Nebraska palladium. [volume] (Bellevieu City, Neb.) 1854-1855, 1855-04-11

To avoid a similar outrage at the election for State officers, SC,
TO be held on the 18th Of January, 1856, the election for Leayen-
postponed until the l7th of January, 1856. On the way to the cleo
uon, persons were stopped by a party Of men at a grocery, and their
The place Of election and threatened to destroy the ballot box, and
were guilty Of other insoent and abusive conduct After the polls
were closed, many Of the settlers being apprehensive Of an attack, /
were armed in the house where the election had been held, until
the next morning. Late that night, Stephen Spark, with his son
and nephew started for home, his route running by the store Of a
Mr. Dawson, where large party Of armed men had collected. As
ne approached these men demanded that he should surrender, and
gathered about him TO enforce the demand. Information was carried
ton had been held. RIP. Brown and a company of men mined.
Brown and his party, and while on their way were fired upon by the
other party. They returned the fire, and an irregular fight then
ensued, IN which a man by the name Of Cook, Of the P%ro-Slavey
party, received a mortal wound, and two of the Free State party
were slightly wounded.
Mr. Brown, with seven others who had accompanied him from
Leayenworl, started on their return home When they had proceed
ed a part of the way, they were stopped and taken prisoners by a par
~ of men called the kickepoo Rangers, under the command ofCap-
tam John W Martin They were disarmed and taken back to Eas
ton, and put in Dowsons store. Brown was separated from the rest
Of his party, and taken into the office of L. S. Trouer. By his time
SeVerol d Martin party and some OF the citizens OF me place h9d be
come intoxicated aud depressed a determination 10 kill Brown. Capt
Martin was DESTROYS to, anddd all in his power TO save him. Sever
aud bis party. Inthe meanimee. wthoutthe knowledge Of his party,
them IN their escape. The crown repeatedly tried TO get in the room
where Brown was, and at one time succeeded, but were put out by
lossion of Rr,an and fnslIy bptc,ercd In, in cold Hood The
wound of which he died was inflicted with Matched by a man ofthe
name Of Gibson. After he had been MORALLY wounded, Brown was
sent home with Charles Dunn. and died That night. No attempt was
made to arrest or punish the murderers of Brown. Many of them
were well known citizens, and some of them were officers OF The law
On the next Grand Jury, which sat in Leavenwoth County, the
Sheriff summoned several of the persons implicated in this murder
One Of them was NJ. p. Riyely, at that time Treasurer ofthe County.
lie has been examined as a witness before us. The reason he gives
why no indictments were found is, They killed one fthe Pro-Slav,
cry men, and the Pro-Slayery men killed one of the others, and !
thought 1t was about mutual The same Grand jury however
found bills of indictments against those who acted as judges of the
Free State election. Rively says: " know our utmost ende0Vors
were made to find out who acted as Judges and Clerks on the I'm OF
January last and at all the bogus elections held by the Aboluonists
here. We were very anxious to fd them out as wethought them
acting illegally"
Your Committee, in their examinations, have found that in no cuse
ofcrme or homicide, mentioned inthe report GRIN the testimony, has
any indicmentbeen found against the guilty patty, except IN the hom-
icde Of Clark by McCrea, McCrea being a free State man.
Your Committee did not deem it within their power or duty to take
testimony us TO events which have transpired since the date OF their
appointments; but as some OF the events tended seriously TO enoarrassi
hinder and delay their investigations, they deem It proper here 10 re-
fer to hem. On herauival inthe Territory the people were arrayed
in two hostile parties. The hostility ofthcm was continually increas-
men, who, from their equipments, came not to follow the peaceful pur-
suits oflue, but armed and organized into companies apparently tor
ing through the State Of Missouri, and by frequent torcIhle seizures OF
persons aud property in the Territory without legal warrant Your
Committee regret that they were compelled to witness instances of leach
of these classes Of outrages. While holding their session al NespoHi
J. Mo, at the request Of the sitting delegate, they saw several bodies Of
armed men, confessedly citizens Of Missouri, march into the Territory
on forays against its citizens, but under the pretence of enforcing the
ped in The highways and searched without clam otlegal powers and
in some instances all their property taken from them. In Leaven-
worth City leading citizens were arrested at MONDAY ~ our presence
by an armed force, without any claim of authority, except that derIy-
ed from a cfconstmted Committee Of Vigilance, many OF whom
were legislative and executive officers. Some were released on prom
Using to leave the Territory, and others alter being detained WT "a umei
were formally notified TO leave, under the seyercst penalties. Iheony
offence charged against them was their political opinions, and no one
n was thus arrested for alleged crimes Of any grade. There wnsno re-
sstancc 10 these lawless acts by the settlers, because, IN their opinion
/ thepersons engaged in Them would be sustained and reihlorccdby The
citizens Of the populous border counties of Missouri from whence
Committee, an application for the writ Of habeas corpus was prevent
/ ed by the urgent solicitation Of ProSavey men, who insisted that IT
would endanger the life of the prisoner to be discharged under Ies"
WIiie we remained in the Territory, repeated acts Of outrage were