The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-01-24
ONE OF sHELBY'S MEN.
WARTIME ROMANCE OF 81 PORTER,
A YOUNG MISSOURIAN.

dered to California, Where He BE-
came WeaIthy-Gen. shelby Re-
fused decentralization, But "a FEEDER
al Was Proved to Have Fired the
Fatal shot.
From the San Francisco Call.
There was not much history made at
the battle of Newtonia, Mo, on Sept. 80,
1862 no more, in fact, than to occupy
line or two of print in the government
reports and that bit of print officially
dry and commonplace.
1t was such small affair in the lives
of the participants in those busy days
that the survivors of it can hardly tell
one the exact date now, and when asked
about it say: ''Newtonia? Last of Au-
gust or September, 1892
But thirty-fve years have come and
ell with forgetfulness that memory grows
a stranger to the happiness of the old
days, while watching them train past.
There is man living in California who
has not forgotten the date, however,
man to whom "Newtonia" is a name
to conjure up bitter memories and
count of weary years weighted with I'M
righted wrong. 1t was at NewtOnia on
Sept. so, 1862, that the shadow fell upon
his life, a shadow that has hung above
him all these years, and time, whose cal
loused palm is unkind to most of u.s. TO
him has also been unjust. This is the
story:
On Sept 80 1892 a division of
Gen. Frederick Salmon's COM
mand, consisting of Companies B and E,
Missouri state militia, cavalry, and part
of the First Missouri Cavalry, in all 1S0
men, were camped among the black oaks
near the village of Newtonia, Mo.
Col.-afterwards Brig GEN.. o. Shell
by, with a force of 1000 men, was occu-
plying the same territory, and had moved
up near the Federal picket line on the
| previous night and made camp.
Knowing Federal force to be in the
neighborhood, Shelby ordered Col Hayes,
of Westport, whose command had been
! merged into Shelby's to detail party
and make a Reconnaissance
Col. Hayes being a man of great spirit
and undoubtedly holding the Union forces
in the highest contempt, deemed one man
a sufficiently strong guard The choice
fell upon SiNPorter a young Missourian,
! one of the 1,600 hard riders of Shelbys
| famous brigade.
1t CHANGED that day that Col Hayes
was arrayed in the uniform of a Federal
officer which had been found among some
supplies captured the day before, and as
clothing of any kind was hard to get and
uniforms were almost unknown among
both men and officers so early in the cam
paign and so far removed from the seat of
war, 1t was no uncommon thing for men
ana officers to con the captured uniforms
of their enemies His companion was
clothed in citizens garb
The small scouting party had been gone
| "A fnur fFa4aN n
wildly into camp and reported that Col.
Hayes had been killed.
Killed? Who killed him?' questioned
the soldiers.
The Feds" was the mans reply.
Rode up to a picket an he shot him .
The news was carried TO Col. Shelby
VINO at once discredited the mans story
Speaking of the incident many wears
afterward, the general said:
Col. Hayes was a brave but cautious
man, and did moi believe that he hal
been rash enough to advance within range
| OF the Federal pickets. / concluded at
once that he and his COMPANION had die
| puted over something and the man had
shot nm He was a hot-headed young
1elloW and it was no uncommon thing for
| the men to chafe under and sometimes
openly rebel against the orders of their
! olncers at the beginning of the war The
men OF my division were men of the
| 10 Tree and Independent life and thnv
found the rigorous discipline of army life
Eafd TO bear at first. The mans story
seemed so improbable that 1 ordered his
arrest"
The brigade then went out TO find the
enemy, and about three miles away came
| upon Il small force of retreatina federal
cavalry whose flight was auickened Inv a
! rev SHOTS taken at them at long range
Inc chase was given over however. and
the men of Shelby's brigade returned to
| camp.
on the way they found about quarter
! OF a mile from camp, the body of Col
Hayes with a bullet hole in the back.
/ That circumstance gave color to the suspi-
| cion of the men and officers that the
| Colonel had been shot by the soldier who
accompanied him, so the suspected man
was brought before court-martial to an
| swer.
He protested his innocence, and as 20
| direct evidence to the contrary, at least
| not sufficient to warrant his execution
| could be produced, he was discharged.
| Col. Hayes was popular with the regi-
| ment, having many neighbors and person.
! al friends in it. and a bitter feeling arose
! against his supposed slayer. which finally
! eliminated in his being drummed In dis
| grace out of the army. Porter declared
| his innocence to the end, but few IL any
! believed him, and as he rode away with
! the bitter taunts and curses of his com
panions in arms tinglng in his ears. his
heart turned against them and all man
kind.
There was no place for the branded man
| to hide his shame. He could not return
home with the disgrace upon him: he
could not turn his back upon the cause he
deemed just. SO he headed his horse for
the Kansas border and sought the camp
of the outlawed Quantrell. He could hide
| his identity there No one i'm that COM
pany of free lances would pry into his
| past So the man with dishonor thrust
upon him sought to hide it by taking
more of its kind.
How long he remained in company with
! Quantrell only himself can tell, but while
| with that desperados band he courted a
! girl in Ray county, Mo-, the daughter of
| a blacksmith Parental objection stood
in the way of peaceful marriage, but 81
| Porter had met too many stern faces and
hard hearts in the worlds ways and turn
! ings TO be houted in his desire by coun-
| try blacksmith. One night when the
smithy fires were out and the smith asleep,
he rode under the window of the girls
room, took her on the horse behind his
| saddle, and rode away.
They were married, and then, as the one