Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-12-19
True Version of the Kansas Affairs.

of he Kansas difficulty:
Last Wednesday, one Mr.. Dow, from
Ohio, discovered that his neighbor, a
Mr.. Coleman, formerly from Missouri,
was cutting down trees and preparing
tn burn a limekiln en- The claim belong
Ing 10 him, when he went TO him, reques-
ted him to desi>t, telling him that he had
burnt one kiln on lis claim, and that he
could not bum another. There was u
man helping Mr.. Coleman at ths time by
the name Of buckley, and a neighbor Of
Dow'S named Branson, went along with
him as he went Up to order Coleman of.
After having some pretty sharp words,
Colemauand Buckley left and w~entaway.
whereupon low and Branson returned
home, they both living in one house,
Dow being single and boarding with
Branson. Soon after, the sane day, Dow
had occasion to 20 by the house Of Cole
man TO Il blacksmith's shop on business.
Before he went, Branson urged him to
take some kind Of weapon, as it was sus-
pected that Il gang would be al Cole
mans, where a low grocery was kept,
but Dow refused to take any, and said
he was notafraidbf any of them. He went
up 20 the shop, and there he found Buck
ley, who commenced abusing him by
words and daring him TO step out of the
door and fight him. Buckley, in the
meantime, stepped out and cooked his
gun, threatening TO shoot him. Dow
paid little attention TO him, but as soon
as he got his business done with the
blacksmith, which was getting a piece
of iron fixed, he stepped out and started
for home.
Some little distance ahead cf him he
saw Coleman sitting beside the road
with a shot gun in his hand. Dow came
up and passed him /; Coleman raising up
and taking deliberate aim at Dow, snap
ped a cap. On hearing this Dow turn
ed about to see what it was, when Cole
man re-snapped his gun, raised it to his
eye, and shot Dow dead on the spot.-
Several buckshot entered his breast, xii
ling him at once. This was all done in
sight of Coleman's house and the groge-
~, and happened at l o'clock. No one
OF those gathered about Coleman's house,
and there was some eight or ten, went
to remove the body or TO inform any
one of the murder. So the dead body
lag by the roadside till FIVE O'Clock, when
Branson somehow or other heard of il.
and vent and had the body taken care
of.
The following night Coleman and
Buckley escaped to Missouri. Some say
for one purpose some for another. One
rumor is hat he has gone to give him
self up to the proper authorities. But
nothing has up TO this date been heard of
him.
Yesterday a public meeting was held
in the neighborhocd, when the tesfi-
mony OF several persons was informally
taken, which went TO show that Coleman
w%ilfully and coolly murdered Dow, with
out any other cause than having this diff
iculty with him about burning the lime
kiln. Resolutions were passed expires.
sive If the sense of the meeting, and a
salute fired over the grave of the lamen-
ted Dow.
Coleman and all engaged on his side
are rabid Pro. Slavery men, and this is
not the first lime they have outraged
public sentiment by their acts. They
have driven several Free-State men off
from their claims near by, fired upon
them, &c. Dow and his friends are for
a Free Slate. l am personally acquain-
ted with Mr.. Dow, and have been for
about a year, and have always found
him to be a very peaceful and moderate
man. This public meeting numbered
about eighty men, among whom was a
part Of a military company, armed with
Sharp's rifles, who live between Law
renee and the place of the murder, which
was Hickory Point, some ten miles south
of US.
On the return of this company in the
night, they discovered a party of horse
men at the town of Blanton, coming up
in their rear, and, in accosting. a voice
was heard "'Branson is here a prisoner"
and, upon further inquiry, it was made
known that the Deputy Sheriff, who
lives in Missouri, had taken a posse, and
in the evening after the company had
left Hickory Point had arrested Branson
on the oath of three Pro-Slavery men,
friends Of Coleman. that they were af aid
Branson would kill them. Nobody had
ever heard of this, and nobody believed
it now. Ii was got up to help Coleman.
Tie company then told Branson to come
with them, when the Sheriff threatened
10 shoot him if he moved, but Branson
got off his mule and joined the company,
when the Sheriff left, saying he would
20 down and get 10000 men and come
up and see what he could do. The Sher-
ifs writ was issued by a Justice of the
Peace by the name of Cameron, once a
protested Free State man, but who has
now accepted Office under the Territori .
al Laws. The company took the grounds
that they did not recognize any writ as
valid coming from this quarter.
Swamp Lands.
4 few years ago, some cunning