Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1901-07-18
r SCRIP OF s:X:.
80. MISSOURI HISTORY.
How We Slashed and Killed at Centralia
and Kirksville.

not imagine tnat SUcn uecuS WcTc
not met by Il spirit just as rclcnt-
less and vindictivc Oh the part of
the Union masses. They cheerful
ly burned Il neighbor's house and
ferociously took an eye for an eye,
and Il tooth for tooth whenever
reprisals could be made. The Tn
ion military policy, too, was pitch
ed upon II strenuous chord by ev-
en- so little of Il partisan as Gener-
al Schofield, who long commanded
in Missouri and who was bitterly !
assailed by the so-called radicals"
for his leniency to rebels. Scho-
field issued several orders, the
mere reading of which now tend
to make ones hair stand on end.
1t was generally understood among
the local Union militia that no
prisoners were to be brought i'll
when dealing with the bushwhack-
ers. Still there was now and then
manifested some objection to this
irregular way of disposing of
them, as will be observed in the
following correspondence:
"St. Louis, Mo, Sept. 9. 1862.
-Brigadier General Lewis Merrill,
WarrentOn, Mo: | want to Sc
lect Il prominent ease to test the
question whether Il bushwhackcr
can be shot III proper manner. |
want to know what / can rely on.
john NJ. Schofeld, Briga1ier
General"
Warrenton, Mo. Sept. 9, 1862.
-Brigadier General Schofield: All
right. | will run him mp for you.
Lewis Merrill, Brigadicr Gener-
al"
Just what General Merrill meant
by "run him up for you," is not
known positively, but he probably
purpOSed sending the guerrilla,
John A. Poindexter, then II priS-
oner, up to st. Louis for trial.
And again, on the same day:
"St. Louis, Mo, Sept. 9, 1862.
-Brigadier General Lewis Merrill;
| think Poindcxter had better be
tried by military commission. |
believe | can secure the execution
of a sentence. j. M. Schofeld,
Brigadier General"
"WarrentOn, Mo. Sept. 9, 1862
-Brigadier General Schotield: |
had intended to have him shot on
Friday, but if you think the SEN
tence will be executed he had bet
ter be tried. Lewis Merrill, Brig
aulef General.
Poindexter had been captured
up near St Joseph somewhere,
within the federal lines, hiding
out in citizens clothing, and was,
therefore, lawful victim in that
sort of warfare. However, by
some hOcuS pocuS he escaped.
There is no record of his formal
trial, if Merrill "sent him up as
he doubtless did. PoindeXter was
eventually sent to Johnson's Is
land, o., where, after a time, he
was held rs II regular prisoner of
warA and eventually exchanged.
General Schofeld's singular i'm
pulse to select Il victim for Il for
nal trial to test the question
whether a bushwhacker could be
shot Yin II proper manner" III Mis-
souri, was the means of saving this
mans life, he who had caused the
death of scores of innocent Union
people.
Not the least singular thing
about this correspondence is the
unQucstioning confidence of both
generals in the result of regular
trial of PoindeXter so far as the
sentence was concerned. What
they feared was the setting aside
or mitigating his senteuce by Eres-
ident Lincoln or other higher au'
thority. Many had been tried
and sentenced, but few shot Both
clearly desired to make an example
of PoindeXter, and by either meth
cd it would have been II legal eN,
ccution, having the same univers-
al purpose of all legal executions,
viz, to repress violence and in
timidate the lawleSS.
THE ILEUTENANT'S ORDERS.
As Il matter of fact, the Cnior
military authorities did not will
, ingly countenance irregular meas
ures, even when summary action
was i'm some sort warranted. Col