Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1896-01-02
THg SLAUGHTER At cEHfRALIA.
IN Account Of One Of the Kcst Terrible
Incidents Of the War, written by ar
Eyewitness.
From the Republic.
CONTRASTING PICTURES.

CoNTRAsTrNG PICTURES.
On the morning of September
%, 1863, the writer Of this sketch
received orders from Major George
IL Smith, general superintendent
n the u1ited states Military tele;
grauh 81 the Department Of Mis-
souri,, with headquarters on Wish
ington avenue between Third and
Fourth streets, to proceed to Gem
tralia, Mo-, and take charge of the
military telegraph Office at that
place. The train on the North
Missouri road. now part of the Wa
bash system, left st. Louis at 7:50
q: m. II was a beautiful autumn
day, the September sun unobscur-
ed by a single cloud, was full of
generous warmth and grateful beam
ing. As the train left the city and
emerged into the pastoral lands ly-
ing between st. Louis and Saint
Charles, the passengers aboard felt
the exhiliration produced by the
pure and bracing air of the early
autumn, and all grew animated and
socially inclined. The scene as the
cypress train whirled along was one
of cOntentment and peace. The
smoke wreaths clam bering through
the fresh morning atmosphere from
the farmhouse chimney tops seemed
to be proclaiming truce with the
care and anxiety that is always the
result of a relentless civil war.
There was nothing in the attitude
of the passengers or in the chang
ing landscape outside 4 to suggest
blood and carnage, and all made
themselves as comfortable as posi-
BILE for pleasant ride to their des-
tinations. But what q contrast to
this scene of peace and content
ment was going on farther up the
road, where there was being enacted
one of the bloodiest and most des-
perate tragedies that are recorded
in the annals Of the Civil War. At
little station between st. Louis
and st. Charles the train stopped
for 10 or Is minutes and under the
inspiration of the bright sunshine
the passengers wandered about the
place inhaling the perfume of the
late summer flowers that had not
succumbed to the light frosts that
had fallen. The morning papers
gave an account of battle between
the opposing forces in the Shenan
doah Valley, but that was too far
away to disturb the equanimity of
those aboard the train.
But when st. Charles was reach
ed there was a marked change in
the conduct of the passengers, and
forgetting all about the day, which
was of the kind to make the soul
glad with its beauty, they became
filed with dread and foreboding.
There were at first exciting rumors
about some dreadful occurrence up
the road and the conductor received
telegraphic instructions to wait for
further orders. On the faces of all
that had been so.bright and cheer
full before there was look Of ap-
prehensiyeness and alarm. After
waiting an hour what had only been
vague and unsatisfactory rumora
proved to be realities of most
startling and tragic description.
The report came that the noted
guerrilla, Bill Anderson had cap.
tured train leaving st. Louis a
few hours ahead of the one we were
aboard of and put to death IS Fed
eral soldiers who were going home
on furlough. Oar train was or.
dered to remain at st. Charles un-
I'll the next morning, and all day
long many rumors, some true and
some false, were in circulation. AZ
ter supper news came of terrific
encounter between the guerillas and
banl of Federal soldiers in which
nearly ali of the latter were killed.
The next morning our train was
permitted to proceed northward
and about noon we reached the
scene of the frightful carnage of the
day before, which was at the little
town Of Centralia, in Boone coun.
ty, where / had been ordered to re.
port for duty. There have been
many stories told about Bill Ander-
sons swoop upon that fated rail-
way train and of George Todd's
terrific charge upon the battalion