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Page 2 Raid into
We are informed that on
Tuesday, the 10th inst., and during the progress of the circuit
court in our neighboring county of Fulton, an armed body of men, some twenty
in number, who claimed to be Missouri militia, entered this little town of
Salem, charged upon the court house at full speed, with drawn pistols, and
surrounding the house held the entire court, judge, attorneys, and citizens
in attendance, under guard for some time.
An explanation of their conduct being asked, the lieutenant in command
stated that they were in search of horse thieves, robbers and desperados
generally. After the lapse of half an
hour or thereabouts, Judge Powell asked and obtained leave to go out of the
lines they had formed, and take with him the attorneys in attendance,
vouching for the good standing, &c., of the latter. The citizens in attendance were retained
under guard for some time. The party, after remaining
in town for several hours, mounted their horses and taking with them Judge
E.C. Hunter, an old and respectable citizen of the vicinity, a prisoner, left
the town. On Tuesday night, the party,
having with them several citizens under guard, charged upon the residence of
Mr. A.J. Smith who lived some four miles from Salem; and on approaching the
house about midnight, either intentionally or accidentally, it is not known
which, one or two pistol shots were fired by the party-which, with the noise,
it is supposed, alarmed Mr. Smith, who sprang from his bed and attempted to
make his escape from the back door, when he was fired upon by the whole
party, some ten or twelve shots taking effect. Smith ran a short distance and fell
dead. On ascertaining who they had
killed, these ruffians pretended to be quite sorry for what happened, saying
they had no charge filed against Smith, but they were expecting to find at
this house another man, for whom they were searching. Judge Hunter and the other
citizens under arrest, were released the next
morning without imprisonment. And this
band of murdering militia took up the line of march eastward through The above statement of the
affair may be relied upon as correct, as we obtained
the particulars from persons in attendance at the time it occurred. We are quite sure such
conduct is wholly unauthorized, unwarranted, and is certainly outrageous in
the extreme. Is a band of irresponsible
cut-throats, claiming to be militia of a neighboring State, to be allowed to
invade our State, outrage or courts of justice, arrest and imprisin our good citizens, murder unarmed and helpless
men, and run roughshod over the county with impunity? The affair certainly demands an investigation,
and that the guilty parties be brought to
justice. –Batesville Times We trust the governor will
at once investigate this outrage, and make a demand upon the executive of The Daily Gazette Official Journal of the
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