Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-04-17
MANeAN DENIES 1T.
Former ottumwan Brands Race War
Story as Fake.

]. A. Mangan, formerly well-knowis
Ottumwa man and now prominent ia
| the affairs of Lawton, Oklahoma,
writes to the Courier to express his
righteous Indignation, as citizen of
| the new town, on account of the dis,
patches sent out from Lawton to the
daily papers of the United States re-
| garding a race war The story was
published in nearly every paper with
in radius of 1000 miles from Law
ton, and but few of them tried to get
at the real truth of the matter. Among
those who did was the Courier, which
published, simultaneously with the
dispatch affirming that there was a
race war, special telegram from Mr..
Mangan to the effect that there was
no trouble of any kind. The dispatch
from Mr. Mangan was received too
late to admit of taking out of the pa
per the earlier one to the effect that
race war was in progress, but the
readers of the Courier were enabled
to learn the truth in the same paper
that contained the dispatch which Mr..
Mangan brands in no uncertain terms
as false. Mr.. Mangan's letter is as
follows:
Lawton, o. T., April 10, 1902.
Ed Ottumwa Courier:-In your is
sue of April z, appeared an
article under the caption Battle at
Lawton, that is so unjust that III.
might be called malicious if malice
had cause to exist up there. That
Lawton has aroused the envy and
malice of other Oklahoma cities,
Guthrie, Oklahoma City, Ell Reno and
the rest, have cause to be jealous be-
cause Lawton is forging to the front
and threatens to outstrip them all iii
the race for supremacy in the state.
Such report emanating from rival
city would be ascribed to it's true
cause. Published in a leading news
paper in Iowa it's incentive is incom-
prehensible. Such rot is calculated to
injure the fair name of the most mar
velous city that American enterprise
has yet created Lawton needs no de-
fence-requires no eulogy. 1t de-
mands only that the truth be told. II
the whole truth were told to the stald
citizens of the north and east it would
read like page from fairy book
A vast expense of prairie plain, the
home of the coyote, the red man and
cattleman, in eight short months has
been transformed as if by magic. Ev
cry quarter section is the home of an
American farmer the descendants OF
the sturdy pioneers who have made
America what it is. Towns and cities
are springing up as if at the touch Of
the magician's wand. Yet wild spec,
ulation is not ripe, nor should it be
encouraged. The people realize that
adverse conditions may confront
them. Crops may fail for year or
two or three, in which event develop
ment will be checked and hardships
will have to be endured. They have
counted the cost and have determined
with the tenacity, the pluck and enter
prise of the Anglo-Saxon, to carry the
work through to ultimate success.
Referring to the article in question:
You have many readers who have
friends in Lawton. Those people
would quite naturally be agitated re.
garding the actual safety of their
friends. For this reason, if none 9TH
err, such reports are monstrous. Quot
ling from your article: ga race war
brought on by discussion at the re-
cent city election" A quieter election
has not been held in Ottumwa for
twenty years. Saloons We're closed
tight until 6 p. m. There was not
fight in the city that day, nor single
arrest made. Can Ottumwa show a
better election day record? Forty
negroes were driven from town"
False! '"The women and children
huddled in the negro church, There
is no negro church in Lawton. "The
army of blacks is gathered at FIT Sill"
There is not and has not been ne
gro at or near Ft. Sill "The whites
massed in the courthouse yard" Sun.
day forenoon the writer, accompanied
by his family passed the courthouse
square on the way to and from
church. In the afternoon he walked
through the square on the way to and
from baseball game. "The whites
lmassed" there were invisible. "The
present force of 100 deputies and the
police were able to quell the rioters"
The regular police force of ten men
has never been increased, not even on
election day. Sheriff Painter has reg
ular deputies located in towns in diff
ferent parts of the county. This force
lis not too large for county sixty
miles wide by eighty miles long cat
'l9 o'clock Sunday morning crowd of
whites, led by a crowd of Texas cow
boys, started to eXpel all negroes"
IfapooluICiy 4NSSIOCS nave OUU
armed men," On authority of a re-
|liiable colored man the statement is
made that there are not and never
has been more than seventy-five nea
groes in Lawton. ''Lawton is populat.
ed largely by men from Texas" On
the contrary, Lawton is populated
largely by men from Iowa, Kansas,
Illinois, Nebraska and other western
states. There are many people here
from Texas, Arkansas, Missouri and
other southern states, but the section.
al line is not drawn nor thought of.
Men. from Texas and Illinois are part
ners in business. There is no narrow
mindedness, no sectionalism, no race
nor creed prejudice. There are but
few negroes here. There never will be
many. 1t is conceded to be a white
mans town, consequently there is no
Involvement for colored men to come.
i We wish the people of the north to
know the truth and tell it. We are a
united people in city, village and coun-
try, striving for the upbuilding here
i of great commonwealth Confidenoa