The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1855-01-05

| ly and reckless set of men. They crossed
the river in seperate detach ments at different
places along the border. They seemed to be
organized in seperate parties, under the COM
mand Of particular leaders, each party de-
signed to operate at specific localities
Thus, the polls in every district, except at
Laurence and Far up toward Fort Riley, were
surrounded and taken possession of the mo-
Inent they were opeaed by these insolent in
vaders. They threatened and intimidated
the judges; crowded out and violently drove
oifsll those who were suspected of being in
favor OF any other candidate than their own,
and put thoir own votes in the bal;ot.box at
| the point of the revolver. | was myself pre-.
sent all day at the Leavenworth polls, and
can, therefore, speak of the proceedings at
that point from personal knowledge. They
were perfectly outrageous. The crowd OF
Ri ssourians assembled early in the msrning,
and commenced operations by insisting on
filling temporary vacancy which had occur
ed in the Board of Judges, by electing a man
named Burgess, a resident of Platte County,
Missouri. The other judges protested against
the proposition, but yielding Immediately to
the storm which their resistance in mo-
ment provoked. They felt themselves in
danger Of being ruthlessly murdered by the
crowd. This man from Missouri accordingly
served, from beginning to end. as one of the
judges Of the election in Kanzas Territory.
During the entire day, persons were seen
coming over in boats from the Missouri side
OF the river to pu; in their votes; while per-
sons, actual residents of the Territory, seek
ing, in the most peac cable manner, to depo-
sit their ballots, we're set on, charged with
being 'abolitionists,' and driven from the
ground. They left, in many cases, to avoid
shooting down their assailants. When
vert " TO vote, | was approached by fel-
low who demanded to see my ticket. re-
fused, of course, to heed him; whereupon |
was Immediately crowded out by some doz-
ed persons, all working in concert. They
openly declared that none should approach
the ballot-box except those who intended to
vote for Whitfield. Toward the close Of the
day, the violence among the drunken rabble
become SO great that the judges grew alarm
ed Tor their personal SAFETY, and closed the
polls. Thus ended the first election in this
district for delegate to Congress from the
Territory Of Kansas.
"No pretext whatever 10 offered by these
people to excuse or justify their conduct. On
the contrary, they make no secret of their
being residents OF Missouri, and not resi-
dents of Kanzss. They declare their inten-
ton of doing the same thing over again at ev-
cry election. Gen. Springfellow, a promi-
nent politician Of Missouri, residing at Wes-
ton, who commanded the Leavenworth divis-
ion of this grand invading army, openly de-
clared that if it should become necessary, the
whole of Western Missouri would be emptied
into Kanzas, in order to make it slave
State" -. t#..t--
Such was the late exhibition Of popular
Sovereignty" by its self chosen champions
in Missouri. Such is the concerted and gi-
gsn,ic fraud to which Col. Benton counsels
the advocates of Free Labor AVID Free Soil
to submi,, and surrender TO Slavery over two
hundred thousand square miles OF territory
once solemnly consecrated TO Freedom by a
compact between the North and South
And he--who has been commended to US as
a Free Labor candidate for P:esident--tells
us that our urging intelligent and valuable
citizens to emigrats in good faithto Kanzas,
and there make their abiding homes, affords