Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1854-10-25
following General Pierces retirement from of"
Enn


ton, with bright prospects ahead. The steam
saw-mill is not yet in operation, but will be
before many days. Two large temporary
shelters have been erected, and the third is
already commenced, besides numerous private
dwellings on smaller scale. The weather
has been very pleasant, with no frost, and but
few rains, and sleeping in tents and the open
air is very comfortable as well as healthy.
The settlers are all, so far as l know, in a
good state of health, but one death having
occurred in our town, and that from fever.
his place is chiefly noted, at present, for the
Unsuitable appettes Of the inhabitants, and it
is worth at least one-t third more, other things
being equal, to board a person here than at
the East, on this account; even the most deli
cate ladies, who have subssted for years upon
homeopathic soup, are found slowing away
bread and beef with will, and look as
though " delicate health F" could never have
had anything to do with them. Provisions,
except potatoes, are plenty, and cheaper, on
the average, than at the East. Beef is from
five to eight cents pound, and flour from
eight to eleven dollars per barrel, while gro
ceries of all kinds are quite cheap.
Our city is being LAID off, and will be one of
the most beautiful in the West, when settled.
1t will extend two miles on the river, and, on
an average, one and a half back, embracing
an extensive, slightly rolling prairie for the
business streets, and a large park, and also
high table lands and beautiful inclined planes
for public buildings and residences, besides
lovely valleys and wooded rayines, with nu"
merous gushing springs of water. Its geo.
graphical position is not inferior to its topo-
graphical The rich valley Of the Kansas
and all its tributaries will empty their gar
nered wealth into our market, while the rap
ids in the river at this point will make this
the head of navigation for the greater part of
the year. Light-draft steamers can ply be-
tween this place and the Missouri river, dur
ing nearly the whole season, making it GER
tain that the overland outfits and trace to
Oregon, California, Utah, and New Mexico,
will centre here. That this place has geo.
graphical and local advantages over all others,
for the principal city Of Kansas Territory is
conceded on all sides, and that it will equal
any other in character and enterprise, none
will doubt who know the inhabitants.
The lower passions of the lower order of
Missourians and other Southerners, have la:e-
ly been aroused against us by two or three
persons of the lower class of followers of that
iow-lived politician, Stephen Arnold; and if
any reliance can be placed in what they say,
we have been near observation-disclosures, ''an-
Inhalation, gentlemen, mot grease spot to
be left of the whole Yankee settlement. As
this is the first battle of the long promised
war, perhaps the details will be important for
the historian, and l will give them somewhat
at length:
For several days, it has been manifest that
the whiskey- barrel chiyalry, under the lead of
some of Gen. Arnold's subordinates, were
seeking an occasion for quarrel, till at length,
finding nothing better, they decided to strike
down and remove one of the Yankees tents
and baggage, which had been undisturbed for
several weeks. Before doing it, however,
they were to the trouble of ascertaining that
the owner of the tent was out OF town, and
that the agent of the Emigrant Aid Company
was also not in the vicinity.
The first notice the Yankees had Of the
commencement of hostilities, q aoOman,-a
double Amazon, perhaps,-was seen putting
the tent into wagon, with two or three men
to back her, with rifles. Immediately the an
nouncement was made, Yankee, by the
name of Bond, seized the horse by the birdie.
One of the said rihemen presented the muzzle
of his weapon to the said Bonds head, who
Immediately responded with revolver, with
the polite request for his enemy to fire. He,
however, thought better of it, and allowed the
tent and other property to be replaced, saying,
however, that he would have one thousand
Missourlans on the spot in a short time. lie
was told that such an arrangement would be
satisfactory to us, and we would await their
arrival No one appearing, however, except
some twenty or Thirty Yankees, all hands
went to their dinner and to work.
The next day, the 9th of October, 1854,
soon after dinner, the "thousand' Missou-
rians began to assemble in the neighborhood
of the tent; but our men kept about their
work till + clock, 2. NJ, when the following
"declaration of war; was delivered to the
agent of the Emigrant Aid Company, by three
mounted field marshals, supposed to be-
KANSAS TERR1roRY, Oct 9th, 1854.
DR. Robinson, " ourself and friends are
hereby notified that you will have one half
hour to move the tent which you have on my
undisputed claim, and from this date desist
from surveying on said claim. If the tent is
not moved within one half hour, we shall
take the trouble to move the same.
(Signed) JOHN BALDWIN and friends.'
This signature and all was in the handwrit-
ing of one of "Arnolds" aids, who processes
to be lawyer, and once attempted to write
quit-clain deed, which have seen.
The following was Immediately sent to the
camp of the enemy, in answer: =
''To John Baldwin and friends,-If you
modest our property you do it at your peril.
C. ROBINSON and friends"
The messenger who carried the answer was
told, in reply, that ''tke tent aoould be ren,oU-
ed" Accordingly, some thirty of our men,
who happened to be III the vicinity, took their
position at a respectful distance from the scene
of operations, and quietly awaited the expir-
alton of the first half hour, and then the sec
ond, and then the quiet dispersion Of the
thousand" Missourians, who went away
muttering that one week from that time they
would have fifty thousand Missourians, and
then the tent would be removed. Arnolds
first officer, knowing that he is a marked man,
besides being coward by nature, takes very
good care not to be present when his schemes
are to be carried into execution, but skulks
off into some private place; and, were it not
that tar is not TO be had, and feathers are
scarce, he might some morning find himself
transformed into a bird of the forest or sail
ing about with the turkey buzzards over some
putrid carcass.
We have offered to abide by the decisions of
any jury under the settlers laws, or by the
United States laws, in any dispute touching
the possession of property or land here; but
this will not answer the end sought, which
end is to drice all Yankeedons from the terrific
RI. This is the real issue, although the pre-
tence is something else. How it will be met,
the future will develope; but Of one thing be
assured our boys are ace2 baked. and will
count each in any crowd. YANKEE.
| THE KNow.NoTHING NoMINATIoN.- From
| an article in the Springfield Republican, we
| learn that the nominations Of the new order
| have been received with great dissatisfaction
| in Western Massachusetts,. The Republican