Show A boath barney gibbo gibbons ns a private in Co company A ath U S infantry S suffered the extreme penalty of military law by being shut shot to death with musketry in this tin s city in order to defeat the morbid cairl curiosity of the crowd major af bior E D nash I 1 of the missouri ri cavalry Superintendent and of prisons to whom was committed the execution kept the place selected secret until the culprit was taken from the myrtle street prison under a strong military escort gibbons is a native of madison county N Y arid C enlisted A listed at toledo 01 ohio 1 io 11 in ill 1858 his regiment wits was sent to new mexico in 1861 and on oil the march lie fie deserted near st augustine springs and joined tile the rebels under sibley he deserted from the rebels after afler serving in in the battles of valverde John souls ranche pays pass and Albu albuquerque and after laboring for the government erime lit as a teamster at new orleans lie he carne came to this city in ap april r il 1864 while passing along tile the streets in july last gibbons w was t s recognized by sergt richard aday j day of his company who arrested him as a deserter and his trial and conviction took place on oil the of that this brief sketch is all that is known of the 1111 unfortunate fortunate man save that lie he has a brother and sister living in iii the tit north whom he has itts not seen see for t ten e n years ile he was singularly alone a rancorous bitterness of heart growing out of ignorance igno and vice precluding 0 hirn him from even the ordinary of his kind he was a powerfully built man mall with an 11 iron iroll constitution which seemed proof against any of the isug usual causes of death this will be seer seen in ill tile the arcuro stances of the execute execution ion the criminal was conveyed in a covered w wagon 1 gon from the prison to fort no 4 which is situated on an elevation in ill the southwest south west part of the city and was accompanied by the rev a catholic priest from hand lie hu received bup bisin into the holy roman romall catholic faith although is not at ai tile the post of st louis in an officer who ever biti witie e sed an execution the he preliminaries were cm ducted in tit a skillful orderly and decent manner ina niter all the troops or of tile the I post oat were present on oil the occasion A hollow hillow square having been formed with one side open toward the embankment of the fort the condemned man was placed beside a poat with a seat alta attached chody his common pine cofflin coffin lying on the ground beside him after ticking a brief statement in which lie fie denied having deserted but said that lie struggled straggled and was overtaken by the rebels lie pronounced his sentence most unjust all and in a firm clear strong strong 0 voice demanded to see sergeant richard Ric liard 0 day this could not in allowed and the wretched man yielded to the fairal preparations fur for the execution lie ile was seated und and his arms tied behind the post ft a white cup cap was drawn over his hemf sand six musketeers drawn up an W within fifteen feet of ilia his br breast past ua 1 1 N f I 1 T 1 aft st JA J W I 1 ready baim aim ifie fire e ly and two bullets entered the abdomen abdo nien and now succeeded a few seco secondi condi sa lids il in which transpired a shook the stoutest test heart 1 and made every human creature pias present shudder from F rom beneath the ghastly cup cap came a wail of agony which pearces ever ear cynt tile the utterance lf 11 oh I 1 oh 16 J loo laiwin low scap escaped from the lips or of t the le quivering ring furm form writhing in in t the w throe s of f horrible death deatle every oue one seemed paralyzed with horror with zt a quick motion the officer of the squad waved the six musketeers niti 3 iside ide and four others took their place make ready 11 aim wit but mercifully mcm fully before the third command was wai given the four pieces were discharged three leaden ines messengers of death entering tho the sternum ster ninn and a mighty convulsive shudder ended tile bing being of the poor deserter what ofa eternity of woe in ihma intervening few seconds I 1 what a crowding of event from infancy faney in hallowed by 1 mothers mother love and prayers to tile the dreadful details of the present scene I 1 yet all passed before the eye of tin the dying nian man and the wonderful palimpsest of hs brain touched by the consciousness of instant death gave him to see sec in a second ar 11 ll that had been for years forgotten ere erd lie he entered upon the unknown jhc rh ei error i oi in ill firing arose from the facto discovered tw too late for remedy that tw tile aighes of f we aenk ets were set for long king ram anne go thus thas perished a real really y brave and hardy soldier but one alas I 1 who disregarding isn the alie higher attributes attribute r of the soldier lionor honor and basely deserted his country flag and in ill the presence of the enen enemy joined the rebel standard stat 1 EX aas |