The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-21
CWritten for The Herald)
BY JAMES r. GILMORE.

Scotchman of the same name, who
settled in the mountain region of East
Kentucky some time in the early part
of this century. He was, l am told, a
surveyor by profession. and a man of
considerable degree of cultivation,
and thus was able to give his son a
better book education than is common
to the young men of that somewhat
primitive district. The son grew up a
thoughtful youth, of irreproachable
morals, but so distant and self-ab-
sorbed as to invite very few to a famil-
lar acquaintance. He arrived at man
hood at about the time of the breaking
cut of the civil war, and his personal
appearance at that period as described
to me by General James a. Garfield,
from whom I derived the greater part
of this narrative, was as follows: He
was about six feet in height with an
erect, sinewy figure and gaunt, bony
arms that extended nearly down TO ms
knees. His features were of a noble
cast, large and prominent, the nose
slightly aquiline, the eyes deep gray,
overshadowed by heavy eyebrows, and
the skin brOnZed by much exposure,
except upon the forehead, which was
high and broad, and of an intense
whiteness. His hair and beard were OF
a deep, glossy black, and he wore when
he first came to me a broad, SIOuched
hat and the ordinary hOmespun of the
district; but this he soon exchanged
for the uniform of the Fourteenth
Kentucky. He was a, very remarkable
man. 7 had him often with me on The
march, when he would talk a quaint
sort of wisdom that, in more favorable
circumstances, would have given him
a place in history.
At the outbreak of the secession ag-
ttation Stewards and his father sided
with the Union, and thus came in con-
flict with Judge Cecil, the leading poll
tician of the district, VINO was using
all his influence to throw East Ken
lucky into secession He soon began
canvass of the mountain region, and
there he was Unexpectedly met by the
younger Stewards, who developed an
ability at stump OratOry that was eX-
traordinary. Mortified by the discom-
futures he was receiving from his
homeSpun opponent, Cecil resorted to
personal threats, and this so eXaSper-
ated the friends OF Stewards that vio-
lence resulted on several occasions, on
one of which CeciPS life might have
been sacrificed but for the timely in
reference of Stewards.
Kentucky at this time assumed the
attitude of mock neutrality, by which
their hostility to the Union, and more
effectually serve secession, and early
In August. 1861, the governor issued a
proclamation commanding all persons
having arms belonging to the state to
deliver them up Immediately. This
gave opportunity to the state guard,
secession organization to enter the
houses of Union men, and, under color
of law, to take away their rifles and
shOtguns-tO, in fact, diSarm every 10y
alist in the commonwealth.
Stewards and Band of UniOnists
OverpOwered.
The natural result followed. The
UnioniSts banded together to resist
these proceedings One of these bards,
numbering about a hundred, was Or
ganized by Stewards. and late in Sep
ten.ber it came in collision with body
OF the Home guards in which che of
the guards was killed and two were
Badly wounded. One of the wounded
was a nephew of Judge Cecil a writ
was then issued by the latter charging
Stewards and some others with murder
and a body of 300 was dispatched to
take them into custody. Too weak to
make a successful resistance Stewards
took to the woods to be IN conceal
meut, meanwhile he got together about
fifty of his friends with whom he soon
set out to Join Colonel Moore, VINO was
recruiting the Fourteenth (Union) Ken
lucky regiments at LouiZa. On the
way Stewards and his friends were sur
rounded and oVerpoWered by over SIX
times their number of state guards,
and Stewards, heavily ironed, was con-
veyed to the Confederate camp at
Piketon. There he was offered 10y Col
onel John S. Williams, The kentucky
officer in command, amnesty for any
past offenses and a captaincy in the
!, n
in the ranks of SeceSS'oa but ne stead
fastlv refused. He thereupOn was
turned over to the civil author ty,
which was-Juda Cecil and a PACKED
jury-''packed'' because the place was
in possession of the C0nfa1erateS, and
to vote against the prevailing senti-
nent. he was tried and found guilty
in the face of the fact that two Con-
federate officers who took part in the
skirmisn, testified that he did not fire
a shot and on the contrary did all he
could to prevent the collision. The sen
tence was the galloWs on the succeed
ing Friday.
Sowards was thrown into jail and for
absolute security was chained to the
stone floor Of his prison, but looking
into his jail one morning the jailer
found there a rickety cot, an empty tin
pan, q broken stool and e. huge pile of
ards. How he got out was mystery;
and the mystery was not cleared by
the disappearance Of the turnkey and |
Of a fine bay mare ridden for some I
years by Stewards, but then in posses
sion of Colonel Williams, the Confeder- /
ate commander. The colonel was an
enthusiastic admirer of Stewards; but |
no one supposed he would rob himself |
of a fine horse, and, in addition, bribe !
the turnkey to affect the liberation of I
a man Numerically opposed to him
self in political sentiment.
CeciPs Fiendish Deed.
with 200 men Judge Cecil set on foot |
an immediate pursuit Of Stewards. He /
rode at once to his fathers house, and |
with a pistol leveled at the old mans |
head. demanded the whereabouts of /
his son. He declined to give the de-
sired information, and Cecil again
asked, 'sWill you tell me where your
SON is?' "I will not" was the answer.
Cecil fired and the elder Stewards fell
dead upon his own hearthstone His
aged wife was present, and also a
younger son, aged II, who at once
drew q revolver, shot dead two of the
guards, and severely wounded Judge
Cecil. who cried out from the floor
where he had fallen, Secure himi
Don't shoot him. Hang hini-hang
1lim-hang him before his own door
way"
There are some deeds at which one
~ y /