Mexico weekly ledger., 1893-06-01
s. 0. Graham Explains.
A PUBLIC STATEMENT OF HIS Ca.
REER DURING THE WAR
AND now HIS TROU-
BILE CAME ABOUT.
He Was One of MOrgan's Men, VA
Taken Prisoner and TO Secure His
Release Joined the United
States Army ana
Went West.

As the readers of the LEDGER will
remember, Mr.. SO. Graham, of this
county, a few weeks since had DIR.
Cobb arrested for SANDER. DR.. Cobb
had charged that so. Graham burn
ed his own barn. The cast was tried
before a jury in Mexico and the YER
dict was that Cobb did not Islander
Graham. During the trial it was in
timated that Graham had been in the
penitentiary in Illinois for stealing a
horse. Reports were also current that
| Graham claimed to be a southern SOL
der and at the same time was draw
ing a pension. The matter was refer
red to at length in this paper and the
editor of the LEDGER wrote Mr.. Ora
ham a letter and offered him space to
answer the charges made against him =,
if he so desired. The following state
ment from Mr. Graham is in reference
to the charges made:
GRAHAM's STATEMENT.
| To the Editor of the Ledger.
MEXICO, Mo-, May 81, 1S93.-Re-
cent events have apparently made
such an impression on the public Or
the press that it may not be improper
for me to make a statement. l have
always understood that a mans pri-
vate affairs should not be paraded be-
fore the public and inasmuch as am
but a plain farmer, | cannot see why
my life record should be made an open
book. But the book has been opened
with apparent ghoulish glee and l
have no desire to close it or suppress
its contents. I have lived for fifty-fve
years and have had somewhat of an
eventful career, and vain and foolish
is the man who has arrived at that age
and looks back over the road and sees
nothing but that which he loves to
look upon. l do not claim nor never
have claimed that l am impeccable
or blameless in all things. l was born
in the state Of Tennessee and lived
there until the breaking out of the
war. My life there from infancy to en-
listment in the service is anopen book
andifanything dishonorable was ever
attributed to me there [ do not know
it and the good people who knew and
esteemed me did not know it. | was
always a believer in the doctrines OF
the South and on the 18th of April,
1861, in White county, Tenn, l en-
listed in the Confederate Army in an
independent company, and shortly
our company joined the intrepid
Morgan. I continued as a soldier Of
Morgan or of Forrist until January,
1868. At hat date myself and nine.
teen tried soldiers were sent by Nor
gan into the states of Indiana and Ill
inois for the purpose of discov.
ering the sen timent among the PEG.
pie of those states, and to enlist and
aid Southern sympathizers to join
the Confederate forces. For this
purpose we organized lodges known
as the"'Knights of theG olden Circle
Any man who was a Southern sym.
pathizer had the eternal enmity Of
the Federalists in those states and
our mission leaked out. Then the
Federalists made it uncomfortable
for US. My business took me tc
every county in Illinois. During those
days much trouble occurred in the
state; bad deeds were done and nat.
urally it was laid at the door of the
twenty men that came from Morgan
and perfected those secret lodges
The members of that party never
forgave us and for many years after
the wal had closed it was unsafe fol
any of US to let ourselves be known
in any of those counties where we
had worked during the val. In De
cember, 1868, l .rejoined Morgan's
forces near Nashville and remained
with them until June, 1864. During
the month of June, 1864, a skirmish
occurred near Nashville and | was
ordered with thirty men to occupy
and hold an old barn and house
some distance from the main line
and while there we were cut off. See-
ing this, we tried to make our way
back to the lines and in so doing a
bomb was bursted close to me, killing
my horse and infiicting on me five
wounds, the marks OF which l still
carry. My horse gone and wound
ed, | was easily captured and taken
prisoner. l was taken to Chicago
and held a prisoner at Camp Doug
lass until October 7th, 1864. During
my Imprisonment at Camp Doug
lass small pox broke out and many
prisoners died. My own cousin died
by my side. There was no proba-
bility for an exchange. While this
condition existed they offered to send
us northwest to the frontier if we
would join the United States Army.
About sixty as good and brave boys
as ever fought for the "Lost Cause"
did enlist, | among the rest. On the
7th day of October, 1864, l enlisted
and was consigned to the Third ILL.,
Iinois Cavalry commanded nv I'll