People's Pilot, Volume 3, Number 21, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 November 1893 — They're After Him. [ARTICLE]

They're After Him.

From the Brook correspondence in last week’s Kentland Enturjuise, we take the following, which we hope will be a full explanation for the articles written by our Goodland corres>ondent. We believe that the latter is a little too bitter in denouncing all the various secret and charitable organizations and we hope in the future that his criticisms may not be so harsh. “Jack the Ripper, of Goodand, who is writing the principal items of Newton county, for the People's Pilot, evidently is trying to make the people beeive, he is a friend to the soldier and an enemy to the Sons of Veterans. Now, as 'far as we find out, he who is an enemy to one is no friend of the other. In an article of a few weeks ago he says that “a few stragglers from Goodland attended the reunion at Brook, but the better class of citizens attended the Remington fair; now, the old soldiers of Good land were the “stragglers” that came from that place. Jack the Ripper and his “pals” we suppose took in the fair. He still persists in saying that the badges worn by the Sons of Veterans at Brook, bore a lie. Prominent G. A. R. men tell us that the Sons of Veterans were asked to take part in the reunion at Kentland, Oct. Ist, and 2nd. 1889. They took part and volunteered to do guard duty at different parts of the grounds and compel such men as Jack the Ripper to go through the gates. This was the first reunion. The next year at Morocco the same invitation was given the Sons of Veterans of the county, which was accepted, and the boys stood guard again allthough the night. We would like to ask Mr. J. T. Ripper if he commanded, or was in, that famous brigade that stole the camion used by the old soldiers at Morocco, and wheeled it into the pit southeast of the grounds. This was the second reunion. The next year at Kentland the invitation was again given the 8. of V. to meet with the old soldiers and again they took part. This was the third reunion. The next year the old soldiers asked the S. of V. to meet wita them in Goodland, again they met which was the fourth time. At the reunion held at Brook. Aug. 23 and 24th. 1893, the S. of V. took a very prominent part. The G. A. R. asked the S; of V. to secure a speaker for the day. They secured the Hon. Chas. B. Landis, of Delphi. Every one knows that Mr. Wickersham, of Goodland, whQ was chairman of the G. A. R. committee on speaker, had the name of Chas. Landis, placed on the program as speaker for the first day. This was the fifth reunion of the S. of V. in Newton county, and if Jack the Ripper writes again that those badges bore a lie, we say” that he himself is a liar, and is held as such by all G. A. R. men of the county. As to the “braying ass” which he says resides at Brook, all we have to say about that, is, his mind is not capable of judging anything about the aforesaid animal, therefore he writes of it. When a man gets so low as to be continually accusing the wives and daughters of old soldiers of wearing a badge containing a lie, that man does not deserve the respect of civilized people. When he stoops so low as to abuse the W. 0. T. U., or any kindred organization, he had better not speak again until the echo of his voice dies out for fear that he will think it is a braying ass from a neighboring village” James W. Douthit tvas in Chi- • I I '■ ” on 1 ’ '□ • ’