The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1865-07-20
JEFF. Thompson has Family Talk
with His Ragamufins.

assembled at Jacksonport, Ark, to be pa
rolled, a few weeks since, the redoubtable
hero of the white plume mounted barrel
J and spoke to them after this wise: iH
Gentlemen, / have come here to have q
/ little family talk with you, as this will be
the last time may ever meet you together
/ have come here to tell you the news
Many of you don't know yet that vicks-
burg has fallen, and many of you don't
know that Lee or Johnston have surren-
dered, but tell you 1t is all true. Many
of the 5000 men Tnow see around me, very
many of you, bave been skulking for the
1 last three years in the swamps, within a
few miles of your own lfones, sknlkine
duty, and dufing that f!!IYfs nave nor aecfi
your own children. see many faces about
me, that have not been seen by mortal
man for the last three years, and what
have you been doing all that time? Why.
you have been lying in the swamns until
the moss has grown six inches long on
your backs. and such men call themselves
4 ''chivalrous soldiers A few weeks ago
General Reynolds sent flag of truce to
my headquarters and I sent out to gather
up respectable force to mSet those officers.
and not one of you responded; few days
later when Col. Davis and Capt. Bennett.
of General Dodge's staff bore dispatches
to me from that General, again attempt
ed TO call about me enough of you to make
n respectable show, and how many of these
brave 5000 men reported at the call? One
sore eyed man 'ctth gree,, goggles, But YOU
rally like brave and gallant men around
Uncle Sam's Commissarv stores, and I
now come to surrender You and hope YOU
will make better citizens than YOU have
soldiers. Voic~ from the crowd. sGensr-
al, talk to us lill q gentlemen.") Now YOU
just dry up until get through and then
you can get up on this barrel and talk. I
know there are some gentlemen here. and
! 1 know there are more id xneaking.
cowardly dogs who shave never done moth
ing on nary side" and am going TO talk
/ to you all.
| In the first place. want to saw this to
you: The Federal officers who have come
here to parole and feed you, have acted as
gentlemen, in good faith. They heve not
gone about peeping under your coats to
see if you had pistols; they have not spied
about your camps to see if YOU were Sc
creting your arms, but they have treated
you as gentlemen; but tell you that you
have not acted in good faith. Those of YOU
who had arms, with a very few exceptions,
| have left them at homo, and those who
had government horses have failed 10 re-
port them here. Now let me say to YOU,
one and all, those of you who have re-
tanned your arms, as soon asvou get home.
take them to the nearest military post
and deliver them up, or burn them. or get
rid of them in some manner, rUr as sure
there is God in heaven if they are found
in your houses, Just so sure will your
houses he burned to the ground, and I
hope to God every one of you who keep
good arms or property of any kind in your
houses will be hanged, ana you will too.
Now I want you to 60 home and work
hard and take care of your families, work
early and late and get up at night and see
if your crops are growing. Above all
things avoid political discussions. If any
man says tii@ger to you, swear that You
never knew or saw one in your life. We
have talked about the niggers for forty
years and have been out-tallled, we have
fought four years for the niggers and have
been id badly whipped. and now it is
not your put" the Yankees have won
the nigger. and viii do what they please
with him and Won have nothing to say in
the matter; if they want him they will
take him, and if they say that You must
keep him, vou must do it and no mistake.
tell you that you have no say in the mat
ter, and YOU oughtn't to have any. Go
home and stay there; don't go anywhere
but to mill, don't 60 to church for the min
lister will put knots and mischief in your
heads and get you into trouble. BE good
citizens. and then those of you who have
been good. honest and brave soldiers have
nothing to fear; but I warn those OF you
who have been nothing but sneaking, cow
ardly iayhawkers. cut-throats and thieves,
that just retributiOn awaits you, and I
hope to God that the Federal authorities
will hang you wheneverand wherever they
find you. and they will do ii sure.
Now I want to talk to you Missourians.
You are talking about going to your old
home to live again. What did every one
Missouri and expected to remain there?-
Why. that YOU would make every Union
man 'climb iree," and many threats Of
similar character. Now do YOU think
that those Union men whom you threat
ened with the halter a few davs ago. if yon
| got the power, are nowg going TO permit you
! to come and live among them, and have
all the rights and priyilaoes thew epioy9-
| Not much Now the tables are turned; if
you go back there, they may make you
climb trees: and hope they will, for many
of you richly deserve it. ABOUT this june
ture loud murmuring was audible in the
crowd, and bystander suggested to the
General that they might mob him. "Mob
h--ll! don't scare worth ad-nr' replied
the General. .1..
| want you all to GO home and be peace
able, quiet citizens, and if marauders and
outlaws come among You, do not take the
! law in your own hands; but if YOU can do
/ it, arrest them and deliver them over. with
such evidence as you can obtain, TO the
commandant of the nearest military post;
by this means YOU will place the response
hility upon others, and neutrality-suspicious.
quarrels and strife.
Do not complain if you are not permitted
to have voice in elections and civil af-
fairs You have forfeited all such rights
and il now becomes you to submit 10 such
laws and regulations as the Federal au-
thorities may deem proper TO enact. be-
lieve and know they will do the best thoy
. u