kers7 would appear in a rural COM
munity aud shoot and plumber the
Southern sympathizers; The next
do,-, r'VL IDLY, - - Long Fer. ar
least, band of Southern "Bush-
whs"kArs" wnuli appear in the same
community and dG Likewise tn the
Union adherants. Thus it continued
until the distracted people. also har-
raised by their own neighborhood
strifes, no man knowing what
night his neighbor might
blow his brains out with a shotg IN
through the window, were driven 10
desperation and scarcely hesitated at
anything. Those were troublous
limss in Petiis county and few people
now living in Sedalia know anything
about them. Those r-minisences are
rapidly receding in the dim vista of
time and become more forgotten with
each passing year. Yet occasionally
romantic reminisceDee is discovered
somewhere, written up by one who
witnessed or participated in t. ose
stirring scenes, which is exceed
ingly interesting to the old
"residente,s' and readable to any
body. The BAzoo has come across
one such which will be exceedingly
interesting to the old "timers" of Pet.
It's county and scarcely less so to the
younger and newer residents, as it
possesses local interest. Many a.
stirring tragedy was enacted 10 these
parts and when one is well written it
is very readable. This one viii be
well remembered by a few still resid-
ing in the county.
Before the war, and for several
years after, there lived near
Georgetown, in this county,
a son of Governor Magofin,
Hs was sss9ssi %6CIeesyo SiSG &c good hearted
reckless, daredevil sort ola fellow, who |
was widely known. He was the GEN.
trail figure in a tragedy enacted at
Georgetown during the war.
1t is written up in the Chicago Her.
aid. of a recent date. by a contributor
under non de plume, who particle
pated in it, be being, at the time, ED.
listed in detachment of the federal
army stationed in this section during
the greater part of the war.
The BAzoo reproduces It below
He says:
Sat this di.tance, nearly thirty years
from the opening of the civil war,
many of the incidents are as fresh in
the minds of those who participated
in it as they were within a few hours
of occurance. One of these, which
find in some faded notes, may be
worth recalling.
In 1861 Missouri was the scene of
extraordinary military activity. The
battles of Boonville, Wilson Greek,
the siege of Lexington-in which |
Colonel Mullisan and his Chicago
regiment participsted-Fremopt's
1undred-dsy campaign the worst q
iasco in military history-and many
,ther minor fghtings, marchings, re.
'reats, pursuits occurred during the {
ummer of that year. Raids of all /
orts. on both sides, were of common C
and the settlements were U
larried, one day by a squadron of cav t
Try in blue, and probably, within a t
week, sho salne places would DO visited t
y horsemen in butternut, who were "
8 merciless as the others ia their per.
G
Sedalia was the hot5ed of one of a
he 6ercest secession sections in the Il
tate. and when taken possession of by
ne Federals nearly all its residents y
bandoned their homes and went to
lore congenial regions. Some time /
the latter part of August a small !al
avalry force under Colonel Mar 6
hall was sent out, who soon reached
small place called Georgetown, and p'
hich to all appearances, was deserted.
Suddenly two quick reports of a o,
in we're heard, and two men in the bt
INKS fell dead and two or three sc
hers were wounded. No one was
sight, and for an instant it seemed tn
if the shots had been fired cut of sill
ace. 1t was only when some wreaths
smoke were noticed to be curling nj
awards from large two story house If
at the human agency of the shoot pc
o was made apparent on