The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1877-10-05
Let no one Vote who
has not Complied with
the Registry Law
Van Buren Letter.

VAN BUREN, October lst, 1871.
ED. JEFF; notice among your there"
of last week, a statement that very
pleasant dance had taken place in Van
Buren, on Wednesday evening, and all
had enjoyed themselves very much. From
the facts which have been able to collect.
in regard to that pleasant affair, am led
to believe that if those present enjoyed the
entire programme, of the evening, there
are those in the world who will not eX-
perience a very great change when the
sphere of their rioting shall finally become
fixed.
My conclusion may be harsh. but let me
in order to temper if possible, the judg-
mcnt of those of your readers who might
be inclined to crilicioe what | have said
above, reveal to them few of the facts,
which have forced me 10 the above CON-
clusion.
One Jacob Otenweller, of this place, and
the hotel keeper here, had bills out for a
dance at his place on thar night, and they
were scattered all over the country. The
result of the advertisement was that about
fifty young men of the surrounding vii
lages of North Baltimore, Arcadia, Bairds-
town, McComb and Findlay, assembled
there Some of them brought girls, who
/ will venture did not regard the occasion
a pleasant one. There is in the hotel, u
department which l am accustomed TO
call whisky shop. the consequences was
that when the natural energies of those
present or at least some of them. began
10 fail, this department was the resort for
recruiting their iaded spirits; soon the
steam was terribly up, and boys became
so noisy that the dance could not continue
a gIeit while; l suppose on the principle
that music is said to kill mouse.
4 number of the boys scattered through
the town and made night hideous with
their riotous noise. Noise will usually
satisfy the outgusbings of whisky, but il
seems that the article used on this occa-
sion must have been very bad, for it
caused the commission of many other
deeds of which the following are few ::
At Peter Whetstone's they killed a dog.
and carried off thee or four chickens
Il
hallooing to the residence of Mr.. Benham,
where he lay a corpse, and there Gre
ated much confusion. Among other
things, they stabbed hog at the latter
place, and at Mr.. Lape's they wounded a
hog so that il had TO be killed the next
morning. They also stabbed cow at
one of the above places, and committed
many other outrages, while wandering
about under the influence of liquor.
Upon the whole, Mr. Editor, the pleas
ant phase which seems to have been put
upon this affair by your informant of last
week, came Doubtless from some one not
conversent with the facts. or who wished
to suppress them, and not from those who
were present, and who, when ''cloihed in
their right minds" would shudder to re-
member that the matter occurred in their
vicinity. Imust say that during the thirty
years have lived in this vicinity. have
never known so outrageous an Occurrance
And now, Mr. Editor, when I think over
this occurrence, l shudder, and ask my
self, shall this thing ever again take place
in our neighboIhood? To this question
The answer comes spontaneously, that if
our neighbors, myself included, are will
ling to tolerate the direct cause of this out
rage, We cannot be offended at lis legltl-
mate fruits.
This proprietor was certainly account.
able for the whole affair. He invited
those Y nung mec to his den of destruction
and there. while absent from daily cares,
and for the purpose of recreation and fun,
he takes advantage of their disposition to
! jollity, and sets before them the poisoned
| cup. Those boys, from l6 to 20 years of
age, were nursed by fond mothers and
cared for by affectionate fathers, all in
the hope thai they should, in 1877. be the
ornaments of our young society