Year: 1862

Execution Of Gusrriiiss ID Missouri.


A Missouri correspondent of th,


Philadelphia Press writes:


Alter looking around through {
very clean camp Of some blue cap
ped recruits, and . very dirty camr
of an old regiment who had been q
Shiloh, returned to the hesdquar.
ters, when l found the General ant
bis staff just mounting to 90 to ,h,
execution ground. Presently cam,
the solemn roll Of the muffled drum
and then appeared the head OF col
umu Of solaiers moving over the hill
ct a slow pace. Going towart
them, l found 1t Was the execution
party with the condemn ned men. -


First, a prisoner--hard, desperate


faces, yet sho wing intelligence


then a file Of soldiers six abreast


and so on down the column, until
the rear was brought up by the reg,
iment Of infantry, the recruits and
some cavalry clad in homespun,
that, but for their arms, / should
have supposed were Secesh prison
ere, but found they were militia oI
Missouri, called out by their Govern,
or TO put down guerrillas.


The execution ground was about
half Q mile from the town, and when
| reached there found the troops
drawn up on three sides Of a square
while the fourth was occupied BY
the condemned and tho firing par.
ties. A long line OF mounted cen
tinels kept back the too. curious
crowd, but . word from a polite Iii.
tie Major, who had previously seer
me a. the headquarters, admitted
me, and l tock my place near the
General and his staff, 10 one corner
of the square. Alter some time 90.
cupied in the preliminary prepara.
tions each prisoner was blindfolded
and knelt in front OF his own exc
cution party. A venerable. looking,
gray headed chaplain now stepped
out from among the staff, and in a
short, iervent prayer commended
the souls of these poor wrstches
to the mercy OF the God before
whom they would shortly sppear.-
Everything wss still as death. The
perfect hush, il | may say 80, was
painfully distinct, and | could zee.
even under the grave. stern face oil
the General, q soitening look, as il
he was struggling between duty and
mercy.


For q moment the silence wac
awful; then came the clear tone of
command Of the officer of the day:
Ready" "aim." "fire;" a rattling
discharge; spuT Of smoke; o groan, ,
and all WAS over. The ten had
paid the penalty of their broken
oaths. For q moment all was hush
ed, as before. and then yon could
almost hear the long drawn breath
OF relief. The bright sun shone as
calmly and clearly as before, but
shone on ten corpses stiff and stark
where moment before were ten
men in the full flush of physical
health.


A surgeon stepped from the lines
and walked along examining each
body as he passed, then stepped up
TO the General with q stiff military
salute, They are all dead, sir."-
VERY well, SIR" Not the change of
a muecle, not the slightest relaxing
Of that outward sternness, the same
grim face, and yet, | thought mo.
ment ago, you might have saved
their lives. Truly, here lie a man
whose sense of duty would carry
him through anything, and / felt
disappointed that he exhibited no
more feeling. But a moment after,
As he turned to mount bis horse, I
heard him say to one Of his staff,
God in mercy spare me such du.
y as that again, and yet mercy to
hose men is the hsrshest cruelty to
he whole people of this State"