Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1877-05-30

SluAlCstOlI III luc OultCu DtdLc6 NlEs
cult Court before Chief Justice Waite
and Circuit Judge Bond.
The first witness for the govern
ment Jerry Cochran, testified as fol-
lows to-wit:
"At the first of the year proposed
to get Mr.. Atkinson on the Republi-
can ticket as High Sheriff. and /
worked hard to get him on. In April
Mr.. Atkinson came down and told me
that the leading rascals of the Repub-
lican party would all be killed before
the election. He named Sam Lee,
Elliott, Attoway Simkins, Kane, and
others who were to be killed. 1 said
to him that is bad step. What are
You going to do with Grant and his
soldiers? He said the North was go-
ing Democratic, and it was the best
thing 1 could do to 60 in with them.
l told him it was bad thing. We
had had two Presidents once, and it
had caused four years bloody war.
This would lead to the same thing
Aftcrward saw Atkinson at other
times, and he said it would be better
for me to join the Democratic party.
If we, the colored people, didn't join
them we would be turned off our
places and not be allowed to do any
thing. l did not agree with him
thought there was better way.
Shortly before the riot at Hamburg,
Mr.. Atkinson said the Republicans
would soon catch thunder; that sew
enty-seven claps of thunder would
strike them, and send them all to the
devil. 1t surprised me. That night
some one told me there was firing at
Hamburg. did not 60 to see about
it. l went next day to Hamburg, and
there saw four dead men. Then I
saw Mr.. Atkinson, and told him that
a Georgia man told me that if it had
not been for the Beach Island men
those men would not have been kill
ed. Atkinson said that was lie, and
if he didn't keep his mouth shut the
whole thing would come out. He
said that it was arranged that the
killing should be done by unknown
men, and Butler had done the whole
thing, and he was too smart man to
be caught. l told him Gen. Butler and
his party were poor marksmen. Not
one was killed in the fight. They
were all killed after they were taken
prisoner. He agreed with me, and
said they should not have been killed
after they surrendered. After that
Mr.. Atkinson told me need not be
ufarmeu; tney were not going to XIII
any laboring man but only the lead
ing, roguish, rascals. told him that
there were men killed who were lab
oring men, and that he turned loose q
class Of men who would kill anybody.
1t turned out that colored Democrat
was killed, and told him of it; that
the men he turned out would kill
everybody that had black spot on
them. 1 left my home, and my wife
went to Mr.. Atkinson's at his request !;
he would not let me take her to Aiken.
He told me he was better armed than
ever. / asked him what for, and he
said to protect the country. told
him they might tame lion with
kindness, but if they undertook to
fight him they would have trouble.
They might carry this election by
kindness, but not any other way. He
said the Democrats intended to carry
this election if they had to
wade to their saddle-skirts in blood.
heard was on the dead list, the list
of men to be killed, and went
to Atkinson's to see about it. He
went with me to DR.. Eaves' with Ned
Dunbar, who also heard he was on the
list. DR.. Eaves said we were not on
the list, but refused to tell me
who gave the names. Then
they told me l ought to join
the Democratic Club. After the Ellen
ton riot Atkinson said to DR.. Eaves
that Willie Page had disobeyed orders
at that riot. He said he sent his SON
Dawson down there at the Ellerton
troubles. He had, before this, said
he had arms enough to fire forty shots
before he had to load. Mr.. Atkinson
sent to me for my horse on Monday,
Tuesday, and Wednesday, while the
Ellerton riot was going on. He got
the horse on Tuesday and Wednes-
day. / asked what he was going to
do with the horse. He said he was
going to ride around the settlement
to see that the negroes behind didn't
rise after the rioters. He said Daw-
| son uau MS mare. AC Lnat tlmo wal
about home, in the fields and woods,
Saturday night we kept up watch
all night. / saw number of men
forty-eight, going armed on horse
back toward Ellerton. They were
white men. knew good many Of
them. They were Democrats. None
of them said anything to us excep
Mr.. Harrison Butler, who asked us i
we saw anyone going down that way
Next day most of them came back
and on Monday large number came
along, all armed. Our colored hand
picking cotton, all broke and rur
when they saw the armed men.