The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1860-03-01
For the Courier.

For the Courier.
EDTToI, OF THE COURIER: knowing that it
is unpleasant to you, Mr.. Editor, to be
troubled with the publication of certain To-
cal matters which have long lost all their
novelty and interest to the public mind, and
little did think when gave the outlines of
an afray in Comnetine, as they were given
10 me- that + would ever be compelled to lift
my pen again in further detail of the matter.
but owing to n bold attempt made by Mr..
Fish, in his communication headed "NIarys-
VILE, to invalidate my statement with re-
gard to said 'atfray,' and to redeem himself
from the reproach which is Justly placed
upon him, l avail myself of the present op-
portunity toshow in what particulars the ac-
cused liar has lied, and in what particulars
the accuser has dgressed from the truth
As he did not attempt to show the misrepre-
sentation of which he charges me, it becomes
necessary that review the whole affair in
as few words as possible. My statement was
that an affray hal taken place in Competine,
on the 2Gth ult., between Fish, Malon Wright,
and James Wright, about some matters in
school. Fish drew pistol, exploded il, but
it did not take effect, whereupon James
Wright fell upon him and beat him so Sc
verely it is said he had to take his bed
Now hear Mr.. Fish's statement: Malon
Wright threw off his coat and advanced to-
wards me, making demonstrations of fight
| retreated to the corner of the room, mean
time drawing pistol, and commanded him
| TO leave the hall. Ibeing Immediately seized
| and the pistol being turned UP, l fired one
barrel and snapped the other, for fear that
! Wright would get it and shoot me with it..
James Wright then fell upon me- continued
| to beat, bite and choke me, until at last be-
came insensible. My wife's health and my
own has been very much impaired by the
contest.
Now, Mr.. Fish, if you stated the truth in
your epistle pertaining to the fight, my in
formant 6 I'VE it truthfully to me, and as
gave it to the editor; but if I lied, why did
you implicate yourself with the same charge
by telling the same story? You say you
/ deem it necessary, in your paragraph, to set
I forth the truth of the whole matter. Now,
let us see how closely you stick to your decla-
ration. You SAY you whipped Albert Wright
'for using some inappropriate language to-
wards you and only wished to talk to the
boys about the impropriety of such conduct
/ How did you converse with Polk Mowrey
ahoutimproprieties, who used no unbecoming
language, but kindly requested you to make
! them Christmas present of some apples or
candy? Did you not draw him up with
cruelty unbecoming and with switches well
wilted over the stove, play them on his left
shoulder as Upon a harp of thousand
strings? And you further say, you did not
comply with the requisition of the boys,
! H. e. to treat) and they were going to take
/ you down to the creek and duck you. Did
you not know that the great Master had
frozen all the water fast to the bottom p
Then you whipped the boys because you,
thought that they thought that they were go
ing to duck a Fish in solid ice Then again
you say that You fired your pistol in the cell
ing to keep Wright from getting it and
shooting you with it. Now then, if it is rea
sonab,e to believe that you drew your pistol
and pointed it at Wright to keep him from
getting it and shooting you with it, it is rea-
sonable also to believe that you fired it in
the ceiling to keep him from shooting you
with it. You are not only guilty of false
accusation against me, but you have pre-
sented certificates without authority, from
Mr.. Mountain especially. Here will pre-
sent a certificate from Mountain:
Feb. I'd, 1s60
| do hereby certify that I refused to sign
the certificate inserted at the bottom of
paragraph by j. F. Fish, which appeared in
the Courier Jan. Doth, 1860, and therefore
say my name was used without my consent
and was signed without my liberty.
J. II. MOUNTAIN
OF Mr.. Phelps will say nothing, as can
not find any person answering to the initials
of J. NJ Phelphs, though suppose it to be
James Phelps. l will present certificate of
Mr.. Scott to show that he (Mr. Phelps)
knew nothing about it:
| do hereby certify that James Phelps was
with me on the very day the difficulty took
! place between j. F. Fish, Malon and James
Wright. We being together all the evening
of said day, said Phelps could not have
known anything ab,ut SAID difficulty Given
under my hand, this 9Th day of Februa-
ry, 1860. JESSE ScoTr.