San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-02-14
JOE SHELBY DEAD.
ONE OF THE FEW NOBLEMEN OF
NATURE.
Loved His Country and Loved War, Loved
the Truth and Upheld Honor
Among soldiers-the South
Loses a Patriotic Son.
Special Wire to Sunday Light.

Kansas City, Mo-, Feb. 13.-General
Joseph Orville Shelby, who died in this
city today of pneumonia, was born in
Lexington, Ky, in 1881. At 10 years
of age he came with his parents to
Missouri. Hemp was the greatest Mis-
souri, staple in those days and when
his parents settled on a farm, young
10" secured employment on a rope
walk at Waverly. He ultimately be-
came owner of the works and of a big
plantation in Lafayette county and in
consequence he became a slave owner.
When the Kansas dispute came on he
was Mr.. Shelby. He was naturally a
sympathiser with the pro-slavery ele-
ment in the border trouble" which
followed and was a leader of the raids
into Kansas.
When actual hOstilities began he was
known among his neighbors as Capt.
Shelby. He raised a company of Con-
federate cavalry and entered the field,
starting south to join Price. A few
weeks later Capt. Shelby was commits
'i'ilNN 90 lieutenant VI cavalry ana
ordered back to Missouri to recruit a
regiment
Returning with his band of one hun
dred men, who had numerous skir-
mishes with Federal bands. Col. Shell
by quickly organized a regiment, to
which was Joined the three Missouri
regiments in a cavalry organization
known as the shelby Brigade"
This brigade under Shelby saw much
hard service in Missouri, Arkansas,
Louisiana and Texas.
When the news of Lees surrender
came to the Confederate army in the
west, Gen. Shelby found himself at the
head of a well equipped and thor
oughly disciplined body of men
great many of whom would
not admit that their cause
had been lost. Shelby, however
succeeded in convincing his followers
that further fighting against the gov
eminent would be useless and when,
as an alternative, he proposed a march
to Mexico there to espouse the cause
Of Macmillan, 1000 men of his follow
ing readily Joined him.
At CorsiCana an election was held
and Shelby was elected commander,
receiving every vote. The column
then moved on to Houston and then
on to Austin, the capital of Texas,
where the Confederate government had
sub-treasury in which was stored
100000 in gold and silver Gen. Shell
bys regiment arrived at Austin barely
in time to save this treasure from a
m q I'd nd In hnV Nd 90
Capt. Rabb, who captured the treasury
building and started in to loot it, when
Shelby's men surrounded the place,
and after shooting down a number of
marauders, drove them off. Gen Shell
bys men guarded the treasury until
the following day. On the morning
following the mayor of Austin propos-
ed to Gen. Shelby that inasmuch as
his men were the last organized body
of the Confederacy of Texas, they
should take this Confederate money.
General Shelby positively refused
saying: Il went into the war with
clean hands and by Gods blessings 1
will go out OF the war with clean
hands"
From Austin Shelby's band marched
to San Antonio and thence to Eagle
Pass, where they crossed into Mexico
and resumed their march. When they
reached the City of Mexico, Maximil-
ian had been dethroned for a year.
Shelby offered to take immediate SER
vice with his band and to recruit an
army of 10000 Americans to supersede
the native troops but Macmillan was
stubborn and Shelby's company was
forced to disband. Many of them set
tied in Mexico, others went to the Pa
cific coast and SHIPPED for California,
while some returned to their former
homes.
Gen. Shelby became a freight con-
tractor in Mexico, but in 1867 he re-
turned to his farm in Missouri, where
he lived a retired life until 1893, when
President Cleveland appointed him
United States Marshal for the Western
district Of Missouri. During the great
railroad strike in 1894 when Marshal
Shelby was active in suppressing the
strikers he became involved in a con-
troversy with Gov. Stone, who con-
tended that United States officers and
troops were being used in violation of
the doctrine of state rights-the very
doctrine which Shelby had fought so
bitterly for during the civil war, but
to Governor Stone Gen. Shelby replied
that the question of United States
rights was decided by the war, and set
tied for all time when Lee surrendered
at AppomatoX."
In the recent campaign Gen. Shelby
was an active supporter of the policy
of President Cleveland.