This
clipping taken from ‘The St. Louis Post-Dispatch” dated April
11,1896 concerns the execution of ten Confederate soldiers in
retaliation for the death of one Federal soldier. The story was
brought to light by the faculty of Drury College, Springfield,
Missouri, in an endeavor to win an endowment of $25,000 offered by
Mr. Evans of Massachusetts on condition that a modern parallel to
the ancient story of Damon and Pythias be found. The name of the
man whose life was said to have been saved was W.
S. Humphrey, of Lewiston, Missouri.
Lewiston,
Missouri. “Yours of March 19 to hand, and contents noted. In
answer to your inquiry in regard to the shooting of ten men at
Palmyra, Mo., I would say that Col. Joseph Porter, a Confederate,
came to Palmyra and took one man, Alesmer, from there, and he
never returned. I was a Confederate prisoner at Palmyra and out on
bond, allowed the limits of the town, and when John McNeal, a
Federal officer, came to Palmyra he issued an order that if this
man Alesmer was not returned in ten days he would have ten
Confederate soldiers shot. At the expiration of ten days he
selected ten men of which number I was one. My wife and daughter
came to see me in the evening and went to the home of a friend
after they left the prison. Col. Strawn came to the prison and
read our sentence to us, stating that we would be shot the next
day at 10 a.m. My wife was told what had been done and that, if
she could not do anything, there could not be anything done. The
next morning she went to Gen. John McNeal’s office and pleaded
with him to spare my life and told him that I was there on parole
when Porter was there and refused to leave. But he would not agree
to spare my life. My little daughter went to him and got on her
knees and pleaded with him to spare her papa’s life. He said:
“Poor child,” and wrote a note and gave it to Mr. Read, who
had charge of the prison, and told him to take it to Col. Strawn.
Said note read as follows:
Co1.Strawn:
If the fact can be established that Humphrey was here on parole
when Porter was here and refused to leave, reprieve him and do not
put anyone in his place.” When Strawn read the note he swore
that it should be filed and Read said, “For God’s sake, take
some man that has no family.” He selected Hiram Smith about 20
years old. Strawn came to the prison about two hours before they
were shot and read the contents to the above named Smith. The
above are the facts in the case. (Signed) W. T. Humphrey.”
There
is a follow up story about the erection of a monument to the
soldiers that Were shot. The monument was erected at Palmyra, Mo.
“Palmyra
News (Missouri) 26 Feb. 1907. The Confederate monument dedicated
to the memory of the ten men who were shot at Palmyra during the
war is being erected in the court house yard today and it is
expected that the workmen will finish before night. The monument
is a thing of beauty, being over fourteen feet high and of solid
granite. A statue of a life size soldier adorns the pedestal and
on the west side of the base is inscribed: “Erected by the
Palmyra Confederate Monument Association and its friends, February
25, 1907.”
On
the south appears only the date, October 18, 1862. On the east or
front appears the following inscription: “Erected to the memory
of Capt. Thomas Sidenor, Willis T. Baker, Thomas Humston, Morgan
Beider, John McPheeters, Hiriam T. Smith, Herbert Hudson, John M.
Wade, Frances N. Lear, and Eleazer Lake.” Those were the names
of the men who were shot. The monument was erected by Keokuk, Iowa
contractors and cost about $1500. It is expected that the
unveiling will take place in the next two weeks and noted speakers
will make addresses.” |