Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 29 May 1896 — FIRST MILITARY EXECUTION. [ARTICLE]

FIRST MILITARY EXECUTION.

Fate of a Fedaral Soldier Who Murdered * Companion. Our regiment, the First Kansas, was of the little band under Major Sturgis that formed a Junction with General Lyon, July 7,1801, writes J. M. Bindley in Home and Country. The general had coma to our camp accompanied by some niemltcrs of his staff. Among the latter was John M. Schofield, lately retired as General U. 8. A., who I think was then a captain of the First Missouri. We liad lieen making forced murches, wading streams and marshes, and had endured numerous other hardships, and bad not received a dollar or any clothing; indeed, many of ns did not have anything extra to start with. This had if tendency to muke the boys fretful and cross, and perhaps caused the tragedy subsequently enacted. While General Lyon was making a speech to the hoys, exhorting them to stand up under their hardships for a short time longer, when they would receive some substantial token of appreciation from the government, two of the boys In our n*glnu*nt had an altercation and started out of camp to settle it. My remembrance is that their names were Coal urnl Stiles. Certain I nm that Coal was the aggressor. He was walking in front As he turned and faced his man, his right hand at the same time swung around armed with a knife which he plunged into the back of his opponent below the shoulder-blade, and his man fell forward dead. Coal endeavored to escape; but In a moment there were many after the murderer, and soon be was nm down and brought In. We continued on our marches, the prisoner being kept under strict guard until December 12, five days later (he had meanwhile been tried and convicted by a court-martial, wtolch had sentenced him “to be shot to death with musketry”), when the whole of our little army, excepting General SUgel’s command, being on dress parade, were formed in a hollow square—our regiment on the north side of it and, I think, the Second Kansas in our rear. The guard-house was on the northeast corner of the square. The firing party, fifteen of them, marched out—<tlie culprit lu the front rank. As they marched up our line I had an opportunity to look full in the face of the murderer. His head was thrown slightly bock, and turned to one side—his lips, moving, I imagined, in prayer. When they reached the centre of the square, the commands, “halt, left-face, forward, march!” were given—Coal obeying orders, and stepping as promptly as did his guard. At forty or fifty paces the commands “halt, right about face!” were given. Coal was directed to kneel down, and was then blindfolded, while the guard were ordered “forward, march, halt, right-about-face, ready, aim, fire!” Almost on the iustan/t Coal leaped straight up, and then fell a lifeless corpse, lie had paid with his own life the penalty of his rash act. And thus It. was that the First Kansas had the first court-martial which passed a capital sentence, and also the first military execution in the history of the war. The Marquis of Salisbury prefers to stand at a high desk while working.