Boyscouts Attacked At Civil War Reenactment

     Black Helicopter Seen Hovering Near Scene

Cedar: A late summer civil war reenactment turned into real life carnage during Zoar's 36th Annual heritage Days Festival. A group of five Boy scouts from local troop #417 helping in the parking area were suddenly attacked by nine men belonging to the 4th Iowa Mounted Rifles. Witnesses reported the nine men had been performing a unit drill demonstration when they suddenly ran into some woods that bordered the parking area.

     "I'd just gotten out of my car when a big fat guy in blue burst out of the woods and shot his gun at the kid that guided me into my parking space!" says Ernie Hollows of Moline. "He wasn't even ten feet away from the kid. The blast threw him over the hood of my car!"

     Jocelyn Carruthers of Hopkins Grove and her two children were horrified when what they thought was staged became grisly reality. "We just come in the parking area up to the first boy when them reenactors came out from the woods shooting. We could hear the guns popping and see the smoke; our windows was up and the air was on. A couple of boys fell -we thought it was all part of the fun. One of the reenactors saw the boy next to my car and run over and fired. He was about twenty feet away or so. It was really loud, like a cannon going off. The boy fell holding his arm.

     "Well, we thought it was really neat to have this sort of demonstration. So I rolled down the window and said 'that was really quite a show!' But he was laying on the ground crying, holding his arm. He couldn't of been fourteen. and then I heard other people yelling for an ambulance and I thought, 'Oh my God, the really did shoot 'em!'"

     But no bullets were used, the impact from the blank rounds alone was enough to cause injury. Reenactors usually only load black powder in their muskets. All five boys were taken to Podebrad Medical Center and treated for serious powder burns and concussions.

     After the attack, the nine men returned to the event grounds and were subsequently arrested, though all claimed no memory of the their actions. Several appeared groggy and were unable to stay awake during police questioning.

     John Olson, a corporal in the 4th Iowa Mounted Rifles says he's not surprised.

     "They all was up late last night drinkin'. That's what they usually do at these events. Then a friends of one of our boys showed up. Said he used to be a major in 1st Cavalry. He hung around until three, I guess. Who knows what they all did; I hit the sack at about 1:30."

     Several people, meanwhile, on the events grounds complained to event staff about a low-flying helicopter very near the the area at the time of the attack. The aircraft, tentatively identified as an AH-64 "Apache" Attack Helicopter, has been described as black without marking of any kind and carrying a small parabolic dish mounted on one side of its cabin. Not long after, it flew from the area.

     It is unknown at this time whether the aircraft was or was not involved in the attack or why it was hovering so near the park. The nine reenactors who were arrested for the attack have been taken to Podebrad Medical Center for psychiatric observation.