Iowa territorial gazette and advertiser. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa Territory [Iowa]) 1840-1846, 1845-02-22

were present, and when the second refii.
cal Of the sword was given, they all put
their hands to their swords in readiness to
draw. Ny own sword was already
drawn!'
"ln the regular service, and with off,
GERS accustomed to, and bred up in; the
severe and stern sense Of authority which
10 usually thought necessary 10 proper
discipline, the refractory offender would
most probably have been hewn down in the
moment Of his disobedience. The effect 81
such proceeding, nthe present instance,
might have been Of the most fatal character.
The esprit de corps might have prompted
the immediate followers Of the offender to
have seized upon their weapons; and though
annlhIlated, as Horny s~ll. y. Ihay ~ o,sia
have been, yet several valuable lives might
have been lost, which the country could
III have spared. The mutinyy would have
been put down, but at what price! The
patience and prudence Of Marion's charac-
ter taught him forbearance. His mildness,
BY putting the offender entirely in the
wrong, so justified his severity, as to dis
arm the followers Of the criminals. These,
as we have already said, were about sixty
in number. Horny continues: Their in
tentions were, to call upon these men for
support-our officers well know that they
meant, if possible, to intimidate Marion,
SO a. to make him j come into their meas
ures Of plumber and Tory-killing.' The
affair fortunately Terminated without blood
shed. The prudence Of the General had
its effect, the. delay gave time to the Of
Tenders for reflection. Perhaps, looking
round upon their followers, they saw no
conserving spirit of mutiny in their eyes
encouraging their own; for though many
Of these refugees were present, none Of
fered TO back or support the mutinous off,
cers;-and when the guard that was or
dered, appeared in sight, the companion
Of the chief offender was seento touch the
arm Of the other, who then proffercd the
sword to Marion, saying, General, you
need not have sent for the guard Ma
rion, refusing to receive it, referred him
to the Sergeant Of the guard, and thus
doubly degraded, the dishonored Major Of
Continentals-for he was such-disap-
peared from sight, followed by his associ-
ate. His farther punishment was OF a
kind somewhat differing from those which
are common to armies, by which the pro-
fession Of arms IS sometimes quite as much
dishonored as the criminal. Marion en-
deavored, BY his punishments, to elevate
the sense Of character in the spectators.
He had some Of the notions Of Napoleon
on this subject. He was averse to those
brutal pdnishments which, in the Creature,
degrade the glorious image Of the Creator
In the case Of the two offenders, thus dis
missed from his presence, The penalty was,
Of all others, the most terrible to persons,
in whose mind there remained the sparks
even Of conventional honor. These men
had been guilty Of numerous offences
against humanity. Marion expelled them
from his brigade. Subsequently, their ac-
tions became such, that he proclaimed
their outlawry through the country. By
one Of these men he was challenged to
single combat, but he treated the summons
with deserved contempt. His composure
remained unruffied by the circumstance. "