I recently heard about this. I am the E. Desmond Lee Professor of Racial & Ethnic Diversity at Washington University in St. Louis. I grew up in Union and recently purchased a cabin on the south side of the Bourbeuse between Union and St. Clair...near where this all occurred (without knowing) You can see my alarm. First of all, I was led to believe that all of the Gehlerts in this area were pacifists. My male cousins weere conscientious objectors during the War in Vietnam. I thought that this defined my family. I was surprised to see a relative had been a soldier, I know that the family fiercely opposed slavery.

I spent today at the Wahington Historical Society reviewing records from Kiel. Lt. Herman Gehlert is not even mentioned until his arrest. Does anyone know how he was involved? Why was he charged over Duehlmer, Vossbrink, Heeger and others who were part of the same social network? Does anyone know? I truly am perplexed.

Sarah Gehlert