The National tribune., 1892-09-15
THE GUERRILLA COLE.
What Comrade Remembers of the Hang
ing of this Desperate.

ing of this Desperate.
A n article in the issue of July from
"a H. B. Booth, Co. II, 9th Iowa, Mona,
~ Iowa. gave an account of the capture
and subsequent hanging of Shelby
Cole, the guerrilla and spy Comrade Booth is
about correct as far as he goes, but don't get
all that occurred by considerable. / am not
able to give dates from memory, and having
lost nv memoranda will not attempt it; but,
as the comrade said, we disembarhed from cars
at the station north OF Iron Mountain, ! think,
about noon and went into camp. / don't re-
member what troops were along besides the
21lh Iowa. Pickets We're thrown out, besides
a camp-guard. Along in the afternoon a man
wearing a farmers suit of blue jeans, minus
coat, came into camp, and, if | am correct in
my memory, lie was suspected of being spy
and was ordered arrested by Col. James l. Gill
bert of the 9Th Iowa He was taken to an
old barn close to where the 9th had pitched
their tents. Serg't Treat, OF Go. Il, 9th Iowa,
had charge of the guards There were two
brothers belonging to Co. II of the above regl-
ment whose names / have forgotten; the
others. if there were others. don't remember.
This farmer proved to be Shelby Cole, the spy.
Cole objected 10 our army style OF living, and
especially to eating haFdtack and sowbelly, and
asked TO be escorted to farmhouse short dis
t@nce from the guaTd-house, and Col. Gilbert,
who was very warm-hearted man, grattied
his desire. and Serg't Treat sent Corporal and
one private to see that no harm came to our
new boarder. Mr.. Cole got good square meal
that night and, like q gentleman walked back
10 his lodgings | don't know whether he was
provided with feather bed or not, but sup
pose that he had as good as any Oh the boys that
guarded his unconscious hours
in the morning at the usual hour for break
fast Cole was le!surely taken to the farm
house. a single guard walking in front of the
prisoner with his gun thrown over his shoulder.
When about half WAY Cole grabbed the gun aud
attempted to shoot the guard, but the percus-
sion cap happened to be damp. SO that the gun
didn't 90 of. Cole then threw the gun down
and ran for dear life. Several pstol-shots were
fired after him, but without effect. He ran
into the pickets and was halted and brought
back to camp. The officers began to think that
they had got a pretty desperate character to
deal with and the guards were doubled.
The next night we were ordered to board the
fat cars bound north in the direction that we
came from the day before. Company c was On
a car in the rear of the one that carried the
prisoner and the guards. Between De Soto
and where Cole was captured there is or was
river with high and quite long bridge. The
train stopped at the south side of the river for
quite a while, should say about 10 or II
o'clock at nights as was supposed, to reconnoiter
and find out whether our retreat was being
awful tragedy occurred.
After Serg't Treat had taken off his overcoat
to protect that wicked fiend, he was murdered
by Cole rising up and cutting the Scrgcant's
throat from ear to ear. and then in lightning
swiftness plunging the knife into the two
brothers Of Co. II that / mentioned at the COM
mencemeEt Of this account. The oldest of the
two brothers had his right eye gongcd ont by
Cole aud the other he slashed down the back
Z ;S go 7 aopff reraii the ts If tnasn
brothers. They were from Quasqucton, Iowa,
and knew them well before the war.
Now, taen, for something that ! have not
seen mentioned yet IN all that / have seen
published in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE. After
Cole had done his deadly work and jumped
from the car there were several shots fred at
random without effect, but some cool headed
comrade 10 avoid shooting some of our own
men, turned on the rascal with the butt Of his
gun and knocked him down. He was thrown
onto the car, and as poor Serg't Treat was Dead
George \. What, OF Co. G. was detailed TO take
charge Of the guards.
In short time the signal was given for the
train 20 start. Mind you this dreadful tragedy
was all done in midnight darkness, rs there was
no moon at the time. We had to pass through
tunnel / should think about halfway be-
tween the river above mentioned and DE Soto
Geo. n. What told me that they were afraid
that Cole might roll of the car while going
through the tunnel. and that the guards pinned
him down with their bayonets. The last the
writer saw of Shelby Cole was about daylight
OF the morning preceding the killing OF Serg't
Treat. lie lay stretched out a few feet east of
the railroad track at DE Soto, covered up with
blankets and some straw for bed. The next
that we heard was that the matter had been
reported to Gen. a. ]. Smith, in command, and
he was asked what should be done with the
prisoner. The Generals reply was: Hang
him, - it; hang him"
There is small creek about 200 yards east of
the railroad at De Soto, along which grow
few scattering trees. The writer, with some of
his company was down there about 8 o'clock
a. ~, and new rough mound was pointed out
to him as the grave of the guerrilla spy and
ii was said that there wasn't room for the grave
without digging into the creek and they had
to dig hole and plant him head down.
Serg't Geo. \. What was living at Colorado
Springs Colo, the last that heard OF him.
would like TO ask Comrade Booth if he is the
man who lost his voice. / would like to ask
members of Co. II what the mans name was
that lived east of Independence Iowa, when
he and his son enlisted. The father was sup.
posed TO have been taken prisoner in Tennes-
see or Mississippi. Was he ever heard from?
One more question: Who was the comrade
who was Sergeant, think, who used 10 sing,
Take care Of your money, my boys; take care
of your money " "?-GEoRGE w. KILLING, Co.
c, 9th Iowa, ovington. Ill.
HA APTSUFFS RRIGAnF