May 10, 1863, Peoria Morning Mail (Illinois)
Editor Peoria Mail: Inasmuch as base, unqualified and unfounded falsehoods are circulated by the Transcript of Saturday morning, concerning a melee at the High School on the 8th inst., we think it would be a great injustice to the so called Copperhead portion of our school, if we would not make a fair, truthful and impartial statement of that occurrence, and its reasons. The difficulty originated out of an attempt of the Abolition part of the school, to purloin Copperhead breastpins, from the persons of those whom they denominated Copperheads, alleging as a reason that was a treasonable medal and that they would not suffer any person to wear it. At first this piece of vandalism was tamely submitted to and one breastpin was abstracted by force from its owner, who immediately provided himself with another.
On Friday afternoon thirteen of these young robbers circulated that their design was to take forcible possession of all breastpins made of copper cents and thresh the owners of the copperheads for being abettors of treason. This was easier said than done, as the result conclusively proved to all who saw the young Abolitionists after their encounter, and even Mr. Coy can testify to the fact that every Democratic boy answered to his name at roll call, but four of the young Abolitionists, from some cause, were absent and failed to answer to their respective names. Suffice it to say the attempt was made to purloin our breastpins, and although numbering seven against twelve we proved an overmatch for the braggarts by whom we were assailed. The origin of the difficulty the Transcript asserts to be that the Copperheads rejoiced over the defeat of Hooker. That charge can be answered by one word: false!
However, we are not much surprised at the base misrepresentations of that dastardly secesh newspaper, for all Abolitionists are Secessionists; still less are we surprised since we know the person connected with the school who has promulgated such a base tissue of falsehood. The Transcript calls our defense of ourselves and property “incipient treason.” Even if the statement was a truth, “incipient traitors” like us could be reclaimed, but persons grown in treason are irreclaimable.
T. A. Murray,
L. Harmon,
Wm. Lynch,
S. Baily,
J. Langton,
A. Littleton,
Z. Frank.
Democratic Boys of Peoria High School,
May 9th, 1863.