The Hawk-eye and Iowa patriot. (Burlington, Iowa) 1839-1843, 1840-04-09

weapons in the house, than had the party
on the.outside. For several minutes after
the attack had commenced, there was a
continual blaze of firearms from the win
dows of the house. Il is remarkable that
no more of the citizens were killed, as
they marched up within few feet Of the
house, before shot was fred-the first
Of which killed Palmer.
1t was confessed by the prisoners, that
each had his man picked out; and among
the first to be disposed of were Capt.
]. Beatty, Col. Cox, John Howe, Sheriff
Warren, Mr. Palmer. and others. Brown
was to pickoff the latter, and unfortunately,
his aim was too true.
Every effort was made to induce Brown
to deliver himselfup peaceably. For this
purpose, he was visited in the morning,
when the consequences Of a refusal were
fully explained. He cut short the con-
versation; and with haunting air deied
any force that could be brought to take
him.
The next morning after the fight, two
of Browns men who had been wounded
and escaped from the house, were found
dead short distance from the town.
The prisoners taken were tried sepa-
rately; and all who were proven guilty,
were lynched with ropes end, in an I'M
comfortable degree. This was, undoubt-
edlv, the most proper course to take
Such punishment has often worked
wonders in the reforming way.
The gang did not confine themselves
to horse stealing, particularly: but they
took possession of cattle, hogs, or any
thing else that they could drive off. Las,
winter they stole a yoke of fat oxen from
MIR Bonner, an industrious farmer OH Sand
Prairie. They were tracked immediate.
ly to Bellview, but no further trace of them
could be discovered--though there must
have been many in the town who knew
where they were slaughtered.
THE HENRY COUNTY CONVEN-
TON.
The last Gazette gives an account OF
a Convention recently held in Henry
county, which takes up column in that
paper "a stranger might suppose from
the Gazette, that that convention number
ed several thousand delegates but from
all the information we are able to obtain,
some half dozen citizens of Mount
Pleasant, assembled in conformity with
the suggestion of some of our citizens,
through the Gazette of this place. No
one will pretend TO say that the Hen
ny county Convention was brought about
by the people. We know that the dele.
gates chosen by that convention, TO- at
tend the Territorial Convention, were
neuer instructed who they shall nominate
as the candidate of such convention, and
the delegates as well as the people OF
Henry have too much intelligence to send
delegates to Territorial convention un,
instructed-but simply left to act accord.
ing to the dictates of few party leaders.
The object of conventions, are to selec,
candidates who may be the choice oil
The majority of the party holding such
convention. Now, we ask every man in
Henry. if that county has appointed
delegates instructed to support any par
ticular candidate, if they have not, then
their convention was mere farce-,he
people have expresse! no preferences,
and it follows of course the late meeting
there was no convention, after all the
blowing of the Gazette.
A convention correctly defined is, the
converting of the people together to send
delegates TO ac, as the coice Of the people,
or party by 'chom sent may dictate
Delegates are considered as bound to act
according to the ,ciH Of their constitu-
ents. Now we ask in the name of com
mon sense, do the Henry county dele
gates know the will of their constituents!
Did the people of the townships by
primary assemblies give them any in.
structions! Or are they left to do as
they please in a general convention? II
the latter is the case, as we believe it is.
the whole affair was mere " blow up, .
and not a convention Of the people.
"a horse horse! My kingdom for horse y
Mr. Benton appears at the present time
TO be anxiously looking out for g new
hobby" and it seems he has at length
mounted a real donkey. His speech
and resolutions on the subject of the
general government assuming the debts
Of the several states, is the most
uncalled for production of modern
times. We are not aware of the exis-
tence Of any party whose creed is either
to advocate or oppose the assumption by
the general government of the State
debts. Mr. GRUMPY from the select COM
mittee to which these resolutions were
L 4 I