Indiana American. [volume] (Brookville, Ind.) 1833-1861, 1855-01-05
The way things are done in Kansas
correspondence Of tho Baltimore sun.
Fr LEAvENwoRTu KANSAS Ter.
Wednesday, Dec. o, 1884,

Wednesday, Dec. 9, 1854. /
This place has become extremely
dull within the last week or two.-l
Navigation on the river has been sus-
pended for the season; the election is
over; the weather is cold, and the
Governor, together with all the other
Territorial officers, have gone down
to the Methodist Mission, near West
port, where they have iablished their
winter quarters.
We have had no Eastern mail here
for week, although the law provides
for one every day. The mail-carrier
appears to have broken down and
given up for good this time. We have
been lmpatiently waiting. and wait
ing. and still he comes not. We are
involved in sort of Rip Van Wrinkle
obliviousness. The world may be
passing through the most comprehen-
sive revolutions-cld governments and
systems and people may be going down
and disappearing forever, and new
ones rising up in their stead, and we
here in the middle of the American
Continent, be entirely unconscious of
the same. We may wake up to-mor-
row, morning, alo if mail should
happen to fall ufSa US in the mean
time, find ourselves in new world
This irregularity of the mails is, in
deed, source of serious discomfortto
all sojourners, as well as those who
permanently residing here. The De-
partment at Washington ought TO pay
more attention to these Far Western
mails. The emigration to this Terri
tory has established great necessity
for punctuality and dispatch in their
operations, and it is to be hoped that
the Department will see to the matter.
Judge Lecompte, of Maryland,
Chief Justice of the Territory, arrived
at Westport on Friday last. with his
family. He will reside for the pres
ent at the Methodist Mission, that
place affording better accommodations
than any other :.in the Territory
No division Of the Territory into judi
cial districts has yet been made, nor
will be until spring. Judge Lecompte
has, SO far,made decidedly favorable
impression. His agreeable manners
viii win him many friends. All
the Territorial officers are now among
us. They are, without any exceptions,
excellent men. Gov. Reeder is man
is man of most sterling qualities
He possesses, in high degree, intel
lect, decision and frmness. In the
discharge of his official duties he con-
ducts himself with scrupulous pro-
priety. No better selection could
possibly have been made by the Pres
ident for the Office he fills. William
G.. Matthias and ID. Scott Boyle,
Esqs., of Westminster, Md. who came
out with Judge Lecompte, ARE stopping
here. They are highly delighted with
the country.
The election here on the Goth ult.,
for delegate to Congress, occasioned
a high. degree Of excitement. Gen.
Whitfield, the Slavery candidate,
is said to have been elected. You
have no doubt been so informed. So
far as the number Of votes cast in his
favor may go to give him the election
he has it; but if the character Of those
has anything to do with the result, he
has it not. He was not elected by
the people of Kansas. He is not their
delegate. He was put upon the track
by people in the State of Missouri,
and put through the ballot-box in Kan
sas by the people of that State. Be-
fore the near approach of the time of
election no sign could be discerned by
the most observantindicating anything
else than the success of the Anti-Sla-
very party.
The Governor of the Territory, and
all his personal and political friends,
were on that side. together with two
out of every three persons in all parts
of the Territory. But, within a day
or two of the election, the country
began to swarm with Missourians. =
They came over in crowds-some in
wagons, others on horseback, and 9TH
ers yet on foot. They were, for the
greater part, a most unseenly and
reckless set of men. They crossed
the river in separate attachments, at
different places along the border
They seemed to be organized in sepa-
rate parties, under the command Of
particular leaders, each party design
ed to operate at specific localities
Thus. the polls in every district, ex-
cept at Laurence, and far up toward
Fort Riley, were surrounded and Ia
ken possession iof, the moment they
were opened, by those insolent inva-
ders They threatened and intimida-
ted the Judges, crowded out and vio-
leutly drove off all those who were
suspected Of being in favor Of any
other candidate than their own, and
put their own votes into the ballot
box at the point of the revolver. l
was myself present all day at the Leav-
enworth polls, and can therefore speak
of the proceedings at that point from
personal knowledge. They were
perfectly outrages. The crowd OF
Missourians assembled early in the
morning. and commenced operations
by insisting on filing a temporary va
cancy which had occurred in the
Board of Judges, by electing man
named Burgess, a native ofPlatte Co.,
Missouri. The other judges protested
against the proposition but yielded
Immediately to the storm which their
resistance in a moment provoked
They felt themselves in danger Of be-
ing ruthlessly murdered by the crowd.
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