Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1856-10-10

The following letter from Rev. n.
Shumats. to Rev. James Ravens. pub
lished in the Nashville R<pu5liean.
gives the details Of the murder Of one
Of our most cherished friends. We
knew Mr.. Kelly well--we know Mr..
Shumate. We had received some ac-
count Of the transaction before. but
had not heard Of his death. It may
do to say that preachers shosld have
nothing to say about slavery when it
thus takes them from the pulpit to the
grave:
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind-,}
Aug %, 1865
Rev. Jas HAvESs-Dear Bro
ther-The object Of this letter
is to give you the faess in relation
to the melancholy death of the
Rev. Charles Fl. Kelly, Of the
Missouri Conference, with whom
you had familiar acquaintance.
As Brother Kelly received his
first license to preach from you,
l supposed you would feel great
interest in knowing the full par
ticulars Of the case. In 1858,
Brother Kelly was appointed to
the Lagrange circuit, which is
near the Iowa line, aud in the
North East corner Of the State. -
Sometime during the fall or winter
Of that year, convict by the
name Of Kelly escaped from the
Iowa State Prison, and was adj
verti:ed by the Warden in all the
papers throughout Iowa and nor
them Missouri. This advertise
ment happened to iall under the
notice Of a certain DR.. Trabue
who lived in Missouri, and who
knew Brother Kelley to DO n
Methodist minister; but he being
a vile enemy to the Nj. Z. Church
"North," (as our church is called
in that lalitude,) conceived the
despicable purpose Of arresting
Brother Kelley as the aforesaid
convict. and thereby disgrace a
Methodist Minister. Although
this escaped convict-as describ-
ed by the warden in his advertise
mcnt-bore no resemblance to
Brother Kelley, and had no mid
die narse corresponding with our
Brother uame-his being Charles,
and the preachers being Charles
H.,-yet this Trabue raised a
slavery posse Of men who we're
armed to the teeth, and pursued
Brother Kelly to the place where
he was holding his quarterly mee-
ting, and there took him prisoner
before the eyes Of all the congre-
cation. No one offered TO inter
fere in the case except the Rev.
j. Fl. Dennis, Presiding Elder Of
the District. He ventured to de-
mand the authority Of Trabue
and his company for takinga min
lister out of the pulpit, and was
answered by having the mouth
ofu revolver pointed at his breast
by Trabue, who told him that
there was bis authority, and to
shut his mouth, or he would blow
him to hell! BY this time they
had the prisoner down on the floor,
and the affrighted congregation
had fled, and he was alone-save
his elder, who is a brave man.
He stayed by him at the risk oil
his own life: They tied Brother
Kelly's arms back, and sat him
on a rough going horse and chain
ed his feet together under the an
imal, and started for Fort Madi-
son, the seat of the Iowa State
Prison.
A Northwest wind was blowing
at the time with all its fury, driv.
the the boar frost into face oil
our prisoner. whom they hurried
of without giving him time to
put on bis oyercoat, gloves or leg
gings. Brother Dennis, however
like a true man, as he is, as soon
as he could get ready, took Broth
erkelly' overclothes andpursued
them until midnight. Coming
up With them be demanded them
to stop long enough for him to
put On his gloves, coat and leg
gings. Brother Dennis says that
when he overlook them, he found
Brother Kelley nearly ready To
sink under the fatigue and the
extreme cold, from which he had
suffered greatly in his half-clad
condition. The water from his
eyes had frozen upon his cheeks
and his hands we're clenched ar.
ound the bride reins, and so near
frozen that it required rubbing to
break bis grasp; and when be
was taken from his horse he was
rot able to stand on his feet fol
some minutesl After our heroic