The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1866-02-15
A Rambls through the Con try.


EDITOR OF CouRIER.-For the last
parts of the adjoining counties, on busi-
ness for John Il. Shepherd, of ottumwa,
and very naturally met with variousper-
ssonsdiffering in Religion and in Politics.
As am pretty sure that my ramble
through the co ,ntry, would be interesting
toryenr many readers, I, give this to you
for publication. D., f.rarr- ~. ,r.sls -.
On the 10th oftne last month. II being a
: very cold and stormy day, was was COM
PEELED to stop occasionally in houses TO
warm: L stopped at one house close to the
county line of keoku and Mahaska coun-
ties, where n man by the name Of Robert
Berges resi,ted. We happened TO get i'm a
conversation about the shareholders rebel
lion. ~ O - y ~ rENHI
When entered the house, he babe me
how, do you do, and told me to take a
chair, set diwn and warm; done so, of
course. a.. He appeared like a very clever
fellow; as he was wearing a Federal over
coat, remarked, II suppose you have
-o been in the army ...a...
mo SIR
, ~ didn't k 1owibut what YOU had, as
see you have on the federal bue."'
1.-THE boys brought this from the army"
ar, "How many boys had you in the ar
N.Y."
7 , -Four r-.s .-,-...... r.. tr-=
"You have done right well for thearmv;
not many men have done SO WE'LL
Hedid not speak up as though it was
~
the Union army. since it differentiated as
1t has, but reservedly remarked, "Well,
yes.''t soon was well aware of his senti-
ments, looking around over the house, 1
noticed on a string. across the corner of
the room. a lot of Chicago Times and ask
ed him if he had those laid away to keep.
He said he wanted to keep them To refer to
occasionally. / told him I would like to
get a piece of newspaper TO put next to my
feet, as it was good to prevent the Cold
The wife went TO the back part ofthe house
and soon returned with half of one of the
Times. 1 took it, and was look ing over it
befor tearing it, and noticed a piece head
ed, Congress on the negro" The old
woman Remarked; Maybe you don't like
to read that kind of a paper l told her
that found no particular fault in reading
il. had read papers from southern type
before now ,@.."|@ tS.. n. ... as..t 4
''Sone won't read that paper at al, she
said .'''".'' ''.." IT."
replied by saying that it was q stern
opposer ofthe late war and the draft, that
it encouraged dosertion by printing let
tiers, purporting to have. been written by
some soldier in the armv, stating that the
soldier enlisted from patriotic motives, to
support the Constitution and the Union,
and now they see that they are fighting
fornothing but the niggers, and felt wo-
fully degraded on the account of having
been so basely hnmhugged by enlisting in
the so-caled Union army. It printed res
olutions, that four years of warfare had
proved to be a failure to settle this diff
entity, &c, and resolved THAT we will not
give another dollar, nor another man 10
support this abolition war; The Chicago
Times was against every measure devised
by Congress for the suppression of the re-
bellion. The old man said it opposed no
constitutional way. This gave room for "a
good many.questions as to what wa con-
late war was waged by the abolition par
ty, and for the purpose of freeing the mig
gers We had long chat. and he found
no fault with jeff Davis, and no end to the
faults found against our late President
Abraham Lincoln, One word gave rise to
announcer, Drought up the rebels
last effort to accomplish their end, which
was thesmurder of our beloved President
, This man Berges said that the shot which
killed "Old Abe" was the best shot ever
fired during the war. For moment or
more, my tongue cleaved to the roof of
my mouth; I conld not speak; did'ntknow
what to say. first. ] never had such feel
ings before in my life. Presently 1 said:
lyon are an old man, and should not
talk so; You have hurt my feelings. You
are the first man ever heard make use of
such language. | never want to hear an
other man say what Won have just said
He laughed and said, ''You Will have to
get used to such talk now, since military
nsages are getting ont of date men will
soon begin to speak their sentiments and
You will see in the course of ten wears
which will be the popular side of the ques-
. ton
Men in this part Of tho civilized world
should not talk SO. When went to my
regiment last spring, after being home on
furlouCh from n rebel prison, there was
I'D rebels on board the boat on their way
South. talked with numbers of them
about the death of Lincoln, and never did
one of them say as much against him as
you have said. So far as they expressed
themselves to me. they said they were sor-
rv OF his death. To this Berges snepred
] further said, that they looked upon him
(Lincoin) as their friend. TO this he re-
replied. Yes. a id poor friend" He
said the war was not yet over. Iasked him
where there was an armed force against
the government. He said there was none
now, hut there would be as soon as "nig-
ger suffrage was adopted.
.I could tell much more OF him but for
, bear. .- .. ...- ~
it f.A EAt ....a. II. A. PRATT