Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1914-06-17
THE RECOGNITION
OF JESSE BDALEIGH
BY II. II. GREEN
BY II. II. GREEN

and / had made our escape from
the camp on Root River, both Cut
Nose and Niger Godfrey kept a
close watch over him so that he new
er had an opportunity to get away.
He said Niger Godfrey determined
to hold him as kind of hostage in
case he or any of his friends should
be arrested for completely in the alb
duction of Frances Armstrong. Then,
after the Indians had dug up the
Ratchet, they were afraid to let him
go because he was too well-informed
as to the number of braves they
could muster, also the number, kind
and condition of their guns, ammuni-
ton, and the truth concerning such
other matters as the whites would
be glad to know. SO they held him
as conscript and forced him to
fight against his friends.
But say, lieutenant, What was
he doing out there among the pic
kets of the reds, a long way in adj
vance of the main body? He must
have been the fellow / saw skulking
among the underbrush, close to the
river, when We uncovered that out
post this side the mouth of the Lit
tie Cheyenne. Seems to me if he
j had wanted to get away very bad he
might have done so at that time
there was very little to prevent him, y
said Qualey. Did he give any rea-
son why he was there doing his
best to get you and Frank?
Yes, he tried to explain that by
, saying that while the Indians did
not want to murder him outright
they would have been well content
ed to know that he had been killed
by the whites. / had heard from one
of the other boys who was with us
and had noticed him in the skirmish
what you say about his evident de-
sire to get Frank and me, and when
: charged him with it he unblushing.
ily declared that he was obliged tC
appear jealous for the Indians oil
) they would have shot him, or may
be Put him to the torture. the frs
opportunity, though i must say his
excuse seemed very weak, especially
in view of what some of the other
IpricnnQrc coid ohnnt hin,
4 What was that lieutenant" en-
lquired Joe Pettus.
They all agreed that he was even
more blood-thirsty than any of them
selves, except possibly Cut-Nose and
Il Niger Godfrey. They said he
seemed to hate the whites as much
or more than he hated the redskins.
All of which, ! am sorry to say makes
lit look extremely dark for Jim Cobb
Poor fellow, it is too bad. | would
like to help him somehow if / could,
but there seems to be little chance
for him. The general thinks he will
be hung after military court has
passed upon him." declared Jesse.
And so it proved, for after a court
martial had tried him in accordance
with military usuage, he was found
guilty of offences sufficiently grave
to demand the death penalty, and
though Jesse appealed to President
Lincoln, doing everything in his
power to have him pardoned, or for
Communication of the sentence, the
President did not see his way clear
to interfere with the findings of the
court, and so 1t came to pass that
when Cut-Nose and the others most
criminal among the Indians, paid
the penalty of their crimes at Man
kato, James Cobb, a young white
man was among them, ending on the
gallows, brief career of vice and
crime which has never been parallel
ed in the history of the state.
'Tis not in spirit of mere mis-
chief, that does not matter much,
but giving way to an evil obsession
from without, or vicious possession
within, the boy whose future is gen.
'erally behind him, permits himself
to be overcome. Making feeble resis-
lance at first and after that, weak
ened by continued capitulations, he
at length, abjectly surrenders to sue
ceeding assaults, till he becomes
nothing more than a mere slave to
whatever unhappy influences he may
be subject.
Thus 1t had been with James Cobb
From the time Of his assault upon
little Willie Twomy, which had SO
exasperated Jesse, his whole life had
been one of cowardly surrender to
the evil within him, and could only
end in the one way the laws of God
and man decree.
! While the foregoing conversation
was engaging the attention of some
of the boys in one of the tents, a
very different scene was being enact
ed in tent near by, where Tim
Fleury who had been MORALLY
wouned in the battle, was being car