Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-12-15
CONFEDERATE CAPTAIN KILLED FOR
INDISCREET REMARKS ABOUT LINCOLN

An incident during the civil war
that showed the temper of the men
and the strong prejudices of the sol
diers Of each side is related by James
King. 1t occurred at Duvalls Blum,
Ark, upon the day the news Of Lin
coins assassination was made known
and feeling ran high. A confederate
captain giving voice indiscreetly to
his opinion of the killing Of the presi-
dent paid for his folly by instant
death. An Illinois cavalry lieutenant
did the killing. Mr.. King relates the
incident as follows:
In April, 1865, my regiment was sta
toned at Duvalls Bluffs, Ark, and, it
was my day on provost duty. had
just stepped into bakery which was
small frame building set upon posts,
the sidewalk outside being mother
earth. 1t was about s a. m. and had
been inside but II moment when cav
airy man rode up, and announced that
Lincoln had been assassinated. At
that time there were several thousand
confederate prisoners of war confined
in the stockade, prison which was
guarded by our, troops. There was one
of the confederate prisoners who rank
ed as captain and had a garrison pa
role in the daytime but had to return
inside the stockade at night.
Among those inside the bakery was
! this confederate captain and second
| lieptenant of an Illinois cavalry regi-
ment, one battalion of which was In
camp nearby, and three others, beside
myself, composed the occupants of the
! bakery. AS the rider shouted the
news the confederate captain jumped
| to his feet and exclaimed: Thank
God, the damned black abolitionist is
dead" They were his last words on
earth. The lieutenant's No. spoke
and he fell against the door. The gun
spoke twice more before he struck the
! floor corpse, his death being brought
about by his own indiscretion. The
lieutenant stepped across the dead
body and out into the street. The rest
OF us picked up the corpse and laid it
out on the dirt road where great
throng. mostly soldiers, assembled
Among them was Captain Mefford Of
my regiment, who was officer of the
day and had with others but recently
returned as an exchanged prisoner
from Tyler Of Camp Ford, Texas. Cap
tain Mefford ascertained how the
trouble started and justified the lieu
tenant who went to his company.
The pail that fell on the troops was
indescribable. Everyone that could
leave camp was on the street where
they gathered in groups, discussing the
assassination Of Lincoln and the shoot
| ing of the prisoner. General Schuyler,
who was in command of the post, sent
for the officer of the day and ordered
him to place the lieutenant in the
guard house. Mefford knowing the
temper Of the troops better than
Schuyler (who was heartily despised
by every man in the camp) tried to
advise with the commander but to no
avail, so Capt. Mefford sent me as an
orderly with note to the lieutenant
to report at the commanding of1cer's
headquarters at once. l returned with
the answer that the lieutenant would
do as commanded and soon the entire
battalion of the Illinois cavalry gallop-
ed up in body with the lieutenant at
the head of his company
They came to a halt at right front
into line III front of Schayler's head
quarters. With drawn swords shining
in the April sunlight. they came to a
present arms. The major commanding
i the battalion, Captain Mefford, the
lieutenant and some others went in
side. The inertia which had seized the
troops at the breaking of the news of
Lincoln's assassination, almost in
stantly disappeared and the fate of the
lieutenant was the all absorbing topic.
The commanders Of the twelfth Mich
tgan light infantry and OF z Minnesota