“Raid” on Owen

Owen county, which has been noted for being infested with traitors – traitors big and traitors small – traitors low and traitors tall – and for their vehement declarations, that they knew their rights, and would maintain their liberty and independence until they all – big and little died in the last ditch.  Well, Owen county was recently thrown into a terrible ferment by a “raid” from Union soldiers, but after all their boasting not as a traitor was ready to be the man to show where the last ditch is located.  Ah! who shall tell it in Dixie that Federal soldiers invaded the “sacred soil” of Sweet Owen, a few days since and instead of resisting arrest, as they had all sworn to do, the county Judge, the County Court Clerk, the Sheriff, the Circuit Court Clerk, and others, with lamb-like meekness, permitted themselves to be led off to prison at Louisville!  And so ended the first chapter.

Chapter two is rich with incidents enough to form the basis of a good story, but we have not descriptive powers enough to do the subject justice.  Let us give the facts as we heard them.

One day last week – probably Monday – court having adjourned for dinner, the traitors assembled in the Court House to nominate candidates to fill the various offices to be voted for at the ensuing election.  The meeting organized and was ready for business, when Dr. Gale, the Ex-Representative to the Legislature from Owen, had occasion to go to the front door.  No sooner had he reached it, and cast one look out into the street, than he started back, “his hair erect like the quills of the fretful porcupine” – his eye balls starting from their deep sockets, and glazed with horror – and approaching the officers of the meeting gasped out: “Lincoln’s whole ------ army has surrounded the Court House and town!”

What ensued on the announcement is beyond our powers of description in the words of the old saying, it can be better imagined than described, the pencil of a Hogarth alone could do it justice.  A thunderbolt falling into the midst of a crowd, could not have produced greater consternation, and a 1,000 lb. bomb shell falling in their midst would not have caused a more sudden skedaddling.

Reader, you can form some idea of the scene by imagining you were present, and witnessed Representative Burns jumping out of a back window, carrying the sash on his neck like a yoke on a goose; Senator Grover following after Burns and lighting upon his back, and think it a horse he was astraddle of, rode him to the horse rack; Burns mounting a horse without taking time to unhitch him, and finding it impossible to make the horse break lose then cut the reins to get free from the rack, leaving his horse to his own course, so he would only increase his speed in proportion to the zeal and energy that his rider belabored him with heels and fists.  Judge Nuttal finding no place above earth to hide, some of the rebels let him down a well in a bucket.  Will Pryor of Henry coming into town during the excitement, was urged to hide after some parlay he consented; was ushered into a room with three beds, but found no place in either for even his head – the traitors were piled up two and three deep under them!  In despair, he rushed down stairs, and so soon as possible put the Kentucky river between him and Owen county.

That was the second chapter in Owen County’s ferment.  We only regret that we have not the power to do it justice to it. – {Shelby (Ky.) News

– Published in The Burlington Weekly Hawk-Eye, Burlington, Iowa, Saturday, June 7, 1862, p. 1