Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-03-22
OUTHAaEs IN TEXAS.


The Knklux Khan Again On the war.
path As1Mss cru Hns:s ana 8'.ch
The Pesalsy for TsaGhtnE- Oolerea
Ting ssepabiicsn Principles.
BRENNAN, Texas, March 2, 1876.
To the Editor of The Inter-O Ocean,
For some months past, political aft
fairs is this portion of the State, and
in fact throughout the entire length
and breadth thereof, have been grow
ing very hot.
THE SPIRIT OF 1861
reappears, and the Kuklux Klans are
being reorganized and terminated by
political acrimony-sustained by the
worst and most insurrectionary ele-
ment ofSouthern Democracy. Agree
ably to clause in the new constitu-
ton of the State, an election for State,
county, and district officers was held
on the 18th of February, at which
election vast deal of fraud was
practiced. Actual force and threats
of violence were brought to bear in
counties where the Republican ma
jorities were known to be large by
which many of the freedmen were
frightened into voting against their
own inclinations, and contrary to
their best and dearest interests.
Prejudice ran mountain high, and an
all-peryading spirit of bitterness
possessed the hearts of the bad and
desperate element of the celestial
Democracy in this Section of the
South. One man was shot down in
cold blood OH the streets of Chapel
Hill, a village in the eastern portion
of the county, by one of the despera-
does who was a candidate for Office,
because he (the murdered mani voted
the Republican ticket. As it is a mat
ter of impossibility to punish these
moneyed outlaws, they have only to
make political issue of murder to be
protected in their hellish work by the
rich mobocracy of the country, as was
the case q few months ago in the
"Rocky," or Independence" affair,
where an old colored man was muir
dercd and the white Republican
speakers brntally beaten and driven
from the speaking by band Of these
outlaws, who have never been even
indicted for the crime.
THE GREATEST OUTRAGE YET PERPE-
in this section of the country, how
ever, occurred on the night of the
26th of February last. During the
last eighteen months have been en-
gagged in instructing the colored youth
Of my community. / have two other
friends engaged in the same business
with myself. Two of us board to-
gether; the other lives about two
miles from our place. We were all
together on the day preceding the
night in question. A death-like
hatred of us, founded on bitter oppo.
sition to our occupation, pervades the
minds of the whites. They have re-
peatedly sent us anonymous letters
through the mails, with the skull and
bloody cross of the Kuklux Khan af-
fixed, notifying us to leave the coun.
} try, to all of which we paid no atten-
ton, more than to be cautious and GO
well armed. After tea on the even.
ing referred to we started to walk
over to the place of our friend Mr.
Cross. On the way over, as we were
going o by-path through chaparral
of coupons, this being the nearest
route for a man on foot, we were fired
upon by party of men, some eight
!. or ten in number, who were ambush.
ed in the chaparral.
They rushed from the bushes tC
within few feet of us, so close in fact
, that we could see that they were white
men, and opened volley on us with
,, their six-shooters, missing us entire
ly. We returned the shots, when they
retreated into the chaparral, and on,
of them turned loose double-barrel
ed shotgun loaded with buckshot q
lis. Two of the shot struck Mr.. Con
ner, who was few feet in advance O
s Mr.. Cross and myself. One struck ,
g glazed-backed memorandum book
! after passing through the coat ani
: overcoat (the book being in an insid,
q breast pocket, and glanced off. Thu
= book, in all probability, saved hi
: life. The other struck him in tn
right arm, going between the tw'
: bones of the forearm, fortunately no
: breaking either of the bones. Tn
= remainder of the shots passed harm
0 lcssly over our heads. We continue,
to return the fire, making matters St
hot for them that they retreate,
+ deeper into the chaparral, firing a
y they went. Mr.. Conner fought yer
~ bravely until his pistol arm wa
wounded, when his revolver fell frol
" his hand, and his right arm droppe
1t powerless at his side. The scene {
is the conflict was about three-quartel
II of mile from Mr.. Cross house, an
when the firing ceased, and we foun
le ourselves in possession of the fielt
Is we started for the house, leadin
e Mr.. Conner, who was weak from los
> of blood, and Mr.. Cross going littl
q in advance, with his revolver cooke
e in his hand. AS we were not modest
I ed farther we reached the house i
safety, when Mr.. Cross, in compan
with colored man, went for tn
physician, who came and dressed tn
o wound. 1t may be considered for
+ tunate that we were not all murder
ed, as this was evidently the intentio
of the dastardly villains who fired o.
u us from the thicket. The return shot
It which we fired at them disconcerte'
d them, and
l. SAVED US FROM BEING AssAssINATEl
). in land of churches and schools
f within fifteen miles of the seat O
justice of the county i'm which W
were pursuing legitimate bushes;
molesting no one in any manne
+ whatever. During the political can
n vass, and at other times, we had ad
dressed the colored people from tn
. rostrum, always, however, givin,
u them the very best advice in on
= power. None of us ever placed
s dagger or torch in the hands of tn
> colored man against the whites; OF
the contrary, always advising them +
a peaceable and upright course Of &C
I ton. The only possible fault tina
g any one could have found with OH
i addresses was that we always counsel
ed them i'm political affairs to vote tn
straight Republican ticket. This i
the state OF affairs here to-day. Eter
0 nal vigilance has become the price o
0 life with US. In a land of boaste,
0 patriotism and chivalry, men engage,
: in business which the organic Law
0 of the nation provides for, must carr
n an arsenal about them and must slee
!. with
THE SHOTGUN AND THE REMINGTON
f to protect themselves from the mid
/, night onslaught of the lawless DIES
u parade, alias the patriotic citizen an
a hospitable neighbor. They tell tn
: people of the North that reports @
p Southern Kuklux outrages are all re
- ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for poli'
= zeal effect, etc. Perhaps so, but re
II nance assumes the air of histor,
when human blood is spilled. Tn
d time is fast approaching when whit
# man dare not teach a colored schoo
- in the State of Texas.
s, JOHN HARMON DE SHIELD.
N Facts Abous Cloyer.
y Clover seed bids fair to be YER
~ ~ scarce the coming spring; at a
!" events it has suddenly gone up
N price, and farmers who have it to bu
= find that they have to pay two {
: three dollars per bushel more tina