The Turnbo Manuscripts
by Silas Claiborne Turnbo
1844-1925
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WIFE AND DAUGHTER SAVED HIS LIFE
By S. C. Turnbo
In recalling incidents of Civil War times Jim Thomas, an old time resident
of Green County, Missouri, tells of his father’s experience With a
band of men one day during the war while he lived four miles northeast of
Springfield. "At the time I speak of, " said Mr. Thomas, "the
confederates were in possession of Springfield. One night before they gave
up the city two mounted men come to father’s house and father gave
them their supper and fed their horses. Though the two men made no threats
but we supposed that they were spies from a band of robbers sent there to
find out whether we had any property worth their while and trouble to come
and take. My father owned a fine stallion and two good mares which were
kept out in the woods in the care of my brother, Bill Thomas, to prevent
them from being stolen. My brother was careful not to bring them home when
the main roads were frequently traveled over with war parties, some of which
were regular confederate soldiers and some were marauders, thieves., and
robbers of all kind. On the following day after the two men had visited
our house that night we saw 30 horsemen advancing slowly toward the house.
They did not appear to be in a hurry. When the head of the column reached
the yard gate the leader halted the men and called for my father who was
in the house end had made no attempt to get away. Father went out into the
yard and the leader ask him where his stallion and two mares were, which
father flatly refused to tell him. The leader did not interrogate him anymore,
but ordered five of the men to dismount and take charge of him and while
they were dismounting and hitching their horses the leader ordered a tall
slim fellow of the band to take a rope from one of the saddles and fix a
running noose. This was rough language for it indicated something dark and
my father knew what it meant, but said nothing. My stepmother, whose name
was Liddie and my sister, whose name was Celia Ann, and my-self prepared
for the worst for we were convinced that there were enough men to overpower
and murder everyone of us. My father was standing in the yard in front of
the door and the leader ordered the men to put the rope around father’s
neck and swing him up in the air and if they let him down in time he might
change his mind and tell where the horses were. When the men took hold of
him to place the noose around his neck he resisted but there was so many
or them they soon overpowered him and resistance was useless and he stood
still. At this Juncture my stepmother and sister, both of which were nearly
frightened nearly to death, rushed up to my father and tried to push the
men away but finding they could not do this they grabbed hold of the rope
and tried to snatch it from the men’s hands but their strength was
too weak against so many stout men. They changed their tactics and while
the robbers made efforts to place the noose around father’s neck the
two women would jerk the rope away. Once and awhile the men would get the
noose almost over his head when with a dexterous lift the women would raise
it up in spite of the attempts of the ruffians to fasten it around his neck.
The more they worked to hang father the harder the women struggled to prevent
it. I was only a boy but I well remember how myself and stepmother and sister
begged and implored the thieves not to hang him. It was a stirring and sorrowful
scene. All the family except father was crying and he did not seem to be
a bit afraid. It seemed at one time that they would succeed in getting the
noose at the right place and then they would drag him to a tree and throw
the loose end of the rope over a limb and pull him up but the two brave
women foiled them in their murderous work. Finally the men desisted for
it seemed that the firm resistance made by my stepmother and sister baffled
them and they ask father if he would go to Springfield with them and he
answered in the affirmative. To this stepmother and sister stoutly protested
against his going off with them for they believed that it was only a pretense
to get father away from the house so that they could shoot or hang him and
when father started to the yardgate to go with them we all pleaded with
them so hard not to take him off that after they had started with him a
short distance they turned him loose and rode on and he come back to the
house. It was not that our grief turned to shouting and rejoicing for we
were so glad that his life was saved. my father did not remain at home anymore
until after the southern men gave up possession of Springfield."
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