The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1870-01-06
A Christmas Story.

"A SuIlStludS 0IOIys
The treason Of Georgy; and the
consequent surrender of the for.
tresscd garrison oil Comornc, en-.
aod the heroic 1s struggle OF Kos.
~sth aud his Hungarians for liberty.
party of distinguished officers
who were surrendered at Comorne.
were eSiled TO America, instead Of
being turned over to the tender mer.
cies OF the brutal Austrian execu.
TONER Haynau. Among them were
the Count Uzhazi, General George
Pomutz, afterwards Adjutant, Ma.
Tor and Lieut. Colonel 18th Iowa and
now United States Consul at the
Court of st. Petersburg,) varga,
(since Treasurer Of Decatur County,
and several others, whose names we
have forgotten, who formed q COLONY
IN Decatur County, Iowa, which in
remembrance Of one Of the finest
cities in their native land, they named
New Buda, AID which was then on
the very verge ofcivilization.
Our pioneers proceeded at once to
construct themselves rude huts, and
IN doing which, Pomutz had COCA.
sion to employ a family by the name
OF Burrell the wife and daughters to
aid about the house, and the sons on
the farm, building houses, etc.
1t is however of John Burrell the
parental dad OF this interesting
family OF Burrells, and who Is really
the hero Of our story, and which
during the war was repeated with
SO much gusto at every Christmas
recurrence, by the gallant Pomutz
that We propose to write.
Burro'l was a regular type of the
Daniel Boone sort of a back. woods.
man. He wore buckskin pants, tow
linen shirt, coonskin cap, fawnskin
vest, and was in fact a veritable
counterpart Of Robinson Crusoe a.
he is represented in all our interes.
ting fictions, clothed from top to
toe IN the skins and furs Of the vari-
GUS and sundry animals, which had
succumbed to his prowess in the
chase.
Most OF his time he spent in the
wilderness. miles away from the
haunts Of civilization, aud only re-.
manned with his family on Pomutz'
place, few months during the most
rigid part of the winter.
During these brief periods, he was
tor the most part Of the time, guest
OF Pomutz, principally because the
latter was always bountifdlly sup.
piled with tobacco the best of liquors
&C., which he had way of dispen
sing, with a princely hospitality.
During one Christmas, Pomutz
had invited tho other Hungarian
refugees Of the Colony, to partake of
his bachelor hospitallties, and while
he and the improvised help, were
dancing around the room, making it
ready for the expected guests, roast.
ing the turkies, &C., John Burrell was
sitting In the corner, taciturnly like
an Indian, meantime ejecting his
tobacco spittlc into the roaring fire,
and occasionally indulging in Pomutz
Garribaldi Tea" which was an
agreeable mixture Of Green Tea.
Whiskey, &C., in connecting which
beverage, Gen. pomutz acquired an
envIabie reputation in New Buda,
and which he carried with him into
the service, adding greatly to his
popularity and lustre as soldier.
Finally John Burrell aroused him.
self from his reverie and exclaimed !:
"Pomutz why do.you people make
so much fuss about Christmas
What does Christmas mean, any.
way? why" says Pomutz, Our
rell don't you know what Christmas
means. Don't you know that this is
the anniversary of the birth Of
Christ, our Savior. Didn't you never
hear OF Christ 2" Says Burrell, in
reply, scratching his head, :'Christ ="
"Christ y "Waal, now since you have
mentioned his name, l don't know
but have heard of him, when | was
boy, but poor man! have never
heard wha:in the dickens ever became
of him SINCE"
John Burrell was directly crowded
ont OF Decatur County, as it acquir.
cd a few struggling people, and from
there he went to Montana, where at
last accounts no was visiting his
familyin the settlements occasionally
drinking his whiskey semi-occasion.
ally, and voting the Democratic
ticket (of course) with unvarying
regularity.
Remarkable.