The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-02-15
Editor JoUI;IER

,fr..s., ... ..... .s,,, As there las bet.f q
o. pamphlet published purportb;g to Tie tn.
If. and Confession OF Ii. \. AicColnb, l
would like 10 say few words in regard to
1t through the, medium ofyour paper.
AT the time of Ne,Comb's escape and
from that time Until after his execution
therei were many false reports in the
Ottumwa Mercury, which never dispu-
ted or condescended so to do; but when
they published book, claiming it to bt
thee Lifes and Confession OF McComb /
supposed they would have had more hon
ar than to publish things they knew to be
false, laat find they have. Therefore l
5ntehi to deny some statements regard
jug myself ana family. ...Ij r.: .rf..ni'
ID First, they say the boy who gave Taylor
the Keys, was twelve or thirteen years old,
while he was only ten. Next, they say
the alarm was not given of Taylor and
McComb's escape until two O'Clock. That
is false. The alarm was given before
. o'clock and dilligent search ma e, for the
prisoners. Next they say: If Sheriff Der
y by had been three hours later, Sheriff Bon
nitield would have taken the prisoners.
They copy from the Mercury the follow.
ing: --- THTnn ETw
'Mr. Bonnifield, accompanied by Charles
Carwile, and one or two others, left in
pursuit OF the prisoners the morning after
their escape. They tracked them to with
In n short distance of Turner's house on
Friday night, when. being worn down
with fati nft,n1pya1 n
watch them. The watch heard them
gathering wood for tire-saw them kindle
it--and heard them converse at different
times in the night. Early Oh Saturday
IN ,rning, he says that Turner came out o!
his house, went towards McComb and
Tayloran cnughed. When he gave this
signal the two prisoners came up to him
and went into the house. The watch then
went to inform Bonuitield of the fact OF
their being in the house. Bonnfield and
his party were Just ready to pounce upon
them and arrest them when they heard OF
the arrest by Derby. TO Bonnigeld more
than any other person, belongs the credit
of capturing the prisoners. He had been
on their track for two days, andwas ust
on the point of making the arrest, when
informed that Derby had paid 400 dollars
for the Information that he obtained by
his zeal and watchfulness." ....
In the foregoing they say Mr.. Bonnitield
employed a man to watch Turner house,
that he saw the prisoners Saturday morn
ing. Now, if q man was watching there
with eight or ten men and we were secre-
ted in and around the house. Still, it
seems that the watch did not see us. But,
suppose there was a watch there, how
Was Bonnifield going to pounce upon the
prisoners when he (Bannitield) was at
Ashland, fifteen miles away.
/ arrested the prisoners and took them
to Stump-town. There Mr.. Bonnifield
Joined us about nine or ten O'Clock, and
employed a boy to ride his horse to Ottum-
wa and he came on the cars, I suppose To
have the honor of accompanying The pris-
oners and to make an impression that he
bad taken them. They say, "to him more
d. than any other person, belongs the credit
OF capturing the prisoners"
Now, do not claim any credit for cap
turing them; hut claim that did my du-
~ anu cdituTeu tue pTiSoieTS WITHOUT an y
of Mr.. Bonnifelfs assistance. -..
Then, on page 45 / find this,
''And up to the time Of his (McCombsl
trial, he was believed to be innocent of the
charge ofmurdering Laura J. Harvey, SO
persistently had he denied it. and so kind
and submissive had been his conduct"
~. Now this is false for not one the fam
lily believed him innocent. .aa.
.r' ~ ..n. .#r.. u. st. SHERIFF.