The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1896-05-27
A TALE OF THE WAR.
How GIN. Roger A. Pryor Came Very
Near Being Hung.
Philadelphia Times.

Philadelphia Times.
The reversal of the judicial opinion
of Judge Roger A. Pryor whereby
Mary Alice Almont Livingston Elem
ing, who is now on trial in the Court
of General Sessions, New York city
for the poisoning of her mother, is
awarded the sum Of 1856, 600 as the
heir of the woman with whose murder
she is charged, brings to mind the fact
that Judge Pryor, once described by
the late Daniel Dougherty as the
Harry Hotspur of the Confederacy,"
was himself twice in danger of hang
ing.
When last seen by the narrator, lit
tie more than FIVE years ago, Judge
Pryor was on his way to Washington.
His visit to the capital had for its OBJ
ject what he believed would be and
what proved to be his last look upon
the living face of Washington Nc
Lean, the father of John R. Mclean,
the editor, publisher and proprietor
of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The elder
Mclean was reported dying, and there
was good reason why General Pryor
should wish to grasp him by the hand
before his fingers became ~nerveless.
Back of it lies a romance of the rebel
lion when Washington Mclean saved
Judge Roger A. Pryor's life. The
Southern men had no Drawer soldier
than General Pryor. After he had
risen to the rank of brigadier% general,
however, he had a quarrel with Jefer-
son Davis, the result Of which was
that, while he retained his rank, he
was given no soldiers to command.
Notwithstanding this, he would not
remain apart from the conflict, aud
became a private soldier in R~ussell's
cavalry. In this capacity he was sta
toned during the latter days of the
war; think it was in January, 1865
on his own farm in Virginia, the
house upon which was used by Robert
E. Lee as his headquarters. 1t was
his custom then, as it had been
throughout the war, for the outposts
of the Union and Confederate forces
to exchange newspapers for tobacco.
Pryor, knowing every inch of the
country, was daily employed upon such
missions, and it is more than likely
that he took advantage of them to
learn the location and condition of the
Union forces, and transmitted the
knowledge thus obtained to General
Lee. A strict construction in mill
tary ethics might have described him
as a spy, not Of an ignoble kind, but
somewhat akin to the unfortunate,
but, nevertheless, heroic Major Andre,
of the Revolution of '76. While en-
in one of his expeditions, osten-
slbly doing nothing more than giving
tobacco for Northern news
papers, General Pryor, in violation of
the informal truce under which he was
acting, was seized by Union soldiers
and made a prisoner. TWAS proposed
to hang him at once, but General
Grant, before whom the matter was
finally brought, forbid his execution,
and he was taken North and incarcera-
ted in Fort Lafayette.
A new complication arose in the mat
ter, which again threatened Pryor's
life.
In the latter days of the rebellion a
small band of misguidedS Southern hot
heads entered into a most Infamous
conspiracy, the object of which was
the destruction of life in Northern
cities by ~secretive methods. One of
this body was Robert L. Kennedy,
who set fire to the old Belmont Hotel
on Fulton street, New York city, and
to Barnum's Museum. In a confess
sion made after his conviction by a
court martial he admitted hat he was
aware at the time of the commission
of his crime that both buildings were
filled with people !; that Barnum's
Museum was crowded with women and
children. He was hanged. One of
his confederates was young Virgin
ian named Beale. With some COM
panions he came into New York State
from the Canadian border, and for a
brief time was quite busy derailiug
railroad trains and setting fire to them.
Finally he was arrested, tried by court
martial and sentenced to be hanged.
He belonged to a very influential
Southern family and was held in high
esteem South of Mason and Dixon's
line. Some of the high officials of the
C%onfedcracy served n,tice on Secreta-
ry of War Stanton that if Beale was
hanged they would put the rope
around the necks of a number Of prom
inent Northern soldiers, who at that
time we're in their custody. But the
stern Stanton was relentless, and he
only sent back word that if the
threat was carried into execution he
would hang Pryor. After that declara-
ton young Beale vas stranglcd to
death.
The situation Of affairs left General
Pryor in a very dangerous position.
Southern leaders were prepared to take
revenge upon some prominent Union
soldiers in their prisons and Stanton
stood ready to take counter-revenge
upon the body Of "Harry HotSpur.'
Pryor had been a member of the
American Congress, and while there
Washington Mclean, then the editor
and proprietor of the Cincinnati En-
%quirer, had met and likeG. and loved
him. Realizing the gravity Of his
friend situation, Mr.. Mclean travel,
ed to Washington and had a talk with
President Lincoln, the result Of which
was the issuance Of a most rcmarka-
Bile order, reading as follows:
General Roger A.. Pryor is herewith
ordered into the custody of Colonel
John w. Forney, Secretary of the SEN
ate, to be produced by him whenever
required. A. LlNCOLN.
Armed with this Mclean came to
New York city, secured Pryor release
from Fort Lafayette and accompanied
him to Washington and to Colonel
Forney's house. AS is we'll known,
even a Presidential command did not
stand in the way of Stanton ven
gcancc. When he learned of Pryor's
release his rage was unbounded and he
Immediately issued orders to seize the
prisoner wherever found and announ