The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-07-18

noise and threatening taik, Nlaiporho II.
jackson addressed the crowd, saying they
had come there to vote, that they had a
right to vote IL they had been there but i've
minutes, and be was not willing TO 90 home
without voting; which was received win
cheers. jackson then called upon them 70
form into little bands Of fifteen or twenty,
which they did, and went TO an o1-wagon
flied with guns, which were distributor
among them. and proceeded to load some
of them ON the ground. In pursuance OF
Jaekson's request they tied white tape or
ribbons In their button holes, ~ as to dis |
t;ncuisb them from the "Abolitionists. -
They again demanded that the Judges should
resign, and upon their refusing to do 50,
smashed in the window, sash and all, and
presented their pistols and guns to them.
threatening to shoot them. Some one on
the outside cried oht 10 them not to shoot,
as there were Pro-Slavcry men in the room
with the Judges. They then put pry nn-
der the corner Of the house, which was log
house, and lifted il up few inches, and let
il fall again, but desisted Upon being told
there were pro-Slavery men in the house.
During this time the crowd repeatedly de-
manded 10 be allowed To vote without being
sworn, and Mr.. Ellison, one OF the Judges,
expressed himself willing, but the other two
Judges refused thereupon body ofmen
headed by .'Sherif Jones" rushed into the
Judges room, with cooked pistols and
drawn bowie-kniyes in their hands, and APP
preached Burson and Ramsay. Jones
pulled out his watch and said he would give
them five minutes to resign in, or de
When the five minutes had expired, and
the Judges dad not resign, Jones said he
would give them another minute and no
more. Ellison told his associates that II
they did not resign, there would be one hun
dred shots fred into the room in less than
Is minutes; and then snatching up the
b,llot-box and hurrahing for Missouri
About that time Burson and Ramsey were
called out by their friends, and not suffered
70 return. As Mr.. Burson went out he put
the ballot poll-books in his pocket, and took
them with him and as he was going out
Jones snatched some papers away from him,
and shortly afterwards came. out himself
holding them up, crying, "hurrah for Mis-
souri," After he discovered they were not
the poll-books, he took party of men with
him and started OF TO take the poll-books
from Burson. Mr.. Burson saw them CON-
ing, and he gave the books to Mr.. Umberg-
err, and told him to start of in another di.
reciion, 50 rs 10 mislead Jones and his par
ty. Jones and his party caught Mr.. Um-
berger, took the poll-books away from him
and Jones took him up beh nd him on q
horse, and carried him back n prisoner
After Jones and his party had taken I'M
berger back, they went TO the house OF Mr..
Ramsey and took Jndge John A. Wakefield
prisoner, and carried him TO the place of
election, and made him get up on a wagon
and make them a speech; after which they
put white ribbon in his button hole and
let him 90. They then chose two new
Judges, and proceeded with the election.
They, also thrcated to kill the judges if
they aid not receive their votes without
swearing them, or else resign. They said
no man should vote who would submit to
be sworn-that they would kill any one
who would offer TO do so-'shOot him, !"
"cut his CUTS out" &c. They said no man
should vote this day unless he voted an open
ticket, and was "all right ON the goose"
and that if they could not vote by fair means
they would by foul means. They said they
had as much right to vote if they had been
in the Territory two minutes, Us If they had
been there two years, and that they would
vote. Some of the citizens who were about
the window, but had not voted when the
crowd of Missourians marched up there, up
on attempting TO vote were driven back by
the mob, or driven or One Of them, Mr..
j. VI. Macy, was asked il he would take the
oath, and upon his replying that he would
if the judges required il. he was dragged
through the crowd away from the polls, amid
cries OF " Kill the ID Niger thief, :"
"Cut his throat" Tear his heart out, "
&c. After they got him to the outside OF
the crowd, they stood around him with
cooked reyolycrs and drawn bowie-kniyes.
one man putting knife to his heart, 50 that
il touched him. another holding cooked
pistol To his ear, while another struck ut
him with club. The MiSsOurians said
Trey had right to vote il they had been IN
the Territory but five minutes. Some said
tiey had been hired TO come there and vote,
and get dollar day, and by Cd they
would vote or die there.
They said the 3Oth day Of March was an
Important day, ~ Kansas wOul be made n
Slave State on that day. They began TO
leave in the direction OF Missouri in the at
trnoon, after they had voted, leaving some
30 or 40 around the house where the cleo
ton was held, to guard the polls until after
the election was over. The citizens of the
territory were not around, except those who
took part in the mob, and large portion
of them did not vote 3il votes wero polled
there that day Of which but some thirty
were citizens. A protest against the cleo
ton was IN ,de to the Governor. The re-
turns of the election made 10 the Governor
were lost by the Committee OF Elections OF
the Legislature at Pawnee. The duplicate
returns left in the ballot box were taken by
7. Z. L,loy, one of the Judges elected by
the Miss1urians, and were either lost or de-
stroycd IN hts house, 80 that your Commit
tee have been unable 10 institute n COMPARE
son between the poll lists and census returns
Of this district. The testimony, however,
is uniform, that not even 80 OF those who
voted there that day were entitled to vote,
leaving 81 illegal votes. We are satisfied
from the testimony that, had the actual
settlers alone voted, the Free State candi-
dates would have been elected by hand
some majority.
Similar frauds and outrages took place
in the other districts, in fact in all, except
ing several Of the districts the border ruff
fans from Missouri, controlled the election,
after giving them in detail, the committee
say:
BY the election. as conducted, the Pro-
Slavery candidates m every district but the
With representative district received a ma
jority Of the votes and several OF them, in
both the Council and House, did no; "rcside
in" and were not "inhabitants OF :" the DIS
trict forwhich they were elected, as required
by tho organic law. by that act II was de-
clarcd to be ..the true intcnt and meaning
Of this act to leave the people thereof per-
fectly free to form and regulate their domes-
tic institutions in their own way, subject to
the Constitution Of the United States" So
careful was Congress Of the right Of popu-
lar sovereignty, that to secure IL TO the poo
pie, without SINGLE petition from any Por-