Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-09-29
George Kitterman is The Oldest
Native Born Son Of Wapeu0 Co.

The person who has the. distinction
OF being the oldest native born son OF
Wapello county and incidentally con-
tinual resident Of the county with the
only lapse Of residence less than five
months during which time he was q
member OF the union forces in the
war OF the rebellion, Is George w. KIT
terman OF Ottumwa. This Oldest son
does not seem SO old when one sees
him daily In his duties about the Wap-
n clio county court house, where a.
janitor he has enough to do to keep
him from dwelling on the thought OF
approaching years. The claim to SEN
iority among native pioneers, Is not
the only thing that serves to feature
George Kitterman for he has had the
unique distinction Of being able to
attend in the flesh at his own funeral.
Then too he has q fund Of anecdotes
and "Reminiscences that are to say the
least, entertaining and makes him
company worth while to spend an
hour with, but George must not be
called an old man. for he believes IN
the maxim that one is but as old as he
feels, and he does not feel old IN the
least.
Relates Story Of Battle.
He does not like to dwell on the
subject Of his unexpected attendance
at his own funeral service, and when
pressed for the story grew thought
full and for the time being was trans
ported back to the scene Of carnage
at Marks Mills There as member
OF the 36th Iowa infantry, in Co H, he
was again participating in fight UNI
der Gen. r. M. brakes command as
one Of probably 1000 boy. In blue
against the confederate general. Fagen
with 5000 cavalry. Involuntarily feel
ing of his shoulder as II to see II the
wound made that day was still there;
he said: There wero just three o. my
company escaped the awful slaughter
{ that day at Marks Mills, and one
4 { these, Tom Lynch, who was also q
yapello county man, saw me fall as
was shot through the shoulder You
see there We're number Of the COM
panies in the 36th Iowa that hailed
from Wapeilo county and my brother
John, men. Ser Of the LIST Iowa cav
airy was In the same amy corps. /
tell you this to lea. up to the story
you asked me to I |.
Home Before Funeral.
Lynch seeing ne shot, naturally
supposed / was dead and managing to
escane unscathed made 1t his business
TO tell brother John as soon a. he
ffId him, and of course John rote
home to mother AMI father who lived
on the farm, in Dehlonega town. hip.
Although wo,.nied through the shoul-
der. the rsnort of ny d >ath was
or at exaggerated, at least 81 /
tho,ght when got home. but l must
1Ot get ahead OF my story. was
picked up where lay on the field of
sIark's Mills, April "a, 1864, and with
the balance of the wounded union. sol
iiiers was kept In a field hospital un-
3t'l paroled. l do not recall the date of
my parole; hit know I got home be-
tore the Fourth Of July. The letter Of
my brother must have preceded me;
but little, for was to learn Of my
funeral upon arrival home.
Thought Him Spirit.
II arrived home of Saturday
morning between Q and o'clock, and
did not have an easy time to get into
my own home either. You see my
funeral service had been arranged for
The next dav, Sunday at 10 o'clock in
the morning, and the folks thought
me dead for brothers letter said so.
Then, too, the people in those days
we're pretty careful about anyone
proving at night and kept a gun
handy. tell you this to explain the
care that father took when / tried to
get into my own home. ! called and
knocked, and finally my father came
to the door and asked who was there.
When told him he would not believe
It, but by persuasion he gradually
opened the door and not u.:til some
time elapsed would be believe that it
was I. However he became convinced
and mother hearing the noise wanted
to know it's cause. Father told her
had returned. but she would not be-
lieve It, He told her It was and
she insisted that it might be my
spirit coming home,' but not the flesh.
After good deal Of persuasion she
gave in. need not tell you that there
was no more sleep that night in our
house, for we lived the absence all
over again and never shut an eye dur
Ing the balance Of the night.
Joy Replaces Funeral.
"As times were then, news did not
travel fast as today, and my return
was not known to but few in the
course Of the day. Sunday was to be
my own funeral and was to be there,
but not in the usual role. The day OF !