Rensselaer Gazette, Volume 3, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 April 1860 — The Berea Difficulties. [ARTICLE]

The Berea Difficulties.

[From the Richmond Democrat, March ‘’o.

the COMKESeEMENT*. Word having been conveyed to the Vigillane? Committee that the man Hanson,-not-withstanding the three visits already made to Berea for his benefit, bad again returned, with the avowed intention of remaining, #. portion of the Committee, to- the number of eighteen or twenty, hastily collected toget-h-I er on Monday Morning, and proceeded to-ths' i Berea for tire purpose of removing Hansonfrom the limits of the county. Circuit Court! being in session, and a majority of the ComI millee being retained as lawyers,.grand and 1 I petit jurors, and witnesses, and- the general l I expectation that the visit would prove as- : fruitless in its efforts to find Hanson as theprevious ones had been, will account for the small number who went. Those present! generally wore side nrmi, three fowling pieces only being in the crowd. AN ENCOUNTER. While on the road to Berea the Committee met Green Haley, who, it bad been currently reported to the Committee, had used* very blustering language as to what he and* others intended doing if the Committee ever visited that way. Upon being questioned,- , Haley denied such language, stating that he > might have spoken excitedlyren relation to the matter, but that he did not wish to haveanything further to do with it. The ComI mittee were satisfied and rode back. iiansqn’s escape. ! Stopping at Berea, the Committee were informed that Hanson was at a certain house,. ! some three miles further on. The CommitI tee proceeded to the house indicated, and as : they rode up, a woman emerged from the rear and struck across the fields. After a thorough search the house was found to be ■ tenanted -sofely By women. No one in the ; shape of a tpan was observed, and the genleral supposition is that Hanson escaped, as tl.«’y rode up, in female disguise. _ THE FIGHT. On the way home,.when near Slate Lick Springs, some.two miles beyond where the : mill of i 1 anson is located, the Committee came across some thirty men, headed by Green Haley, and armed with rifles and shot guns. Tire- leader of tire Committe ;, Col. I Reuben Munday, rode forward and asked if i the party were lor peace or war. The aniswer was, that- they understood that the ■ Committee had Hanson under arrest,and that : they intended to. rescue him. The party i drawn across the road immediately fired at the Committee, who dismounted, hitched their h->rses, and returned the fire. After ; tire first ’.ire the opposite party commenced a I dr.-v.-. back movement, retreating to and taking. refuge in a house, forming it into a temporary t-wt. The Committee followed them cl-'rely and returned their fire, until having housed.them, and their amu lition giving ou., ; they retired. Some three or four round* : were fired by each party, with intermediate I discharges from the weapons of parties on either side. two PEiis >ns wounded. i Two of the opposite party are known to> :be wounded, perhaps more. We heard a re- ' port, on .Monday night that one man was • know n to have been killed, but could trace ;itto no responsible source. On the side of | the Committee not a sciatch had been rc- ■ ceivcd. . .. THE EXUITE.'WF.NT IN TOWN. On the return of a portion of the Committee with the news of the light, the excitement in town raged to fever heat, and every one commenced preparing for a brush the next day- Rifles, .•hot-guns, pistols, powder,, buck-hot and lead were in request, and from all portions of the town was heaid the buzz of preparation. Tuesday’s campaign. On Tuesday morning th? people commenced assembling at the place of rendezvous, and at ten o’clock, between one hundred and fifty and one hundred and sixty men b.ad collected, who proceeded to the locality of the previous day’s conflict, and made a thorough search of every house and possible place of concealment for miles around. No enemy was found, however, aid; the Committee returned. The only evei t of interest occuraing on Tuesday was the dismantling of tire mill belonging to the man Hanson. QUIET RESTORED. To-day our town has settled down into its usual quiet. A WORD OF ADVICE. We earnestly hope that the demonstration made on .Monday and Tuesday last will have the effect of showing the man Hansor,. and all others of that ilk, that their presence here is a source of irritation, lei ding otherwise innocent men into trouble, probably causing the loss of valuable lives. The lesson of the last few days, we think, will not be lost upon them, ami Hanson has beforethis time, no doubt, left this portion of the "State, and will hereafter profit by our advice—never to show his face among us. If he does, we will hot be answerable for the :consequence.