The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1903-02-05

Lawmakers Fear Of the Yankee Sol
diers and Their Precipitate Flight.
Vests Appearance in Richmond.
Suspected Of Being a Spy"-How
Identified.
From the Washington Post.
Colonel Alexander Jones, OF INDIE
pendence, Mo-, recently on a visit
here. told the following racy
story of the last hours OF the Mis-
souri, legislature at the breaking
out OF the Civil war and Senator
Vests celebrated speech in that body
with his subsequent flight to the
iederate lines and his election by
twenty-five members OF Colonel
Jones's regiment to the Confederate
Congress. Said the colonel:
at is a long time ago, but ! think
lean give it to you had been with
General Atchison in the border trou'
bles in Kansas for some time and was
pretty much used up, no thought l
would take a rest for the winter at
Jefferson City, amusing myself by
listening to the exciting debates in
the legislature, which l knew were
bound to follow. There were some
very big men in that body OF state
lawmakers, among,them was George
Vest, young saddlebag lawyer from
Boonville, who at that time was
opening a modest law Office with fair
prospects for the future.
claiborne Jackson was governor
and was as pronounced apro-slavery
Democrat as Vest. That remarkable
war legislature, which has gone into
history, was composed of l6O mem
beers. as we'll az | can remember. Ol
that number % were Union men, and
opposed to Missouri being taken out
OF the Union on snap Judgment by
Vest and his followers in the legisla
ture with Governor Jackson on TIT
outside to back them up with his OF
fetal approval. The situation wal
becoming daily more serious aroun(
the capital as to the future OF Mis-
souri,.
"Gsvernor Jackson and Genera
Sterling Price made visit to st
Louis to confer with Captain Lyol
OF the United States army then il
command OF the arsenal and force
atthat place. The interview between
these gentlemen and Captain Lyo1
was not satisfactory to them. ID
gave them two hours to get out c
the city, which they did by taking
special train to Jefferson City, stoI
ping long enough at each OF the raj
road bridges to burn them dowr
They did not leave bridge betwee
st. Louis and the capital over tn
line they Travelled.
at was deemed advisable to arI
the members OF the legislature wit
muskets ana ammunition sutficler
to resist an attack by the Unite
States forces 1t was agreed that tt
members should be equipped for ba
tie as required in the army regul'
tions, Accordingly, each memb'
was furnished with a musket ar
cartridge box filled with ammunitio
Thus armed, they continued to legi
late with their muskets lying aero
their laps and cartridge belts arour
their waists, ready for a fight or
run, which ever was most prudel
and desirable.
"While this was going on inside t
capital building, Governor jacks
was on the outside with his pistt
strapped to his waist and rifle on
shoulder, while the bride OF his ho1
Law across his arm, ready saddl
and bridled. A few days after the
tack on the Sixth Massachusetts re
ment in Baltimore, by the mob, VI
arose in his seat, and, after he b
stacked his musket, he thus adore
ed the house:
"'Mr. Speaker, notice in mo
ing newspaper dispatch which rel
az follows (holding up the pap'
"The bodies OF the soldiers that "
killed in Baltimore, belonging t
Massachusetts regiment, have b
placed on ice and shipped to !
England for burial" | say,
Speaker, If this Yankee governu
expects 10 put the body OF G,