The Elk advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Elk Co., Pa.) 186?-1868, 1864-12-31
NO 81

On discovering the presence Of the
! troops, the descrters at once opened a
fierce fre.-The action, however was
short and the notorious bounty jumper,
was instantly killed, nineteen of his as.
sociates being captured - The loss on
our side amounted to killing ofon man,
Private Cooper formerly of the 9th
Regiment. New Hampshire Volun-
teers.
1t is expected that this action will
constrain deserters who infest Clearfe!d
county to rally and entrench themselves
somewhere in the mountain Businesses of
the region, and that before these gangs
are broken up and brought to justice, a
most bloody fight will occur.
Now, except as TO the killing of the
two men named above, there is scarcely
single word Of truth in the above.
We have made every effort to''got at the
facts, and whilo they are different sto-
ries in circulation we believe the main
facts in the following statement may be
relied upon
The soldiers are stationed at Phillips.
bdrg, in Centre county. On Tuesday
night, the 18th instant, there was par
ty at the house of Thomas Adams, in
Knox township, Clearfeld county-some
II or 13 miles from Phillipsburg, and
about the same distance from Osccola.
This party is said to have given by
Adams to brother-in law, who had
just returned from the war with an
honorable discharged About 8 o'clock
on the morning of the 18th, military
officer presented himself at the door
where the party was enjoying them
selves, and demanded a surrender, sta.
ting that they were surrounded, &c.
Adams Immediately ran up stairs and
fired from the loft, (the house being but
a story and half killing one of the
soldiers. He then escaped from the
other end of the building, on the roof Of
shed, and thence to the ground, and
was making his way to the woods, when
he was sordered to halt, when failing to
do SO five or six shots were fired at him,
only one, of which, however took effect.
These were the only shots fired. The
rest of the men-1S or 10 in all--sur.
rendered without struggle, were ironed
and marched off to Phillipsburg. Sever
al revolvers were lying upon a bureau
in another part of the heuse, but their
owners could not, or did not attempt to,
reach them. Adams used musket,
loaded with buckshot After the sur
render, thorough search ,,wassmaic Of
the premises, but beside some ten re-
volvers, and three or four guns, we
heard of nothing of warlike,, character !
being discovered.
During this time the door had been
kept closed, lasting perhaps an hour
and half, when Mrs. Adams was the
first TO go out, and was the first to dis.
cover the dead body of her husband
about ten feet from the door.
The only person injured, besides the
two who were killed, was a'son of John
NJ. Chase, whose "loyalty," we presume,
will not be questioned. Some of the |
soldiers, it is supposed, mistcok him for |
the person who fired the shot that killed |
the soldier, and gave him severe blow
across the temple with the butt-end OF !
a pistol.
Who were the men arrested, VIC have
not heard; except that there was not a
single citisenooOf Kno.n to,onshipS, among
them. A man named Jacob Reed, /
whose "loyalty" is above suspicion, and
one or two other citizens of Woodward |
township, were among the captives. The
rest of the party were citizens of ad,
joining counties Whether they were
bounty jumpers" Or "deserters," or
escaped conscripts, or citizens pursuing
their lawful calling, we are unable to
to say. They were all marched to Phil |
lipsburg on Weducsday,a,and we pre-
sumo, have since been sent eastward
Adams, .he "avowed traitor" and |
notorious bountyjumper," was, We be-
lieve, originally from Cambria county. |
In 1860, he was among..the most ardent |
of Republicans, and was among the first
to volunteer his services. How long he |
remained in the service, nor why he
left it, we are not advised, further than
that his denunciation of the men he
had assisted in putting into power was Of
the most impassioned character. lie