Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1873-05-29
OUNTY, IOWA. THURSDAY. MAY 30, 1873.
THE MASSEY LETTERS.

=
THE MASSEY LETTERS.
| Mr.. Nashy eugWests Quick nutl Easy
Method sr DispOsing or the MOdOcs.
From the Toledo Blade.
CoNFEDRIT \ ROADS,
(Which is in the State of Kentucky,)i
May Z, 1873.
The great problem NV the day seems
to be how to get the Modocs out Nv the
holes in the lava beds, so that they kin
be regularly killed by the military for
ces NV the Y0onited States. Ez the
Government has armed them rather
better, ez rule, than they have their
own troops, and ez they decline 10
come out and fite by the regular tac-
tics, the conundrum is hard one.
Ez 1t seems to be certain that who
ever goes out agin em gets killed,
wood sejest that the shortest way NV
endin the war wood be to compel the
Indian and army contractors to fite
EN-. But presume they wood object.
They doubtless find it more profitable
TO furnish the soldiers and the Indians.
Ez Kentucky Democrat, who hez
never been reconstructed, and never
will be wood be pleased to hev the
tyrant Grant and the Cabinet which
assists him in his tyranny go on this
duty, but + don't spose they will do it.
/ hev, however, sejestion for in
trappin the willy savages, which, with
my yoosual generosity, give the pub
lie gratis. ask no reward, but ef the
Government hez sense of gratitood
the Government knows my address,
wich IL Confederit X Roads. Ef re-
ward is given me wood say, let ii be
in greenbacks. Medals are all well
enuff for fucher generashuns, but med
ais will not buy likker for this genera
shun and this is the one hev an es-
peshal interest in. Bascom don't re-
cognize medals.
Ny idee is best illustrated by the
narrashen nv a incident which occurred
at the Cross Roads only last week, and
wich seiestid it.
The old citizens NV the Cross Roads,
in asportive mood, few weeks ago,
made ii tolerably warm for Pollock
and dozen or 90 niggers. They bus
It'd in Pollock's house, and bustid the
head NV every nigger they happened
to meet in the streets. One nv cm,
bleev, died from the injoories. Joe
Bigler and Pollock determined to see
eff ther wuz eny law in Kentucky to
protect EN-, and 10 that end they made
complaint afore the grand joory, no,
ez a matter nv joke, indicted all the
participants, witch inclooded Captain
McPelter, Elder Pennibacker, Deekin
Pogram. Issaker Gavitt and myself
Nv course the joory he'd no idea that
we shood be arrested, but they wuz
mistaken. The judge and the sheriff
he'd been over to the Corners, only a
week afore, and he'd he'd a dispoot with
Bascom about a bar bill, and they took
this opportoonity to crafty their spite.
They came over with strong possee
to take the entire lot NV us, and, expec-
tin resistance, came armed.
We got notice NV their intenshun and
determined that, no matter wat the re-
suit, we wood not submit to SO outra-
geous an infringement nv our rites ez
Kentuckians. We went to the church
we took in with US our shot-guns and
revolvers--we barricaded the doors and
winders, and calmly awaited the COM
in Of the minyuns nv the law.
They came-five nv EN-. Seein our
paaishen. the sheriff with white cloth
ON the ramrod Nv his shotgun ap-
render.
sNeverl' sed l. "We are armed TO
the teeth, and wo be to yoo eff you at
tempt to take us. Go home, misguided
man! The Corners never surrend-
ers!
He saw that we wuz all armed, and
went back for consultashen. We
coodent hear wat they sed, but their
ackshens wuz omenus. They sat down
afore our citadel to besiege us. They
fired shots at us at intervals, wich we
returned, tho no damage wuz done on
either side.
The day wore away. We entered
our fortress at 9 in the mornin, and at
IL we began to be anxious that the
siege be raised. We Good go without
eatin day or two, without trouble
But at IL o'clock the terrible fact oc-
Cured to us that we hedn't brot with
us q drop NV whisky! not a drop. Ez
we gazed out NV the winders we Good
see the citizens Nv the Corners fiockin
gaily into Bascom's, and / Good, thro
the open door nv the grocery, see Mrs.
B. settin' out the familycr bottle, and
the drouthy souls asswagin their thirst.
The site wuz maddenin. Within twen-
to be had! Outside the officers stood
Ito venture out wuz arrest-and yet
how Good we stay?
But we resolved (and swore each to
the other) that, likkcr or no likker, we
wood resist the officers to the last
that eff they took us they wood take
us ded!, For men who he'd not he'd a
drop for three hours-with grosery
in full site, almost within hearin NV the
refreshin gurgle NV the flooid ez ii
gushed from the bottles mouth, this
wuz more than Spartin firmnis. Greece
in her pammiest days never furnished
heroes NV more sterner mould, and the
Greeks NV the olden TIME were no
slouches.
At half-past II that venerable saint,
Deekin Pogram, wuz nearly delirious,
and down Elder Pennibacker's wan
bloc cheeks teers chased each other in
rapid succession.
1--WE kin die, elder!" said the deck
in.
"We kin-wc kin! responded the
elder.
At l O'Clock Joe Bigler jined the be-
siegen party. He talked mint or
two with the Sheriff, and one NV the
officers left. lie went into Bascom's,
and in a mint emerged with Jug
That jug he carried up to within ten
rods Of the meetin- house, and sot it on
q dry goods box, with tnmbler beside
it. We watched the proceedin with
breathless interest. Joe Bigler with a
piece nv chalk wrote, in bold letters on
that box: sf
"CoRN wHISKY-FREE y
And the officers went back few
steps.
The deekin looked at II, and shud-
der shook his venerable frame.
@ParsOnn eed he ~ am an old man