Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-01-04


sllow-citizsn, Judge Williams, (formsrly Of
and for many yen ono Of our
most prominent citizens has been traducsd
md his personal courage called in question,
pd, from personal knowledge Of the man
md the trying circumstances under which
70 has been PLACED, believing al such
'hssges to be false, a. an cot Of common
Justice, would request the editor of the
JOURNAL to publish certain article from the
lurt Scott Democrat, Of Dec 10th, accom-
,anying this, as An explanation Of the causes
Il his having left at the time and in the
he did and we do hope the course
If SANDER INDUCED in heretofore will cease,
~ it reflects little credit on those who
indulge in it, and in no wise can affect the
high respect in which Judge Williams is
held by all who know him.
A. OGILvIE, JAMES WEED,
J. G. GoWDoN, CHESTER WEED.
A. CHAMBERs, SAMUEL SINNErr.
D. DuNsMoRE.
A Gard.
The following card comes to US signed by
a large number Of our prominent citizens,
and while we cheerful:y give it place in our
We also add our hearty endorse
ment Of every declaration it contains:
FcRr Scorr, K. T., Dec. IA, 1860.
NE. EDITOR Having noticed, in the
papers abroad, considerable denunciation of
"A Sc IL Wst1sor>~ = A.
our recent troubles, and knowing that they
are founded partly on Misrepresentation and
partly on misrepresentation, we have de-
termined to ask you to publish this card
setting forth the facts IS they ATE.
Judge Williams was averse to leaving
when he did, and only did 80 at the repeat.
ed and earnest solicitations Of his friends
who believed him to be in imminent danger
if he remained, and who thought that he
might get assistance to rs by going than
staying. He did not leave until the very
last of those who, having been specially
marked by the marauders, were induced to
leave for their own safety and that of their
friends. And there is not word in his let
ter to Gov. Stewart, or his dispatch to the
President but what was universally believed
at that time. His letter to Gov. Stewart is
true in substance aud throughout, except that
Harrison was among the murdered. Both
the Ha,risons would have been murdered if
they hsd not fed, bnt by fleeing they saved
their lives. &
The only thing to be cavilled at in Judge
Williams letter to Gov Stewart is the ex
preston that she montgomery has taken
possession of Fort Scott, and other towns on
~ kho M:eeo,,~s
this IS also true, when explained. He has
always had Mound City. His men, under
arms and in form, took possession of Barnes
vile and Mapleton, and although they laid
aside teeir guns when teey came down into
the business pant of Fort Scott, it is yet well
known that many of them brought their guns
into the town and left them at the house OF
one of their adherents and still carried their
siie-arms with them - making three towns
in Bourbon county which he really took 1t
is well known that on that Monday, when
Court was to have opened, the town was in
absolute subsection to them; and so remained
up until the time Of the arrival of Governor
Medary, and the intelligence that Gen. Har
ney was on his Way. The town was like a
conquered province; and they issued their
orders as to who should either leave or be
hung and who might remain, as if they
were the owners, in fact. not only OF the
coantry but its population. And right in
The middle of Carroll Plaza they freed from
custody man under Indictment in the z
s. Court for murder
Deputy Marshals Camp bell and Dimon
We're portion Of the Court that fed at the
earnest solicitation of their friends and SC
far from public opinion not justifging thei,
flight. it is yell kno,cn to Everybody that they
would have been hung if they had remained
One Of the gang SO stated, publicly, at leas,
twenty times, to different people here ir
town. A part of the programme, as they
stated, was to demand of Judge William;
that ne should change the jury legally select
ed, when he came to try Forbes, one of thei,
band, who was under indictment, and subs.i
tue their own rapscallions for those already
summoned; and if he had refused, az, o.
course, he would, he would haye excited
their fury to its highest pitch; and with
lawless deperadoes, Injured to blood and un
used to opposition, we all feared then, and
still believe now, that the consequences
would have been fatal to Judge Williams
Besides, Jack Wimsett, one of the most
malignant Of the band, publicly proclaimed
his intention to "maul Judge Villains within
an inch of his life,' because of some deci-
sion of his on the Bench in civil suit
How long would an old mans life have Taste
if violence had been once commenced in this
manner in the midst Of these blood-thirsty
cut-throats. who make murder an amuse.
ment and robbery regular profession? Sc
far as we know. public opinion fully justifes
the course of Judge Williams. Fors Scott
was not burned and half our citizens muir.
dered, simply because Judge Williams,
Campbell, Dimon, Sims, Wilson, Mcdonald
and others of our prominent citizens whom
they had threatened most ferociously were
out of the way, and they had no excuse even
for striking blow.
In relation to Montgomery's operations in
Mis- ouri Judge Williams only stated what
everybody knows the brigand chief publicly
proclaimed in his Napoleon speech. And
the only reason why the Missouri border
nas been thus far saved is because the Judge
alarmed them. and their frontier has been
protected by their gallant citizen soldiery.
The cut-throats are all along the line. A
messenger Of Gen. Harney's to Gen Frost
was stopped on his return, only the other
lay. by small party of them, inside Of the
State, who informed him they would hang
any man who carried messages between the
troops. They did not know his business
and therefore let him go. If the people of
Missouri don't think themselves in danger,
let them disband their troops, destroy and
disarm their organization, and they will see.
row snon the work Of theft and murder will
commence.
No mn ao unrod cspoVix, 10 GA, D.,
facts, without casting reflections on any one,
and we hope those papers who have cast
censure on Judge Williams will do him the
justice to copy this. or publish the substance
of 1t. trTr ...-.
Aana to her beau.-Frederick what city
is tina, you are going to visit this Fall {?
fred If you have no objection I'm going
to Have Anma.
HnSU rrn NM I'LL