Iowa
Old Press
Postville Review
Postville, Allamakee Co., Iowa
July 12, 1876
THE INDIAN WAR!! GENERAL CUSTER'S DEFEAT AND DEATH.
Salt Lake, Utah; July 5.
--The Time's extra has the following from Bozeman,
Montana, July 3, 7 p.m.: "Mr. TAYLOR, the bearer of
dispatches from Little to Fort Ellis, arrived this evening, and
reports as follows: The battle was fought on the 25th, thirty or
forty miles below the Little Horn. CUSTER attacked an Indian
village of from 2,500 to 4,000 warriers on one side and Colonel
RENO was to attack it on the other. Three companies were placed
on a hill as a reserve. General CUSTER and fifteen officers and
every man belonging to five companies were killed. RENO retreated
under the protection of the preserve. The whole number killed
315. General GIBBON joined RENO. The Indians left the battle
field looking like a slaughter pen, as in reality it was, being
in a narrow ravine. The dead were much mutilated. The situation
now looks serious: General TERRY arrived at GIBBON's camp on a
steamboat and crossed the command over and accompanied it to join
CUSTER, who knew he was coming. Seven men are buried in one place
and the killed are estimated at 300 with only 31 wounded.
Indian's surrounded RENO's command and held them one day in the
hills, cut off from the water, until GIBBONS, command came in
sight, when they broke camp in the night and left. The Seventh
fought well, were overcome by brute force. The Indian loss can
not be estimated, as they bore off and cached most of their
killed. The reminant of the Seventh Cavalry and GIBBON's command
are returning to the mouth of the Little Horn, where the
steamboat lies. The Indians got all the arms of the killed
soldiers. There were seventeen of the commissioned officers
killed. The whole CUSTER family died at the head of their colmn.
The exact loss is not known, as both adjutants and sergeant major
were killed. The Indian camp was from three to four miles long
and was twenty miles up the Little Horn from its mouth. The
Indians actually pulled men off their horses in some instances. I
give this as TAYLOR told me as he was over the field after the
battle."
Later -- The above is confirmed by other letters which say CUSTER
met with fearful disaster.
LOCAL & OTHER MATTERS.
You who have dogs to shed, prepare to shed them now. See dog
ordinance.
It is a male infant that W.S. WEBSTER now dandles on his knee.
M.V. JONES, the milk-man, sends greeting a centennial son. He is
bound that the uncommon name of JONES shall continue!
Joseph KOEVENIG has taken in a new brewer. He hain't had much
experience in the business yet, and can't even drink "zwi
glass lager," but then he will grow to it. He ain't a week
old yet. Our friend Joseph feels "besser as goot, now".
BUCHWALD & WHEELER have closed their meat market.
P. BEAUCHER is opening a new meat market on south Lawler Street,
opposite STILES' Drug Store building. A convenience to south
town.
The season for haying has arrived, and good weather is very
necessary to save the crop. The late plentiful showers have
brought crops, especially corn, along beautifully. The wheat is
looking better, but that cereal must inevitably be a light crop.
The fourth of July has passed; harvest will soon be here, and
then before we know it, winter will put in an appearance.
Mr. and Mrs. Robert WATERS, from near Frankville, made us a call
yesterday.
H.S. ALWARD residing near Postville, was sun stricken recently,
and it came very near proving fatal. He is fortunatly around
again however.
We are indebted to neighbor BEAVER for a nice supply of new
potatoes and string beans. It seems that our good neighbors do
not intend to allow us to starve to death if times are hard.
Thanks.
C.L. ALLEN, our market gardener, who has kept our table
abundantly supplied with the "first fruits" of his
garden, set in our kitchen the first new potatoes of the season,
one day last week.
Our brother, M. V. BURDICK, has been again discharged from the asylum at Independence. While nothing could please us more than his restored health and reason, we cannot help the belief that his discharge is again premature and unwarrented (sic) on the part of the officiers (sic) of the Institution. We believe he goes east for a visit.
[transcribed by S.F., August 2003 & M.D., January 2005]
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Postville Review
Postville, Allamakee co. Iowa
July 19, 1876
RECKLESS AND FATAL SHOOTING.
Simeon Oleson and Andrew Thornson Engage in it with Fatal Results
to the Latter.
It took place in Frankville township [Winneshiek co.] at the
residence of Simeon Oleson on Sunday. They had some supplies left
over from the Fourth of July, and concluded to have a bowery
dance on Sunday evening. Thornson, who was shot, was not invited,
came, but it was a fatal visit to him. Here is the evidence
before the Coroner.
