The Missouri in the Civil War Message Board

Re: Missing Rebs
In Response To: Re: Missing Rebs ()

Neil,

More on those three prominent Rebel guerrillas who were killed allegedly trying to escape.

The two newspaper sources I cited in my last message were cited as the sources for a short note in Stanley, Wilson, and Wilson's 1983 "Death Records From Missouri Newspapers, January 1861-December 1865," published Decorah, Iowa by the Annundson Publishing Company, on page 149.

This source quotes the Liberty newspaper as saying the two Ruckers, captured by a Captain Clark, "tried to escape en route to Macon and were killed."

This same source also quotes the St. Louis "Daily Missouri Republican" as giving the only name as Harvey Rucker and that their place of death was near Sturgeon in the northern tip of Boone County.

Based on the "O.R." and the souce I cite below, both those newspaper accounts got facts wrong probably because they were far removed from the scene.

I also found an article without headline in the Columbia "Missouri Statesman" of 5 May 1865 which I will quote word-for-word, as it gives more detail about the names and places that tends to match what the "O.R." has. The "Statesman" quoted the "LaGrange American" of Lewis County as its source:

"A short time since three bushwhackers and horsethieves were pursued through Monticello [Lewis County], and tracked to

Warsaw, Ill, where they were captured, and taken to Macon, Mo. They were from Randolph County, and after an examination

at Macon before the Provost Marshal they were sent under military guard to that county for trial. On their way they

attempted to escape, and were all three shot and killed by their guards. Their names were James Rucker, Bob Rucker, and

James Matlock."

Based on all this, I would agree with what you heard that Rucker, Rucker, and Matlack were killed somewhere south of Macon along to road toward Huntsville, Randolph County if their guards took them along the road. If their guards took them on the railroad, the location would have been about the same. I doubt the shooting took place on the railroad or near Sturgeon, so I would guess it took place along the road from Macon City to Huntsville, Randolph County. I wonder if their Randolph County kinfolks recovered the bodies from Macon County and interred them in Randolph County. I don't know about that.

Bruce Nichols

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