The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1884-10-16
The Statement of Mr.. White.

Sity ASeeoIocI.
The Statement Of MI. White.
EMMErsnuna, Ia. Sept. 40 Hav-
Ing read the letter OF the Hon, Thos,
d. Jones, In the New York Mercure,
published In your issue Of Sept. n,
regarding the outrage on Father
Dapet. and being resident or Els
worth ut the time OF that outrage, l
was we'll acquainted with Mr., Jones,
and say that every word In Mr., Jones
letter il true.
Father Bapst generally staid at
my house, but l being from hcme on
the night OF the outrage, he stopped
ut Mr.. Kcnt's.
! must say, In addition to Mr.,
Jones statement, that the fury OF the
mob, or In other words. the know
nothing party. In Ellsworth, was kept
up by 4 wealthy man In the town by
tho name Of Seth Tisdale. He own.
ed great many mills, and employed
q large number OF men, whose pas.
sions he kept continually at blood
heat against foreigners aud espec-
iaily Irish Catholics, 10y reading the
KenIebec Journal. 4 know nothing
paper published In Augusta, Maine
and edited by James Il. Blaine. the
man who Is now running for prcsi-
dent and begging for Catholic Irish
| votes.
Mr.. Blaine as editor OF the Journal
did not denounce tho dastardly out
rage, but rather encouraged 1t by
saying, 1.-THE mob must have had
great provocation to commit such u
deed" When the mob took Father
Bapst from Mr., kent's, they robbed
him Of SAG and Of my gold watch l
had loaned him while his was being
repaired. As they were passing
General Jones' house, Father Bapst
cried to General Jones to save him
but his voice was drowned by the
hootings Of tho crowd. and u big.
burly negro struck him In the face.
The shouts OF his prosecutors were
terrifying aud attracted the attention
OF a woman, who asked the cause
and was told they were going to tar
and feather "Old Rapsts as the know
nothings called him. She asked II
they had the feathers, they said, no.
when she returned to her house and
brought them u pillow, Farther on
they came To a tree. and rope was
called for with which TO hang him,
but a majority protested. saying they
would carry out the resolutions OF
the meeting which was ''tar and
feathers" After no was stripped
and tar and feathers applied, certain
ones proposed To burn him, and he
was tied to Il tree for that purpose.
but this failed as the matches would
not light the brush wood. After
completing their ileaaish work, they
told him that II he said mass next
day or was evercanght In Ellsworth
again they would kill him. The
riding on the sharp rail and other
inhuman treatment had 50 exhsust.
ed Father Rapst that with great
G..ilculty he crawlea back to Mr.,
kent's and knocked for admission,
but the family fearing 1t was some
OF the mob refused to open the
door until he made himself known,
He told them to hand him out a
sheet TO cover his nakedaess. when
he entered. Mr., Kent returning from
search for him, gathered few
friends who worked until 3 o'clock
Sunday morning, cleansing him
from tar and feathers. Duliag the
time Gen. Jones came In, denounc-
ed the mob. and assured Father
Bapst Of his friendship.
Shortly after this the Know
Nothing mob went To burn our
church, which We used also for a
school house. but were prevented
by Col. Jarvis, a Protestant friend
OF ours, who stood between them
and the church and said they should
pass over his dead body first, They
chsered the colonel aud retired. but
two nights later they returned and
blew up the building with tor
pedo from which II caught ire and
was entirely consumed. They also,
a few days later. burned the new
church We were building. The scene
OF these eowardlv outrages was but
u few miles from Augusta, aud II il
useless To deny that the incendiary
articles constantly written and pub
lished by Mr.. Blaine In his ksnne-
bee Journal was almost the chief
cause OF these ilendish acts. KNEW
Mr.. Madigan well, whom Blaine de.
feated with the Madiyan circular, !
was n member OF the Maine legis-
lature when Mr.. Madigan was the
assistant clerk. l am NV eighty
six years OF ago. and out of politics
| only wish my eountrymen To know
the exact truth rs tn how Mr., Blaine
prosecuted people OF our faith when
he thought he could 10 sowith I'M.
punits. Shall We forget these out
RACES on November 4th? / for one
will not. but will east my ballot
for Grover Cleveland. Very truly