CHARLES HALVERSON, the young man who accompanied Thornson,
testified as follows: We tied our team in the grove and went to
where the dance was in progress. I went on the platform lost
deceased in the crowd. There was no quarrel up to this time that
I know of. While I stood there I heard shooting in the grove; I
heard no acknowledgment on the part of any one that deceased had
been shot. Andrew Thorndson (sic), deceased, came back to wagon
where horses were, and then went up in the field. Witness heard
two shots and then started home in the wagon.
Question -- What did you and deceased go there for?
Answer -- Andrew Thornson told me we would go there for fun and
see the party. Do not know the cause of the shooting in the
grove. We came from the place where I live. Andrew Thornson had
been down to Trout Run, and I think he had been drinking. He had
a revolver. Do not know how far I was from the place when the
shooting occurred.
B. J. GIVING, the only man who accompanied Simeon Oleson when he
did the shooting, testified: I was with Simeon Oleson when he
shot deceased. I heard 4 or 5 shots and went over the part.
Simeon Olesson (sic) went over to the grove; some man who was
shooting went away. Simeon Oleson and I went together from
platform, and saw a man coming through the field. The man in the
field shot first; Oleson tried to shoot but the gun missed fire
(sic). Oleson shot again and the man fell, I was about twenty
steps from where he fell do not know which way the man shot; I
thought Thornson fell on purpose to deceive us and get us down
there. We were afraid to do to the place. This occurred about 11
o'clock. Oleson did not tell me that he was going to shoot the
man; he told me yesterday (Monday) that he had shot deceased.
Oleson said that he would rather have lost his fortune than shot
Thorndson (sic). Next day we went to where the man was shot; we
found deceased lying on the ground, a revolver by his side; it
was about 12 or 15 rods from the platform where Thornson lay
dead. The next day Oleson said: "It will go pretty hard with
me, for I killed that man last night!"
G. R. WILLETT testified. Mr. Oleson said that when he fired the
shot he did it with no intention of killing the man, that he was
half scared when he fired, and he did not suppose he had killed
the man. -- in the morning when he saw the man, he was frightened
and went straightway and summoned the neighbors.
W. F. COLEMAN testified: I examined the body of the deceased, and
saw a good many marks that seem to be that of shot. One of the
shot seemed to have penetrated the brain. There were 10 to 12
shot around the face and head. Presume the one that penetrated
the head at inner corner of left eye was the one which caused
death.
JOHN JENSEN testified to have seen Oleson with a shot gun twice;
did not think he was drunk.
Oleson had a preliminary examination on Wednesday, and was bound
in the sum of $500, to appear at the next term of court. --- Decorah
Bee.
[transcribed by M.D., November 2006]
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Postville Review
Postville, Allamakee, Iowa
July 26, 1876
Suicide in Taylor Township
James Banks, an aged and well known citizen of this county,
resideing for many years on his farm in Taylor township about 10
miles South of this place, committed suicide on Saturday last by
hanging himself to a small tree near his premises. For some time
past, especially since the early part of this month, his family
have observed indications of absence of mind and other strange
conduct on the part of the old gentleman, who has been for a long
time too infirm to perform manual labor; but no fear of his
taking his life was entertained. On the morning of Saturday, Mrs.
Branks [sic Banks], came to Lansing, leaving her husband at home.
He was asked to accompany her, but preferred to remain. After a
time he walked over to the house of his son, near by, and was
last seen alive when he returned in the direction of home.
At noon, his son, returning to dinner from the field, found the
old man absent and the length of time that had elapsed since he
was last seen caused a search to be made. His body was found
suspended from a small tree, in the grove in the rear of and a
short distance from the house, hanging dead from a limb, a rope
tied about his neck, and his feet hanging in the air. He seems to
have adjusted the rope about his neck, stepped from the ground to
a fork in the tree, a short distance above the ground, fastened
the rope to a limb, and, swinging loose from the fork, death was
probably almost instantaneous, as the body bore no marks of
prolonged suffering. Enfeebled from illness and advanced years,
death from the means employed was an easy matter.
Sitting Bull
Advices from Bismarck state that the report of the death of
Sitting Bull is confirmed by the Indians. He was one of the nine
chief killed in the Little Big Horn fight, in which Custer and
five companies of the Seventh Cavalry perished. Crazy Horse and
Black Moon were also of the number. The total Indian loss in that
engagement was 400, of whom 160 belonged to Sitting Bull's band.
Local and Other Matters
-Croquet by torchlight is one of the enterprising novelties of
Postville.
-Ans. Goodykootz now has charge of the Livery Stable here, lately
presided over by Mr. Hancock.
-We understand that Charley Van Hooser got slightly
"bent," over at West Union on Monday, and now langushes
in jail.
-We are informed that Rev. Mr. Matthews, late of Garnavillo has
been engaged by the Congregational Church and Society of
Postville, to preach during the ensuing year. Mr. Matthews is
spoken of as a very estimable man and an effective minister.
[transcribed by S.F., August 2011]