Something like this came up in this forum in May of last year. At least it was something about one of General Lee's relatives and somebody being executed for spying, but it turned out to have taken place in Tennessee and was merely reported in a St. Louis newspaper years later in 1922. Look in the Search section for several messages entitled "Did General R.E. Lee Have A Murdered Brother?" last May.

I don't have anything (to my knowledge) about a lady McLaughlin in one of the St. Louis area military prisons and escaping, although that is close to my area of study.

I appreciate all the detail you provided, but can you offer a date or at least a month and year this happened?

Bruce Nichols