Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1863-07-07
Iagazstte COUNTS coppsraead psmons.ra.ion.

OF Lafayette county nave .Deeh organizing
for defense at home and, aa developments
show. expeditions abroad. Benton appears
to have long been the chief seat Of disloy-
NJ vices. In one Of the saloons of that
place Confederate flag and the several
devices Of disloyalty commonin Richmond
have been supported for some time. The
Copperhead emblem has been common,
while the usual Vallandigham language,
such as 1--WE are opposed to This war fos the
nigger," and ssyou can't Set US into the
ranks among Old .Abe's slaves to help free
the nigcers.p has been retailed from almost
every mouth. The few Union mon Of that
place have been defied and their property
threatened if they reported what they
knew. Their partial success in defeating
the draft last year. as a result of weakness
among the State military authorities, made
them boiler than before, while the encour-
agement they have had from Demagogue
leaders at Shulsburg and Mineral Point bas
led them 10 really believe themselves iqyin-
chile. Could they only know that in event
Of actual conflict sucn leaders would be the
last to join them they would, we think,
change thejr manners.
The following account If raid into
Georgetown. town Of Smelser, in this
county is from the Plattev.lle Witness, the
facts reported by Messrs. Gilmore and Abel
of said town. The raid took place on
Saturday Of week before last. The pre-
tense was to hold a Democratic meeting at
that place, but the design probably was to
find Mr.. George E. Cabanis and severely
handle him for dismissing couple of Ben
ton Irishman for disloyal conduct, such as
hurrahing for jeff. Davis and the Confed-
eracy while at work for him:
1t appears that it had Teen previously
whispered around among tie sympathigers
in Georgetown and vicinity, that Demo
cratic meeting would be held there On Sat
urday, at which the Murpheys and others
would speak Dennis Murphey and his
son, A. C. Murphey, are the reputed lead
ers Of the Lafayette Copperheads. The
meeting was kept profound secret from
the Union men, the first they knew Of it
being the entrance into town, about two
o'clock on Saturday, Of some thirty-fve or
forty armed Bentonites, in Two horse wag-
ons. These proceeded TO the place Of
meeting, where they were harangucd for
half an hour or more, by several speakers.
One of them, the young Murphy we think,
commenced by saying they intended to cp-
pose the draft and the present Admins
tration, and the way to do it was to organ
ize-that was the Object Of the meeting.
Dennis Murphy said be had five thousand
men armed and organized to re.ist the
draft. Another man by the name Of Sell
kirk said they dvied the whole S,atc d
Wisconsin TO take the town of Benton,
Shulsburg, or New Diggings. They had
enough force 10 take all the Union men
that came to do it and put them where
they wanted them, and they wouldn't get
back alive. The elder Murphy proposed
hurrahs for jeff. DAVIS and the downfall Of
| tie Government, and others cheered for
Lee and the Southern CQnfederacy. At
ter the speaking was over, and the crowd
had become sufficiently stirred PIP by the
seIitious speeches of their leaders, they
matched through the village, drawing
knives and pistols, firing the latter off in
the air, hurrahing for everything treasona
bic, and insulting Union men with the
clearly apparent intention Of bringing on
a collision. There were only four or five
Union men in the village, aud some Of
these, apprehending trouble, Immediately
went for reinforcements aud arms. While
they were gone, the Copperhea4s dared
any man TO hurrah for the Union, swear
ing they would let daylight through who
ever did so. We understand that young
man, son Of Joseph Brandon, in defiance Of
this threat, not only hurrahed for the
Union, but tod one of the leaders, Sci
kirk, that he was id son of a
b., and if he wanted anything out Of
bin, to "wade in" Selkirk said nothing.
but sneaked eff among his crowd. About
this time, the Bentonltes getting WIND,
that a large number of Onion men were
coming to the rescue, wisely concluded to
leave. and went off with considerable more
haste and less noise than when they came
in, mutteting threats TO come back in two
weeks with reintorcemeuts and burn the
town,
This was about three o'clock By five
O'Clock there were at least one hundred
and twenty five Union uen in the village,
armed and ready for a fight. 1t was well
the Copperheads left when they did, or
excited as the Union men were, we do not
believe mothers son Of them would have
escaped without something to remind him
that it is unsafe 70 insult aud threaten
| loyal men, A wagon was sent to Platte
vile for powder and shot, and, had they
been wanted. hundred armed men could
/ lave been had from this PLACE in half an
hour. KS
! There vas a tremendous excitement in
Georgetown all the evening. Several men
accused Of joining in with the Benton crowd