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]