Rebellion Record: a Diary of American Events: Documents and Narratives, Volume 11.
Frank Moore, Ed.

On last Saturday afternoon one of the boldest raids of the season was perpetrated on the town of Laclede, in Linn county, situated on the Hannibal and St. Joseph railroad. A party of guerrillas, numbering thirty men, all well armed and mounted, entered and commenced shooting and plundering. They first made for the post-office. Knowing that the muskets and ammunition of the town company was in there, they took possession, and frightened the postmaster nearly out of his wits. Four of the gang undertook to break open the safe, which contained from five to seven thousand dollars; but finding it it too tedious a job, they gave it up. They stole what they saw worth taking, and left. Others of the gang went to the drug store of Mr. Jones, but he, seeing them approaching, fled, but was shot and immediately killed. They then made for a dry goods store. The proprietor, seeing them coming, prepared himself with his revolver and fired, wounding one of the thieves. The merchant was immediately shot and killed, and another citizen wounded.

The whole party next proceeded to the office of the American Express Company. The agent ordered them to leave, but they persisted in their work, and attempted to open his safe with an axe. They damaged it to a great extent, and might have succeeded in getting it open, had not the whistle of the passenger train bound west been heard about this time, when they mounted their horses and left, carrying with them the most valuable portion of their plunder, including a large quantity of dry goods and some twelve hundred dollars in money. The Linneus hack was also taken, in which was placed their wounded comrade.

A despatch was sent to Brookfield, informing the militia there of the raid, and asking assistance. A special train was at once sent up with troops, who, upon arriving, at once started in pursuit. The raiders were soon overtaken, and found secreted in a grove of timber. As soon as the militia had poured one volley into them, they scattered in every direction, leaving the hack with their wounded comrade. The latter died on the way back to Laclede.