The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1864-10-06
A DAMNABLE DEED /!
Horrid Murders in Poweshiek
County!
Two United States Marshals
Brutually Assassinated by.
Copperheads.
THE PAW PAW MILITIA SHOWING
THEIR HAND!
COPPERHEAD PEACE RRdN-
CIPLEs ILLUSTRATED,

Herdld. dispatch from Hon. j 3 GrinneU
and copy of a bill offering $500 reward for
the detection and conviction of the murder
ers by the latter gentleman, furnish the
particulars Of one OF the most fiendish out
RACES ever perpeirated in our State. The
ringleaders are supposed to have been con
cerned in the murder of Alloway in Mahas.
ka county last summer. They are Cop.
perheads, peace men, and doubtless warm
partizans of Mcclellan. They belong to
the party who profess to he opposed to vic
lence and wan, and in favor of righting all
wrongs and saving the Union by concilai.
ton and the law! How far they are really
in favor Of this their acts demonstrated
They have furnished damning proof OF all
the charges which have been against them,
and justify the refusal of the authorities to
commission and arm them at the expense Of
the State.
The body of Mr.. Bashore passed through
here on Monday, on its way to his home at
Centervile.
There is areport in town of the arrest OF
son.e eight or ten of the murdurers and
their confinement in the Oskaloosa Jail
While certain and swift Punishment
shoald be neted out to these men, it should
be at the same time borne in mind that they
are really less culpable than the presses and
leaders who have educated them up to this
point of criminalty, and administered to
them the obligations, binding them to the
preparation of these very atrocities.
We hope the people of Iowa will realize
that this horrid tragedy was not enacted in
Missouri, or Arkansas, but in our own
iowa, where the law and the courts are still
anobstructed, and that il we would preserve
the State from universal vielencs, blood
shed and desolation in which the suffering
would not be confined to one party, instant
and decided measures should be taken to
stop this business at the threshold:
Son Saturday, Oct. LIST, in Sugar Creek
Tp., Poweshiek county, Deputy Marshals
NJ Woodruff of Knoxville and j L Bashore
Of Centerville were wayhid and in cold
hood murdered. The particulars of this
dastardly affair as we get them are as fol-
lows:
Several drafted men of Sugar Creek hav-
ing failed to report at the Provost Marshal's
office, deputies Woodruff and Bashore were
sent to inquire the reason, or something to
that effect. On going to the neighborhood
they met Mike Gleason, and, after some con.
versation leading them to believe that he
was all right, they disclosed their business
and he proffered to assist them in finding
the men. The marshals made an arrange
ment for him to go with them after they
had fed their horses and obtained some re-
freshment themselves. But while the mar.
shals were feeding, Gleason went to Miller's
saw-mill where the Copperheads had met to
drill as was their custom on Saturday. The
military company soon dispersed. After
feeding, Woodruff and Bashore started oat
to hunt the drafted men. As they were
passing along the road they were suddenly
fired upon by a squad of men concealed in
the bushes. Woodruff was killed instant
ly, having two balls through his head and a
number in his body. Bashore was but
slightly wounded. He jumped out of the
buggy but was Immediately surrounded by
the Copperheads and several guns were lev
eled at him and among them was Gleason
who had betrayed the marshals. Bashore
appealed to them to spare his life. He told
them that they were strangers to him, that
he had nothing against them, was simply
discharging his duty as an officer and
begged them not to kill him. At this point
he was shot in the back, the ball entering
near the kidneys. Bashore then shot Glea-
son breaking his leg, Bashpre fel', whether
he was shot again or not does not appear
But after he was down, Gleason, who wa
not so badly wounded but he could walk,
came up to him and struck him a terrible
blow on the head with the butt of his gun,
inaicting frightful wound and breaking
the gun. By this time the other Copper
heads had left, thinking doubtless they had
succeeded in killing both the officrr. A
half an hour later neighbor who heard the
firing came that way and the wounded men
were carried off and Gleason placed under
arrest. Bashore lived four or five hours and
told all the particulars of the assassination
to James S. Cravens, at whose house h.
died, and others. John Flcener, Samuel
Fleener and Perry Mcfarland, supposed to
be the principals in this cold. blooded crime,
have escaped and are still at large. Hon.
GrinDell has offered reward of $500
for their arrest and conviction.
On Sunday, three or four hun dred citi-
zens were collected at Cravens. The muir.
dered men, both of whom had been soldiers
Woodruff of the Sd cavalry and Bashore Of
the 9th cavalry. were lying there with all
their CHASTITY wounds pleading for justice
and revenge. 1t was with difficulty the
exaspeaated crowd were restrained from,
stringing up Gleason without Judge or jury.
Our informant left the scene at 4 o'clock
Sunday afternoon, when parties were scour-
ing the neighborhood for the Fleeners and
others, and arrangements were made for
bringing the bodies of the slain and the or is.
oner to Oskaloosa.
Sugar Greek is one of the hardest and
most notorious Copperhead holes in the