Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-23
ARTICLE IN HISTORICAL PAPER
TELLS OF STRUGGLE IN
EARLY DAYS.
WITNESSED THE SCENE
Judge F. w. EicheIberser as a News
paperman Was On the Story for
His Paper-TeIls Account
in Graphic Manner.

Annals Of Iowa, the historical quarter
ly published by the Historical depart
ment of the state of Iowa. The article
will be Of considerable interest to
Wapello county pioneers, as the scene
of this historical article was laid in
this vicinity. 1t Is from the pen IF
Judge F. W. Eichelberger of Bloom
field, one of the four judges Of the
Second Judicial district, and is very
cleverly written. The story follows:
During the dark days of the sum-
mer Of 1868, when Grant was invest
Ing Vicksburg and Lee was marching
on Pennsylvania, there existed in por-
lions of Keokuk, Poweshiek and Wa
pello counties large number Of
southern sympathizers, who had from
the outset Of the war made a fierce
opposition to its prosecution.
"A man named Tally, living near
Ioka, in Keokuk county, Baptist
preacher, made himself a leader
among this element by his blatant,
disloyal speeches in different parts of
the country, rendering himself obnox-
ious to the union-loving portion of the
community. He usually went armed
with a couple Of revolvers and a
bowie knife and openly defied the
authorities to arrest him. The fall Of
Vicksburg and the defeat of Lee at
Gettysburg seemed to embitter him
and his harangue became more VIC
lent and threatening.
Showed DisIoyalty.
con the first of August, accom-
panied by seventy or eighty men in
wagons, all armed, he went to South
English, in Keokuk county, and held
a meeting in the outskirts of the vii
lage. While this was in progress,
Republican meeting was organized in
the street opposite the hotel, which
was addressed by man named Set
tier, from Mt Pleasant, who happened
to be at the hotel. During the pro-
gress of this meeting, Tally and his
crowd drove through the meeting, ex-
hibiting butternut and copperhead
pins, which were the recognized
badges OF disloyalty in the north at
that time.
Tally Killed In Scrimmage.
"a wounded soldier, named Moor
man, seized one of the men wearing
butternut and stripped it off and
was proceeding to serve others in the
same way when he was seized by
some of them. His father went to his
rescue and discharged his revolver. At
this Tally raised up in his wagon and
gave the word to fire, at the same
time firing his own revolver into the
crowd and regular fusilade was dis
charged by his armed followers, but
singular to relate without hitting any
one. | was there the next day and
saw many bullets imbedded in the
hotel front The firing was returned
and Tally was killed and one of his
men wounded. On the fall of their
leader they drove off. vowing to re-
turn and hang number of the citi-
zens and burn the town.
WORD was sent to Washington,
Iowa, where Col. N. P. Chapman, chief
of staff for General Samuel R. Curtis
happened to be at home on a short
furlough. He left Immediately for
South English, whittier I accompanied
him in the interests of the Muscatina
Daily Journal of which paper was
then city editor.
Col. Chapman in Command.
"On our arrival Col Chapman or
ganized company, erected barri-
fort to take the town. During the
day companies of state militia arrived
from washington and others came in
from Poweshiek and Iowa counties,
and the town was turned into mill
tary camp, with Col. Chapman in COM
mand and J. F. McJunkin of Washing
ton, afterwards attorney general cf
Iowa, adjutant.
Gin the meantime mob Of six or
seven hundred men had gathered in
the bottoms of the Skunk river. arm
ed with all kinds of weapons from
shot-guns to meat axes. They demand
ed that ten of the best citizens Of
South English should be arrested and
Immediately tried, charged with the
crime of murder in the first degree,
and threatening to march on the town
and burn it, and seize the men them
selves and hang them, unless their de-
mand was complied with.
1.-THE messenger sent by them, dis
covering the preparations made for
their reception, returned and reported
that the men were willing to give
themselves up to the proper authori-
ties for trial, which under the cir
cumstances of Col. Chipman's prepar.
ations was accepted.
Army Dispersed.
''They were arrested by Sheriff Ad-
ans, had preliminary hearing be-
fore justice of the peace. and were
bound over in the sum of $1,000 each
for their appearance at the next term
of the district court The army OF
the Skunk was dispersed and Col
Chipman's forces sent home, and il
was supposed that the affair was end
ed But during the night another
mob of nearly one thousand men gath
cred on Skunk river bottom near Sig
Quincy and threatened to march on
that place and destroy it unless the
men bound over at South English
were Immediately brought to Sigouc
ney and placed on trial. There was
great excitement in Sigourney, the
business houses were closed and near
| ly every man turned out to defend tht
place. There was no railroad or tel
egraph line to Sigourney at that time
Mr.. Sanders, the clerk of the court
who afterwards established and con