Mexico weekly ledger., 1915-03-18
FACING THE FIRING SQUAD
TO MEET HIS DEATH

fACiNG The FIXING SQUAD
TO MEET HIS DEATH
The stories of firing squads that
have drifted to US through the war
dispatches have a peculiar thrill for
DR.. W. W. Macfarlane of this city
who faced such a squad during the
civil war and was not apprised of the
Communication of the death sen
tence until he was looking
into the barrels of the cooked rifles
of the firing squad. The following
story Of DR.. Maefarlane's experience
is taken from the files of the Weekly
Ledger:
DR.. Macfarlane and about fifty
more Confederates were n dav
fighting thrice their number of Fed
erals, near Moore's Mill, in Galloway
county, when the doctor and Pres.
Wilkerson were sent out to recon-
noitre.
The Doctor is color blind. He had
not gone far before he saw men in
the brush ear by,but,as he could not
tell blue from gray, thought they
were members of his own company.
He kept on his way, when "spitl
spill spit!" went bullets by his ears.
He thought they we're random shots.
He then turned toward the men and
saw that they were shooting at him.
the bullets whistling unfortabIv
close. He kept on toward them.
shouting, What in the devil Tor
words TO that efeetl are ycu shoot
ing at me for?" They rushed in and
captured him before he found out
that they were not members of his
own company.
He was taken to Fulton and kent
IN prison for a time. He was then
brought to Mexico. In a few DAVIS
Col. Smart, well known but not fay-
orably in Mexico, had an order for
"Macfarlane to be shot"
When the day for the execution ar
rived he was lead out near
where Mr.. Dunbar's residence
now is. in North Mex
leo. The guns were loaded, the cof-
I'm was there, and Macfarlane had
taken his position, but he never
hinched. Col. Smart then began to
give him a lecture, but the doctor
told him to stop; that his orders were
to shoot him, not to talk him to
death. The men formed in line, the
order was given to Make ready!
Take aim!" The Doctor could hear
the locks click, and could see the caps
glisten on the tubes, as the execu-
TONERS were only a few feet distant.
just as the Doctor was sighting
along the dark barrels of the rifles,
and wondering if they would not
shoot below his face, Col. Morsey
stepped out and ordered a halt in the
proceedings, saying that he had an
order for a communication of the sem
tence to Imprisonment during the
war.
Smart had this order several hours
before, but still took the Doctor out,
wishing to give him a good scare.
W. do not know how badly the Doc
tor was frightened, but do know that
he did not weaken. He fully expect
ed to die, but saw no way out Of it,
and was going to die as he lived-a
brave man.
After he received orders TO shoot
Macfarlane, instead of telling him
Smart put him through all the above
torture, which amounted TO the same, |
as far as human feeling goes, as If
he had shot him; and this is not all.
On the way out to the place where
he was to be shot, in the face Of the
communication he wanted Macfarlane
try to make his escape, so he
could shoot his down running. Mac
farlane thought it better to be shot
in the face for the cuse he was fight
ing for than to be shot in the back
in an endeavor to escape.
DIR. Macfarlane remained a prison.
err during the war.