The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1868-10-15
Nasty.

An Unpleasantnessat the Corners
How the Citizens of that Quiet
Locality were Compelled to Take
Up Arms in their Defence Mr..
Nasby's account of the Affair.
posT OrricE CoNrEDRIT X ROADS, J
(Which is in heStait nv Kcntucky) !
Sept %, 1868.
For fear that colored statements
NV the recent unhappy affair which
occurred at this place may be sent
North, to the prejoodis NV the Demo
cracy. | hereby make calm and
truthful statement nv it. ! will pre-
fix my account by stain that the
citizens of the Corners hev allus de-
sired to live on amicable terms with
the colored men, feelin that their
interests are more or less identiklc.
To show how completely we hev
conkered our prejoodises and how
much we desire peace, l will state
that for q month there hev bin only
two niggers hung, and them under
circumstances Nv CRATE provication:
One Nv EN- made face at Issaker
Gavit, and tother refoozed to give
Kernel Punt credit for load NV wa
termelons, claimin that the Kernel
already owed him, and that ther wuz
no law tor niger to collect debts
NV white men. Wv coorse we cant
stand insolence from EN-.
The late unpleasantnis originated
in this wise. The Radikles NV this
county he'd give EN- out that they
intended to hold politike meetin
at this place on the Goth instant.
knew that eff they did it, blood would
flow, for / knowed the temper and
feelins NV our peaceable citizens. To
avoid bloodshed, l sent word to EN-
not to come-hot to hold the meetin
that efthey did. L Good not be re-
sponcible, and their blood would be
on their own heads. Partikclerly
warned them not to como armed, for
our citizens wont stand that anyhow.
We kin never permit men who differ
from us to carry their arms, ez in
case we hev dispoots with EN-, they
mite be dangerous.
My well ment endevurs wuz froot-
island Issaker Gavitt thot he'd try.
On the morning Nv the day Issaker
rode out to find Of they were armed,
and also whether they were bound
to come in. He returned reportin NV
EN- comm, and every one Nv en- arm
ed to the teeth. At 10 a. m. the pro-
cession entered town, headed by
moosic and the nashnel flag. Ez it
passed Bascom's Issaker Gavitt, who
he'd a double barreled shot gun in his
hand, happened accidentally to let
the hammer fall onto the nipple, when
it went off. Unfortunitly it was
pinted in tho direction NV the process.
sion, and niger fell from his horse
with the top Of his head blowd orr
To increas the disorder a small rock
playfully throwed by Kernel Punt at
about the same time, struck another
one on the head, and several other
rocks from others in and about Bas.
CONS knocked more NV en- down.
lied the niggers passed on quietly all
wood hev bin well, but they didn't
Eager to quarrel, and full NV inso-
lence, and RELY seekin a pertext to
embroil us. the procession stopped in
wild confusion, many Nv EN- takin to
the woods to create the impreshun
that they he'd bin attack. The
dooplisity of the niger carakter is
beyond tindin out! We wuz surprlr-
ed at their breakin up so suddenly,
and for minnlt we didn't know wat
to do.
Eff the procession stopped in front
Nv Bascom's our citizeus conjectured
their design wuz to attack the gro
sery, wich is RELY the citadel Nv the
town. In Bascom's is all the likker
we hev-in Bascom's our inosent rev.
els is held-and Bascom's we
will defend to the last +!
Wat wuz we to do? Unarmed and
helplis, we were onprepared for this.
But Heaven smiled onto US and give
us the means to defend ourselves
The rifles, revolvers and shot guns
belongin to the principal families Nv
the Corners, and the surroundin coun-
try happened to be in Bascom's,
stackt up behind his bar, and provi-
denshelly they wuz all loaded and
capped. In minit's time they wuz
distributed, and afore the mob Good
organize to make tho attack, a we'll
directed volley wuz poured into en-.
This dismayed EN-, and tho entire
mass Nv EN-, SIGH ez wuzn't killed,
fed to the woods. Two Nv the blood.
thirsty wretches wuz shot at the edge
Of McPelter's woods, by the Captain
and Elder Pennibacker, who feared
that they wuz goin in there to reor-
ganize and return to complete their
dredful work. Elder Pennibacker kill.
ed one inhuman villain with an axe,
which had bin wounded in tho ARRAY
and wuz found in a corner NV his
fence tryin to stop the flow NV blood.
All that day, a posse NV citizens were
engaged in quellin the fears NV the
community by huntin down these
dangerous incenjaries with dorgs and
KILN NV en-, for ez they exceeded us
in numbers we rely tremblcd forthe
safety Nv our wives and children.
After terrible day, the agltated
town wuz restored to it's wonted
peece, and the citizens slept ez VOC
sual. The casualties on our side is not
SO large ez mite hev been expected.
when we consider the fearful purpose
NV tho barbarians who assailed u.s.
Deekin Pogram wuz seriously injoor-
ed by rock which Issaker Gavitt
histed strate up in his unthinkin OK.
element, and poor Kernel MOI elter's
shotgun burst tho second time he
fired it, takin Off his thumb. These
injoories sustained by our citizens may
be charged directly to the internal
niggers who would pervoke our
peacefy inclined people. But they
suffered for it. Eleven NV them wuz
killed and some thirty or foryt wuz
wounded. The latter hev bin all cared
for. They wuz taken to the County
Infrmary for treatment-the expen-
ses being charged up to EN- ez a lien
upon their property, which will, NV
course, be sold to defray it.
Our citizens do not boast NV wat
they hey done. Thew feel IL xyuz an