Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-06-10

ling fed here and forty soldiers were
Idetached from several companies
1stationed at Sioux City.
TRAGEDY AMONG THE SOLDIERS
On the 18th day of April, 1865,
a difficulty arose between two of the
soldiers stationed here resulting in
"a fight with revolvers in which
three men lost their lives. The
Freeman of the 22nd, gives the fol-
lowing account of it,
Fatal Affray.On Wednesday,
last, fatal ARRAY took place be-
tween two soldiers that were sta
toned here. 1t appears that they
had been drinking pretty freely, and
this is supposed to be the cause of
the fight. @. M. Sergeant, J. w.
Anderson, Company A, Sixth Iowa
/ Cavalry and Sergeant VIM. Ostran-
der, Company E, Sixth Iowa Cav
airy, had been having some words
during that afternoon, but had been
reconciled and locked arms and went
to their quarters. Shortly after the
report of fire arms was heard in
that direction and then word came
that three men had been shot After
reaching their quarters it would
seem that words had again been
commenced between them, resulting
in the shooting of the two above
named and Private E. M. Jones,
Company G. Sixth Cavalry. The
first shot fred hit Mr.. Jones in the
left side, passing through him. AZ
ter this, shots, were exchanged rap
idly with their, navy revolvers, all
taking effect in one or the other;
three balls through one and two
through the other, all in their bod
les. They then clinched and fell to
the floor. Sergeant Ostrander died
shortly after shutdown with three
ball holes through his body. He
leaves family in Fremont county.
Sergeant Anderson fingered until
nine O'Clock, when he also expired.
From letters found, it appears he
was married man though he claim
ed to have been single since joining
the regiment. He enlisted in Mar
shall county, but was not a resident
of the state. Mr.. Jones lived until
about nine o'clock next morning,
when he expired. He was from Del
aware county and leaves family.
He was trying to prevent the men
from shooting each other when he
was shot. The sergeants were the
best of friends since they have been
here and were almost inseparable.
Liquor was the cause of this triple
death. Where the liquor came from
will be seen in another place.
The funeral services were con-
Quoted by Rev. Rev. o. A. Holmes,
his address being heard with mark
length upon the use of alcoholic
| liquors and used some plain words
that 1t will be we'll to heed The
bodies were inferred in the new
cemetery grounds.
MOB LAW.
During the summer of 1865, con-
siderable excitement was caused in
the county by what was termed a
case of "mob law" On the night of
July 1, number of masked and
otherwise disguised men, went to
the cabin of settler named joseph
Dunbar, in Cass township. They
took him out of bed, dragged him to
the timber near by, where they
stripped and soundly logged him.
Mrs. Dunbar and daughter, a
bright young woman. interfered to
protect the husband and father, and
they also received some rather
rough treatment.
The cause of the trouble seems
to have been that a large number OF
Dunbar's cattle and horses were fire.
quently found in the grain fields of
his neighbors where they had gone
during the night The neighbors
urged him to take care of his stock
during the night time as they all
did, but he seems to have paid no
attention to these requests and 1t
was even charged that he threw
down fences and turned the cattle
into the grain fields himself. The
neighbors, therefore. used pretty
rough measures In expelling his
stock from their fields when they
found them trespassing. and hard
feelings were engendered.
Then followed a series of outrages
to stock OF the neighborhood such as
hamstringing horses, manning and
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