The Kansas herald of freedom. [volume] (Wakarusa, Kan. Territory) 1854-1860, 1855-10-13

MEssRs. EAsTIN d. POLLARD. EsoRs.-
Eds. Kansas Weekly Heraid-GESTLE-
MEN I'm Vol. /, No. az, (June 99th,
of your Leayenworth Herald, l find you
have communication taken from the
Kansas City Enterprise of the 18th ult.,
signed by w. ]. Osborn. After naming
the person referred to, / had concluded
to let it pass without noticing any of the
falsehoods and misstatements contained
therein but as this man Osborn has
made charges efecting not only my po-
litical and moral character, but also in
situations and direct charges against the
moral standing of the citizens of Man
haitian, have been urged to respond to
this communication, and in doing so /
will not condescend to use opprobrious
epithets to Mr.. Osborn, contenting my
self by merely saying that if and those
whom he has stated to be stabolitionists
and paupers the veriest slaves of de-
signing men; crowd of villains and
cut threats the foul scum of prisons
and brothels," &C., have not the notorie-
ty of this man Osborn, We are proud to
say we have moral character which will
compare with his and not suffer by such
comparison.
l will attempt, in as brief manner as
possible, to give you, and through you,
the public, as truthful statement as can
be done on sheet of paper. | belong
to company of ten from CINCINNATI
We are all American born citizens, and
united together TO form settlement in
Kansas, which we have an undoubted
right to do We first contemplated set
Ting above Fort Riley, but the low stage
of water prevented us from ascending
the Kansas further than the mouth of the
Big Blue Here we found that the Bos.
ton Company had located town, and
made some claims. Propositions were
made which were accepted by us, by
which we became possessed of the un.
divided half of the location. AS q COM
pany we are in no manner connected with
any Aid Society. l do not know the
political sentiments of all my associates
but do know, however, we are not abo.
litionists, nor are we "paupers." True,
we are not rich, yet we are sober and in.
dustrious, and hope we have energy and
perseverance enough TO eventually build
up thriving town and an important
business place.
Weare not slaves of any man or set Of
men, neither are we villains" '.cut-
threats" or the ''foul scum of prisons
and 0rothels."
/ will now take this occasion to remark
that the language referred to purporting
to have been uttered in our presence by
MIR. Osborn, is false, utterly false. Mr.
Osborn, or any other man, dare not use
such language to US, and pass with impu-
nifty. | say he never used such language.
Itmay suit his taste to publish such for
the purpose of showing his pretended
valor, but is one thing to say and anoth-
or to do.
The facts connected with the land for
which this man Osborn made his pre-
tended claim is this: Originally. man
by the name of J. w. Russell made the
first claim, and after erecting the frame
of house and excavated cellar, sold
his claim to the Boston Company, who
put 1t into the possession of man by
the name of o. III. Rogers, this man
gave up his claim On the 4th of June,
which our Cincinnati Company took pos
session of, and had some furniture in the
house, and property laying within five
hundred yards of the same, of the value
of FIVE thousand dollars. This property
is included in our portion of the town of
Manhattan. On the 9th of June this
Osborn made his appearance, pitched
out our tent, and some furniture, and
commenced mailing up clap-boards. /,
with MIR. Thurston, went as soon as we
discovered an intruderand ciyiiy enquired
by what right he had thus taken posses
sion of our property? He stated it was
his claim, and that be was determined to
hold 1t ali hazards. / said he could not
and should not hold it that We were the
bona tde owners, and that he must leave.
After some time | again called and asked
him if he was going peaceabiy away, or
II he was still of the same mind In per-
sisting to hold on. He replied he would
not leave, and was fully determined to
remain, and would not leave the ground
alive. then told him there was no use
of multiplying words; leave he must; if
not peaceably, other means must be taken.
l then left, and collected perhaps twenty
men. Some of them were armed, and
it was agreed that no i'll language should
be used, and no one speak but myself
We then went to the house. Iagain asked
Mir. Osborn if he would peaceably leave.
He replied he would not. | then took
out my watch, and told him would give
him ten minutes to leave, and if he did
not he must suffer the consequences
He insisted on knowing the penalty. l
told him, after some time that padding
la posterior and a ducking in the Kan
sas. He said he was ready for the pen
atty. Shortly 1 told him if his claim was
a valid one, if he had the shadow of
legal right, we were ready to protect
him. But we were not to be trifed with
and if he consulted his own interest and
personal safety, he had better leave. At
length, and perhaps in less than fifteen
minutes, his discretion prevailed, and he
left. His charge of drunken deck hands
who were ready to take his life, is also
false. There was not solitary indiyid-
ual who would iniure hair Of his head.