American Historical Ephemera & Photography Online

The lot is comprised of 2 letters addressed to Mr. Robert H. Ward of Glasgow, KY, incl. letter discussing "Iowa Mobocracy." and tarring and feathering a man. Iowa, 1849.

ALS ("W.D. Burch"). [Knoxville], Iowa, 28 January 1849. 3 1/4 pages, 7 3/8 x 12 1/4 in. (creased at folds, with toning and dampstaining throughout). Addressed on integral leaf.

After discussing the weather, crops, and livestock, Burch turns to a rather fascinating matter he calls the "Iowa Mobocracy." In part: "The people here have entered into an article to defend and protect each other in holding their claims and preventing others from entering their land. Sometime last summer a man by the name of Majors of Mahaska Co. entered the claim of a Mr. Gillaspie of this county, Gillaspie went and offered him the money for the land. Majors would not give the land up. Gillaspie raised a small company and went one night to try to make him come into measures. They burned an old corn crib of Ms, and done his property some trifling damage. M. then gave his bond for a deed to the land, but he went and got out a writ and had one of the men (probably the only one he knew)taken up and carried to Oskaloosa jail...Gillaspie then came to Knoxville and raised a company of about 200 men (myself and most of the men in this neighbourhood was in the crowd) and went to Oskaloosa to take the man out of jail, as we thought, seeing this company so determined, Majors withdrew his suit against the man, renewed his bond, and we all came home thinking the matter then settled...Majors again got out writs for some of the men who had destroyed his property...but a company of Artificial Negroes caught him and gave him a complete coating of tar and feathers, and made him take his papers back, and I have heard nothing of him since. So much for our mob law, whether it be right or wrong, I believe that the people here feels like sticking to it, and a man is in some danger here to enter another man's claim."

ALS ("Landon J. Burch"). Marion, Iowa, 9 July 1849. 3 1/4 pages, 7 1/8 x 12 1/4 in. (creased, some separations with adhesive repairs, staining, and some areas of loss). Addressed on integral leaf.  

In this wide-ranging and apologetic letter, Burch discusses contentment, and laments the recent death of his son before outlining the remedy for a "distressing complaint" he does not specify. In part: "Take a quantity of Smart-weed...and boil the strength out and strain it and then boil down to an extract sufficient by thick to form into pills, make the pills of common size (viz) three grains, then take of these pills 12 or 15 every day (ie) 4 or 5 at a time...for 12 days. Then stop 6 days and then take them 12 days more in the same way. Continue this course untill [sic] they have been taken 24 days if then there is any change for the better continue it 36 days, and if there is not just throw them away and try just what seemeth good." 

Before closing, he also mentions the upcoming election, writing: "The Election is close at hand and I see a little anxiety manifesty by some on the occasion. I feel but little interested as we have no representatives to elect this year..." 

It is unclear how the Burch men know Mr. Robert H. Ward, but an Ancestry search finds a Robert Harrison Ward (1813-1860) living in Glasgow, KY, with some familial ties to Iowa.