Autobiography of Elihu H. Shepard
Pub. by G. Knapp & Co. - St. Louis, MO 1869
p.192
1861
On the Saturday after I had declined the acceptance of a colonel's commission, Captain Benjamin Talbot came to me with about twenty of his men, and offered me the command o fhis company to go and join General Price at Springfield, saying he would reign in my favor and serve under me in the ranks. He had been under my comman in Mexico, where he was a lieutenant and knew me well. He seemed greatly disappointed at not being able to induce me to accept the command, as his company consisted of over one hundred young men enlisted in my neighborhood. The next morning (Sunday) he took post in front of a small Baptist Church, on the sound end of my farm, and as the congregation generally rode their best animals there, he seized them as fast as they arrived and in that manner got possession of all the best horses and mules in the vicinitty of my farm and factory. Some objected to the proceeding, but he made the usual plea of tyrants, "military necessity", which was the only satisfaction he offered. This was the beginning of a series of robberies which were continued by both parties for the four following years in that vicinity. The following day he took the horse he had seized to my blacksmith shp in my absence, and compelled my blacksmith to shoe them all with my shoes and nails, and at evening threatened to hang the smith for saing this was "an act of bold robbery". He also took from my store all my ammunition, together with my shot-gun and apparatus.
History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford & Gasconade Counties, Missouri
p.500
In 1858 Benjamin Talbot stabbed and killed a Mr. Rosebury at a circus at Old Mines. On the 12th of November of that year he was indicted for the murder, but made his escape from jail and went into the rebel army, where he was killed near the close of the war.
I most frequently find his death reported as occuring March 22, 1865 in Washington County. It has also been told that he died "in action".
What events took place in Washington County in March of 1865? Is this when a store got robbed in Caldonia or Old Mines?
Jim Morris