Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1917-03-29
WAR TIME PRISONER
Geo. Lake Was in Palmyra Jail
Thinks He Barely Escaped Execu-
ton With the Ten Men.
tFrom the vandalia Leader. }

(From the Vandalia Leader.)
That it was almost miraculous
that he escaped being one OF the ten
men shot at Palmyra during the wal,
by order of General John Mcneil, for
the alleged abduction of Andrew Ais
man, is the belief of George Lake, of
this city.
The story of the shooting is as
bloody and inhuman a crime as ever
occurred in history. Andrew Allsman,
Union man, living in Palmyra, had
disappeared. General Mcneil, sta
toned at that place with a company
of Union troops, made wholesale ar
rests in his effort to locate the per-
sons who had caused the disappear
ance of Allsman.
Failing to find the guilty parties
his rage was unbounded and he is
sued a manifesto on Oct. s, 1862, to-
the effect that If the man were not
produced ten men selected from the
prisoners then in Jail, at Palmyra
and Hannibal would be shot to death
in ten days from that date.
George Lake was then living in
Rails County near New London and
had gone to Palmyra to attend the
wedding of his sister, Susan Lake,
living north of that city, to VIM. T.
Johnson. He was apprehended by Nc
| Neil's men and thrown into the Pal
myra Jail where he remained until
| through intercession of Union friends,
who came from New London, he waa
released. This was on Tuesday, and
the execution took place on Satur-
day Mr.. Lakes cell mate was Thorn
as Humston one of the ten men shot.
A cousin of his, Eleazer Lake, was
also among McNeil's victims. Mr..
Lake, while in Jail was not afraid Of
the horrible edict pending He feels
that his escape is due to an over-rul-
ing Providence.
The execution took place at the
Palmyra fair grounds on Saturday,
Oct. IS, 1862. The victims were:
Willis Baker, Thomas Humston, Nor
gan Boxler, John Y. McPheeters,
Herbert Hudson, John NJ. Wade, Ma
rion Lair, Captain Thomas Sidenor,
Eleazer Lake, Hiram T. Smith.
Only three men were killed out
right when fired upon. The soldiers
then walked among the fallen men
and shot bullet after bullet until the
work of death was completed.
According to a book written of
, this tragic time by Frank Socy, of
Palmyra, a friend who asked if he
might remove the body of McPheet-
ers, was told by Stratchan, the Pro-
| vost Marshal, that you may have
the whole damned lot for all 1 care.
. . 1 have no further use for them"
A letter of farewell, written by
= Eleazer Lake to his wife is a heart
l breaking document.
1t reads:
: Dear Wife and Children:
- l seat myselw to write my last
t farewell. 1 am now in Jail and have
2 received the sentence of death since
dusk. l am to be shot in the morn,
/ ing; but death has no terrors, thank
n God, as you can seq from the hand ]
: write, Bear it with fortitude for
q death is only the passage from
( earth to Heaven, and I feel prepared
: to go. We shall soon meet in Heav.
en- where all tears will be wiped away
and where paKing will be no more
/ and where sickness and sorrow new,
S er come. Dear. do not distress about
it any more than you can avoid.
l should like to see you all once
! more, but we shall soon meet in an
other world. l bid my friends fare
= we'll and you, dear wife and children
S praying God may bless, protect ant
), support you through your trials.
i Eleazer Lake.
+ To Sarah Lake and children.
: Farewell.