The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-04-17
From Forney's Press.
An Unrcp0rteI Incislcnt i'm the
Secession Program.


A wellknown merchant Of this city, who
was in New Orleans on the day Louisiana
passed the Secession ordnance and who
Witnessed the illumination in honor of that
REASONABLE act, has related,to US. with u re-
quest that we would suppress names, the
following racy incident, which illustrates the
traditionary saying "whcn woman wont,
she won't characteristic of the sex, and the
fact that the Union people of the South have,
at this time, no voice in the newspaper re-
ports of the disunion section. 1t so happen
ed, that on the day Of the illumination the
captain of a, Mississippi steamboat and his
lady were stopping at the st. Charles, and
occupied front room, on the third floor
the first floor of charnbers--ex exactly in the
centre Of the hotel The captain wasa Union
man, and-as the sequel will shov-so was
his wife. All the city was. agitated during
the after ,oon in prospect of the grand gala
night. The ST. Charles was to be ilumina.
ted, Of course. Accordingly, some time dur
ing the afternoon servant knocked at the
door of the captains room, carrying all the
necessary trappinrs for lighting up the cham
Der windows. Mrs. opened the door,
when the following dialogue ensued:
Lady What have you got there?
Servant Candles, Misses, to light your
windows for de Illumination.
L. Well, You can return them to where
you brourht them from, as I shall not. allow
them in this room. N.u..s
S. (Npt TO- he foiled 50 easily, resumed J
Obi but massa told me to put mp de lights,
and so rs got to put 'em mp.
L. Can't help that; this is nv room, and
shan't allow the windows to he illuminated
for what am opposed to; so that ends it..
This closed the first act. The servant re-
ported to the proprietors, who Immediately
proceeded to the 'ady's room with view Of
convincing her of the Importance Of permit
ting the servant to make ready for the grand
evening lightrup. Said they vfhis room is
the most central in the entire front, and not
to illuminate it will be to mar seriously the
effect of the WHOLE" to which the lady re-
piled: ga,s-....4
81 am sorrv. gentlemen, to cause you anv
inconvenience, but believe this room for
the time being is ours bv right and must
postiv 'ly decline, in anv wav, to add eclat
to great outrage, as conceive the whole
disunion movement to be- NV huShand(w (whn
was out at the time) is Union man. and
am Union woman. and this room cannot he
Illuminated A few more words were ex-
hanged, which ended by the lady politely
requesting the proprietors to leave her room.
Determined not to be outdone in matter of
such grave Importance, the captain was next
found and appealed to- He heard their case;
said his wife had; reported him correctly on
the Union question, nevertheless, he would
go with them to the room and see if the mat
ter could be amicably arranged. Scene third
ensued' The captains disposition to yield
was not to be seconded by his better half
They next proposed to vacate the best cham
ber in her favor, in some other part of the
house, if that woull be satisfactory, but the
lady's "No!' was still as peremptory as ever
Her point was gained, and the st. Charles
was doomed to have dark front chamber
Pleased with this triumph, Mrs - de-
vsed the following mapmuvre to make the
most Of her victory. Summoning servant,
she sent him out to procure for heran Amer
lean flag, which, at dusk, she suspended
from her window. This made the fourth act
in the play, and as the fifth is always indis-
pensable, it had its place here. When even
ing came, the streets, animated by merry
throng, were illuminated, but, alas, the ST.
Charles was disfgurcd by its Sombre cham
Der, when suddenly a succession Of lamps,
suspended on both sides of the flag, reveal
ing the stars and stripes, were lit up, and
the ensign Of the Uni,n waved from the GEN.
ter of a hotel Illuminated in honor of its over
throw The effect was, to give the impress
sion that the whole house was thus paying
homage to the American flag; and what is
more significant, is the fact that the latter
was greeted by the passing crowd with yo-
cierous applause. So much for the firmncss
of a true Union woman.