The Sufferings of the border Missourians.
--The people of
Missouri, on the
Kansas border, are being slaughtered without mercy under the authority of the
Yankee commander of that department —
Schofield.
A letter to the St. Louis
Republican, (Yankee,) says:
‘
On Sunday last the desire for blood manifested itself in the southeastern part of
Jackson county, not far from the village of
Lone Jack.
Although it was Sunday, the people of that region, alarmed and terror stricken by threats from
Kansas, and cruel edicts from headquarters of the district, were hard at work straining every nerve to get ready to leave their homes before this memorable 9th day of September, 1863.
One party of these unfortunate victims of a cruel order had almost completed their preparations, and within half an hour's time would have commenced their weary wanderings in search of a home.
It consisted of
Benjamin Potter, aged 75;
John S. Cave, aged 50;
William Hunter, aged 47;
David Hunter, aged 35;
William C. Tate, aged 30;
Andrew Owsley, aged 17, and
Martin Rice and his son. While thus engaged in loading their wagons with such effects as they supposed would be most useful to them, a detachment of
Kansas troops, (said to be part of the Kansas 9th, though this may be a mistake,) under command of
Lieut.-Colonel Clark and
Capt. Coleman, came up and took them all prisoners.
After a little parleying,
Mr. Rice and his son were released, and ordered to leave, which they did, of course.
They had not gone much over three-fourths of a mile before they heard firing at the point at which they had left the soldiers with the remaining prisoners.
In a short time the command moved on, and the wives and other relatives of the prisoners rushed up to ascertain their fate.
It was a horrid spectacle.
There lay six lifeless forms — mangled corpses — so shockingly mangled that it was difficult, my informant stated, to identify some of them.
They were buried where they were murdered, without coffins, by a few friends who had expected to join them on that day, with their families, and journey in search of a home.
These are the unvarnished facts with reference to an isolated transaction.
There are many, very many, others of a similar character that I might mention, but I will not.--The unwritten and secret history of our border would amaze the civilized world, and would stagger the faith of the most credulous.
In the case just mentioned we find an old man who had passed his three score and ten, and a youth who had not yet reached his score, falling victims to this thirsty cry for blood.
The world will doubtless be told that six more bushwhackers have been cut off, &c. --But believe it not, sir; it is not true.
These six men never were in arms, neither in the bush or elsewhere, I have been told by one who has known them for years past.
The widows and orphans of some of them passed through this city yesterday, heartbroken, homeless wanderers.
’