Vigilance Committee

MAHONY

Posted By: Ken Wright (email)
Date: 12/5/2007 at 22:25:07

Dubuque Herald, August 19, 1862

A Speck of War in Jones County

Some days ago a violent Abolitionist in Jones County, whose patriotism is just sufficient to make him talk a great deal, but not pure enough to cause him to enlist, undertook to harangue a crowd of people in Ironton, Jackson County, but was after a little time, interrupted and made to desist from further ventilating his dictionary. On Wednesday last he appeared at Monticello, in the county first above named, and after creating some excitement, related the fact that he subsequently organized a Vigilance Committee, which visited Ironton, and compelled every man to take an oath, which he prescribed, and proposed that his crowd should cause every Democrat there to take the oath of allegiance. At about this stage of the proceedings news of the arrest of Mahony was received, when they became boisterous beyond all reason. A highly respectable Democrat, living in Monticello, Mr. Ben Varvel, refused to give cheers, when requested to do so, over the news of the arrest, whereupon the crowd proposed to hang him, and actually put him in a wagon to take him to a place for execution. At length he proposed to take the oath, if the Republicans would do likewise; accordingly the entire crowd was duly sworn in. In the evening the Democrats retaliated by seizing the ring leaders of the mob, and compelled them not only again to take the usual oath, but to swear that they would not assist at any mob doings. Thus the matter ended. The whole thing is disgraceful and wrong.

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