Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-07-29

OranQ jury which SUI IN LeaYenWotln
County, the Sheriff summoned several Of
The persons implicated in The murder (2e6).
One Of them was M. p. Riverly, at that
time Treasurer OF lhe County. He has
been examined as witness before US. The
reason he gives why no indictments were
found Is, "They killed one Of .he Pro-.
Slavery men, and the Pro.Slavery men
killed one of the others; and thought it
was about mutual" The same Grand Jury
however, found bills or indiclmen, against
those who acted as judges a. the Free.Slale
election. Riyerly says,"l know our Ut
most endeavors were made to find out who
acted as Judges and Clerks on The 17ih Of
January last, and a. althe bogus elections
held by the Abollionlsls here. We were
very anxieus to find them ou,, as we though.
them acting illegally"
Your Committee, id their examinations,
have found that in no case Of crime or hom-
icide. mentioned in The report Of the tesli,
mony. has any Indictment been found
againstthe guilty party, except in the hom.
cide Of Clark by M'Crea,. M'Crea being a
IN q ~ /.
Free-Slaie man. | gs54
Your Committee did no. deem it within
their power or duty 70 lake testimony as to
events which have transpired since The dale
Of their appointment bu, as some Of The
events tended seriously TO embanass, hinder
and delay their investigations, they deem IL
proper 10 refer 10 Ibem. On their arrival
in the Territory shs people we're arayed in
two hostile parIiest The hostility Of them
was continually incieased durisg our stay
in The Territory, by the arrival Of armed
bodies Of men who, from their equipments,
came not 10 follow The peaceful pursuits Of
life, bu. armed and organized into compa,
nes apparently for war-by the unlawful
deicntions Of persons and property while
passing through the State Of Missouri, and
frequeD, lorcible seizures Of persons and
properly in the territory wiIhouI legal war
ianl. Your committee regret that they were
compelled 10 witness instances Of each OF
these classes Of ouirages. While holding
their session at WesIpon, Mo al The re-
quest of,ne sitting Delegate, they saw sew.
eral bodies Of armed men, coniessedly citi'
zens Of Missouri march into The Territory
on .oray against lis ciIizcns, bu. under the
pretense of enforcing the enaclmen,s refer
red TO. The wagons OF emigranls were
stopped in the highways and searched with
out claim Of legal powers, and in some insIan.
ces their property taken from lhem. In
Leavenwor'h City, leading cl,izons were ar.
resIed at MONDAY IN our presence, by an
armed lorce, without any claim OF authority,
except lha, derived from selfconssilu,ed
Commiilee of Vigilance, many OF whom
were Legislative and Executive officers =
Some were released on promising 10 leave
the Territory, and others after being de,ain-
ed for time were formally notified 10 leave,
under the sevefesl penalties. The only Of.
tense charged against them was their polili.
cal opinions, and no one was thus arrested
for alleged crime Of any grade. There was
no resistance 10 these lawless acls by the
settlers, because, in their opinion, the per.
sons engaged in them would be sustained
and reinforced by the citizens OF the popu-
lous border counties Of Missouri, from
whence they were only separated by the
river In one case Witnessed By. your Com.
m,tee, an application for the wrii Of hnbeas
corpus was prevented by the Pro.Slavery
men, who insisted ina, would endanger the
life Of the prisoner 10 be discharged under
legal process.
While we remained in the Territory, re-
pealed acls Of outrage were committed upon
The quie, unoffsndlng citizens, Of which we
received authentic intelligence. Men were
auacked on the highway, robbed, and
subsequently imprisoned. Men were seized
and searched, and their weapons oil defence
taken from them wi,hou, compensation.
Horses were frequently taken and appropri.
led. Oxen were taken from the yoke while
blowing, and bulchered in The presence OF
their owners. One young man was seized
in the streets Of the town Of Atchison, and
under circumstances Of gross barbatity was
tarred and colsoned, and in thar condition
was SER, 10 his family. All the provisions
Of the Constitution Of the UniIed States se-
curing person and properly are utterly dis
regarded. The officers Of The law, instead
oil protecting tho people, were in some in
stances engaged in these oulrages, and in no
instance did we learn Thar any man was ar.
rested, indicted or punished for any Of these
crimes. While such offenses were commit.
led with impunily, the laws were used as o
means Of indicting men for holding cleo.
,ions, preliminary TO framing Constitution
and applying for the. admission into the
Union as The Stale Of Kansas. Charges Of
high treason were made agains. prominent
citizens upon grounds which seem TO your
Committee absurd and ridiculous, and under
these charges they are now held in custody
and are refused the privilege Of bail. In
several cases men were arrested In The Stale
Of Missouri while passing on their lawful
business through thar Slale, and detained
until indictments could be found in the Ter.
rilory,
These proceedings were followed by an
offense Of sill greater magnitude: Under
color Of legal process, a company Of about
700 armed men, the grea, body Of whom
your CommilIee are saisfed were not cili-
zens Of The Territory, marched finio the
town ofLawrence under Marshal Donuld-
son anu S. J. Jones, officers claiming 10 acl
under the law, and bombarded and then
burned 10 tie ground valuable hotel and
one private house; destroying two printing
presses and material; and then, being releas.
ed by the officers whose posse they claimed
TO be, proceeded 10 sack, pilage and rob
houses, stores, trunks. &C., even 10 the clo,h.
ing Of women and children. Some of the