The following story was compiled by Gerald W. Williams, 29617 Hwy 67, Malvern, AR  72104   

I was told a number of years ago a tale about a Civil War deserter who was shot and buried in a shallow grave in the Antioch community. 

The exact spot of the grave has been lost because of roadwork and clear cutting. The location is about one and a half miles from the Antioch Community Center on the west side of the Antioch/Midway road just south of where it intersects with the now abandoned road to Saginaw.

Verneice Williams said that it was close to the road and that there was a large rock at each end and a tree at the head.  Charles Jackson was told that some women buried him because the men wouldn’t.  

Luther Eudy had heard that Sabre Staten Beason, wife of America Beason, and another woman dug a shallow grave, rolled him up in a sheet and then rolled him into the hole. It was said that the toes of his boots were almost sticking out.

Lilly Davis told me the same story as Luther, but added that the toe of one boot was sticking out and that they went back and “ re-did it “. Sabre must have been such a woman that would get done what needed to be done, for Lillie said that she was told that Sabre and another woman drove an  ox drawn wagon all the way to Little Rock for a load of salt. Lillie had not seen the grave, however one day as they traveled by in a wagon her sister pointed to a large hickory tree and said that was where the grave was.

Alonzo Talley was told by Clifton Bozeman that the deserter stopped at a house and ate with the people. After he left, some men came up on horses asking about him. After the men had gone, the people at the house where he had eaten heard gunfire. Alonzo Talley had also seen the grave. According to Alonzo, Clifton had told his son Richard Bozeman that the man was related to the Bozemans and that those who buried him took his watch and hat to his family. However, they refused the watch and hat telling them to bury them with him for he had disgraced the family.

Cliff Jackson was told by his father Elbert, that the man stopped at a house and asked for food and water. They gave him some water and biscuits and he went on his way. Cliff had also been told about the men who rode up on horses looking for him.

William A (Junior) Jackson said that he had heard that Wimmie Staten and his sister came by in a wagon and finding him dead buried him. When I first heard the story, it was said that Wimmie Staten was the one who buried him, however Wimmie was only five years old when the enlistment began and nine when the war ended. But this doesn’t exclude him from being there or helping, for he was Sabre Beason’s brother.

I have searched my papers over and cannot find the few notes I made about the Henry Joyner retaliation story. I’m going to the library and get a copy of what Clarence Parsons wrote in his book about it.  The book I’m referring to is the only bound copy that I’m aware of. I know of two other loose-leaf manuscripts that may have been drafts for the finished book. The one that I had access to does not say anything about the grave.  The one Cliff Jackson viewed did have a good version of the story. I called Cliff last night and he had loaned someone his copy, which hadn’t been returned. The story wasn’t fresh enough in his memory to tell me how it went.

The story reveals that Henry was killed because he had killed this other man. I can’t remember if the man was a union soldier or sympathizer. There was a group of men involved, but Henry was put up to pulling the trigger.

I wish we could find the grave. I’ve tried to find it but the thicket was too difficult to make a thorough search. I was in hopes that I could find a hardwood stump to go by since there was a number of pine ones that hadn’t fully decayed. Some think that it was destroyed when the road was widened. Others believe it is still there. Of course the bones are probably gone. But maybe a buckle or some other medal object is there.  My thinking now is that we’ll never find it.

I don’t know when I’ll get a chance, but I want to search the Civil war records at the Arkansas History Commission at Little Rock. It may be a needle in a haystack. I’m hoping the General Steele clue will help.

Thanks and keep me informed if you find anything,

Gerald W. Willliams

From Clarence Parsons Book:

Another famous and unfortunate character was Henry Joiner (Joyner), a local boy and probably Dr. Joiner’s son.  He was with a bushwhacker gang who took old man Bell out to shoot him like Jesse Moore was shot by another local gang.  Old Man Bell asked permission to pray.  So he prayed for all of the gang and none of them would shoot him.  Finally, the captain turned to Henry who was just a boy, and had him shoot the old man.  Then the Yankees rounded up Henry, ran him around a tree until he was tired, and then shot him.  The women of the neighborhood, of course, buried him just as some other women had hauled Jesse Moore home from De Roche Creek and buried him.  His grave is on a side road that turns off the county road, once the upper Murfreesboro Road, about 3 miles east of where John McCowan’s store was, and goes to Saginaw and Midway.  I used to go that way to Saginaw in my late teens, and I passed by the grave many times; it had two pine knots at the head and foot and had been heaped up to look like a grave although it had been there for thirty years or more.  In 1938 I was riding up that road from Midway with Uncle John Beason and Jesse Prince, and I wanted to stop and look at Henry Joiner’s grave.  Finally Uncle John said it was about a mile back so I did not get to see it after all.

1880 Census Hot Spring County
242/273 Joyner, Thos. M. w m 66 married doctor TN NC SC
Joyner, Emma w f 48 wife married keeping house AL SC SC
Joyner, Fannie w f 18 daqu single at home *attended school AR TN AL
Joyner, Thos. A. w m 14 son at home *ditto AR TN AL
Joyner, Estelle w f 5 dau AR TN AL

Gerald Williams thinks the man in the story that was killed, the deserter, was Henry Joyner, son of Dr. Thomas M. Joyner
(g grandfather).