The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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MORE KILLING IN WAR DAYS
By S. C. Turnbo
In writing of the blood curdling scenes of the Civil War as they occurred
along White River during that awful conflict between the men of North and
South I almost shudder while thinking of it. We have written an account
of a number of men who were killed, robbed or tortured. It is almost impossible
to collect all the facts belonging to these bloody incidents and no doubt
many horrible things were done that a record of It was never written and
will never get into print. Among these stirring scenes of blood and death
is one which took place soon after peace was declared or in the month of
May, 1865, which I give here as told me by reliable authority. A man of
the name of Henry Darrest or "Doss" as he was commonly known settled
on Shoal Creek in Taney County, Missouri, a few years before the breaking
out of the war. The land he lived on is above the town of Protem and is
called now the Andy Shelton place. Darrest was a son-in-law of the old man
Sims, his wife’s name was Mary Ann. Some time before the close of hostilities
between the north and south Darrest moved south of the river in what is
now Crocket Township in Marion County, Arkansas. Two of Mr. Darrest’s
brother-in-laws John Sims and Peter Sims, the latter of which was only 12
years old, lived with him or near him. The uncle Billy Holt farm which is
on the north side of the river just above the mouth of Shoal Creek was deserted
as it was nearly impossible for the family to remain there until after peace
was restored. During the spring season of 1865 the Holt residence was occupied
by a small body of federal soldiers. One day in May four of these soldiers
got into a canoe at the Holt landing with the intention of going across
to the south side but soon after leaving the shore someone who is supposed
to be a brushwhacker began to shoot at them and they turned back toward
the landing. The man who was at the top of the bluff continued to fire but
overshot them but finally he drew aim lower and a ball struck the water
behind the canoe and bounced and took effect in the back of one of the men
named Jim Huff which gave him a severe wound. His comrades landed the canoe
in haste and conveyed him to the Holt residence and in a day or two part
of the men after robbing the house of bed clothes and wearing clothes some
of which belonged to uncle Billy Holt who had been dead several years, they
started to Forsyth and soon after arriving there the wounded man died. It
seems that the other men either remained there or stayed close by with the
intention of getting revenge for the death of their comrade. One day Henry
Darrest, John Sims, Peet Sims and a man of the name of John-son got into
a canoe at the Ned Coker residence or where they had stood for they were
burned down during the war and started across to the north side. Darrest
was going home to round up a few hogs he had left and the others were going
along to assist him. They were not suspecting trouble for peace was declared
and nearly all the confederate soldiers had surrendered. But it seems that
Huff’s friends were determined to kill some-body for the loss of their
soldier mate. It was very wrong in the man who shot at the federal soldiers
from the top of the bluff for innocent parites had to suffer for It. It
is supposed that when the Southerners left the bank of the river that the
federal party were on the watch and went to the bank of the river above
the Holt residence where they knew the men would land the canoe and lay
in ambush for them. Mr. Darrest was paddling or guiding the canoe. The river
was swollen several feet past fording. As the men in the canoe was nearing
the north shore the federal soldiers opened fire on them. Darrest was shot
three times and fell out of the canoe into the water and lodged against
a willow 20 feet below where he was killed. John Sims was wounded and leaped
into the water and attempted to swim back to the south bank but was shot
and killed before he had swam but a few yards and his body was swallowed
up by the swift muddy water. Peter Sims the boy was slightly wounded and
he dropped down in the bottom of the canoe and lay flat on his stomach to
avoid other bullets as much as possible. Johnson was not touched and he
jumped into the water behind the canoe and caught the stern end of the craft
with his left hand and with his right hand he exerted all his strength in
keeping the canoe between himself and the enemy as a barrier to avoid the
bullets and while doing this he kept pulling and working to reach the south
shore. It was a critical moment for the bullets come in a shower and splintered
and perforated the sides of the little dugout. Peet Sims received several
slight wounds in the shoulder but he never flinched but lay as quiet as
if he were dead and while Johnson was midway between the two shores struggling
in the water In pulling the canoe along under great difficulties the enemy
shot the end of one finger off that he used in holding to the end of the
canoe but he held on with the remaining fingers and succeeded in landing
the canoe a few feet below the spring that runs out of the river bank at
the lower end of the old Ned Coker farm. Though the enemy continued to load
and shoot at them all the time while he was crossing and young Sims had
received more wounds in the shoulder and some in the back which put him
past getting up on his feet when the canoe was landed and as soon as Johnson
noticed this after he landed the canoe and while under a heavy fire he picked
up the wounded boy In his arms and carried him up the bank and layed him
down behind a tree. They were now comparatively safe for the enemy had no
means to cross the river and they ceased firing and retired. After Johnson
had rested a-while he picked up young Sims and carried him to safer quarter
and hurried off for assistance and the wounded boy was taken to a house
where he was oared for until he recovered from his wounds. In 3 or 4 days
after the enemy had gone and the water in the river had fallen R. S. (Dick)
Holt, W. A. (Bill) Pumphrey and others procured a canoe and began a search
for the bodies of Darrest and John Sims and discovered the body of the former
at the willow tree as mentioned above. They lifted the dead man into the
canoe and taken it down this "river" to the Bill Coker farm where
they dug a grave on the river bank opposite the mouth of Shoal Creek and
buried it in a vault without a coffin but they covered the body over with
pieces of plank before filling in the dirt. The remains of John Sims was
never found except a few human bones and some remnant clothes that was discovered
on an island opposite the old Joe Magness place one mile above the mouth
of Big Creek that was supposed to be his. These were found In the sand several
months after Sims was killed.
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