The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1904-03-09
WAR STORIES.
Senator eSt7S Narrow I1Scupc Eron Being
Hanged.
St. Louis Republic.

10, on a visit to Washington, tells
.hc following story Of the last hours
Of thp Missouri Legislature at the
breaking out Of the Civil War and
Senator Vests celebrated speech in
shat body, with his subsequent flight
TO the Confederate lines and his ccc.
zion by twenty-five members Of Col
oncl Jones 3 regiment to the Confcd-
crate Congress. Said the Colonel
III is Il long time ago, but think
can give it to you. had been
with General Atclii-on in the border
.roublcs in Kansas for some time and
~as pretty much used up, so thought
would take rest for the winter at
Jefferson City, amusing myself by
listening to the exciting debates in
.he Legislature which knew were
bound to follow. There were some
very biz men in that BODY Of State
lawmakers. Among them was George
Vest, young saddle bag lawyer from
Boonville, who at that time was open
ing modest law office with fair pros
poets Cor his fu.ure
'Hleihornc Jackson was Governor
and was as pronounced a pro-slavcry
Democrat as Vest. That remarkable
war Legislature, which has gone into
history, was composed of 100 mem
bers, ,:Gs well as can remember. OF
that1nunber twenty-five were Union
neA.~and opposed to Missouri being
taken out Of the Union on snap judg-
ment by Vest and his followers in the
Legislature, with Governor Jackson
on The outside to back them up with
his official approval. The situation
was becoming daily more serious
around the capital as to the future of
Missouri
Governor Jackson and General
Sterling Price made a visit to St.
Louis to confer with Captain Lyon of
the United States Army, then in com
mand Of the arsenal and forces at that
place. The interview between these
gentlemen and Captain Lyon was no.
satisfactory to them. He gave them
two hours to get out Of the city. which
they did by taking special train to
Jefferson City, stopping long enough
at each of the railroad bridges to burn
them down. They did not leave a
bridge between St. Louis and the
capital over the line they travelled
ut was deemed advisable to arm
the members of the Legislature with
'muskets and ammunition sufficient to
resis. On attack by the United States
forces. 1t was agreed that the mem
bers should be equipped for battle as
required in tho army regulations.
Accordingly each member was fur
nished with musket and cartridge
box filled with ammunition. Thus
armed, they continued to legislate
with their muskets lying across their
}aps and cartridge belts around their
waists ready for a fight or run,
whichever was more prudent and de-
airable.
while this was going on inside
the Capitol building, Governor Jack
son was on the outside with his pis.
tolls strapped to his waist and a rifle |
on his shoulder, while the bride Of
his horse lay across his arm.
A few days after the attack on
the Sixth Massachusetts, Regiment
In Baltimore by the mob Vest arose
in his seat and, after he had stack ed
his musket, he thus addressed the
House
"'Mr. Speaker, noticed in morn
ing newspaper dispatch which reads
as follows (holding up the paper):
"The bodies of the soldiers that we're
killed in Baltimore, belonging to q |
Massachusetts, regiment, have been
placed on ice and shipped to New
England for burial I say, Mr..
Speaker, if this Yankee Government |
) expects to put the body Of every SOL
der who is killed in an effort to
>eoercc the South on ice, Lincoln had
better make contract for Greenland's
Icy Mountain and that ID quickl
The nndertakers will need it all be-
lore they finish the job of burying the
dead
About the time he closed his re-
> marks a messenger rushed into the
House Of Representatives, and hand
ed telegram to the presiding officer,
who passed 1t to the clerk and asked |
him to read it TO the members of the
House. The dispatch was as fol-
!, lows:
Captain Lyon and Frank Blair
T.