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

!. Jones. liS CnoA"SsoA 40 -
aneuare at Lccompton, where peace was
aade; "The said Major Clark and Burns
,oth claimed the credit Of killing that DID
lbolitlonist, and he didn't know which
MONT 10 have Il. If Shannon hadn't been
. id old fool, that peace would mover
ave been declared. He would have wiped
lawrence out. He had men and means
enough to do it." 80.
Your Committee did not deem It within
heir power OF duty TO take testimony ~
% events which have transpircd since the
late of their appointment; but as some Of
Ihe events tended seriously to embarass,
and delay their Investigations, they
leem Il proper here to refer to them. On
their arrival in the Territory the people
were arrayed in two hostile parties. The
hostility Of them was continually increased
during their stay in the Territory by the
arrival of armed bodies OF men who, from
their equipments, came not to follow the
neaceful pursuits of life, butarned and Or
ranizcd into companies, apparently for war
nv the unlawful detention Of persons and
property while passing through the State
of Missouri, and by frequent forcible seizures
of persons and property in the Territory
with legal warrant. Your Committee re-
gret that they were compelled to witness
instances of each of these classes OF outrages'
While holding their session at WestpOrt,
Mo-, at the request of the sitting Delegate
thew saw several bodies of aimed men con-
fessedly citizens Of Missouri, march into the
Territory on forays against Its citizens, but
under the pretence of enforcing the enact
ments before referred to. The wagons Of
emigrants were stopped in the highways,
and searched without claim of legal powers,
and in some instances all their property Ia
ken from them. In Leavenworth City lead.
ing citizens were arrested at MONDAY in our
presence by an armed force, without any
claim of authoiity, except that derived from
a self-constructed Committee of Vigilance,
many of whom were Legislative and Exccu.
tive officers. Some were released on prom
ising to leave the Territory, and Others being
detained for time were formally notified
to leave, under the serverest penalties. The
only offence charged against them was their
political oponions, and no one was thus ar
rested for alleged crime of any grade. There
was no resistance to these lawless acts by
the settlers, because, In their opinion, the
persons engaged In them would DO sustained
and reinforced by the citizens Of the popn-
lous border counties of Missouri, from whence
they were only separarcd by the river. In
one case witnessed by your Committee, IN
application for the writ of habeds corpus was
prevented by the urgent solicitation of pro.
Slavery men, who insisted that II would
cndangcr the life of the prisoner to be dis.
charged under legal process.
While we remained in the Territory, re-
peated acts of outrage were committed upon
the quiet, unoatsnding citizens, of which
we received authentic intelligence. Mer
were attacked on the highway, robbed and
subsequently imprisoned. Men were seizet
and searched, and their weapons Of defence
taken from them without compensation
Horses were frequently taken and appro
priated. Oxen were taken from the yoke
while blowing, and butchered in the pres
ence OF their owners. Ono young man wal
seized in the streets Of the town of Atchison
and under circumstances of gross barbarity
was tarred and cottoned, and in that condi
ton was sent to his family. All the pro
visions Of the Constitution OF the UniteC
States securing persons and property are ut
ctly disrcgarded. The officers Of tho law
instcadot protecting the people, were II
some instances engaged in these outrages
and in no instance did we learn that an,
man was arrested, indicted or punished fol
any of thes- crimes. While such offences
were committed with impunity, the law
were used as o means Of indicting mel
for holding elections, preliminary to fran.
ing Constitution and applying for admis
sion into the union as the state Of Konsas
Charges of high treason were made agains
prominent citizens upon grounds which
seem to your Committee absurd and redic
ulous, and under these charges they ar
now held in custody and are refused tn
privilege of hail. In several cases men wer'
arrested in tho state of Missouri while pass
ing on their lawful business through tina
State, and detained until indictments coul'
be found in the Territory.
Firth INVASION.
These proceedings were followed by az
offence OF still greater magnitude. Under
color of legal process, a company OF abOu
seven hundred armed men, the great bod,
of whom your Committee are satisfied wer'
not citizens of the Territory, marched int
the town of Lawrence under Marshal Don
ALLISON and S. j. Jones, officers claiming Il
act under the law, and bombardcd and ther
burned to the ground valuable hotel ant
one private house, destroyed two printing
presses and material, and then, being re.
leased by the officers, whose posse they
claimed to be, proceeded tosack, pillage and
rob houses, stores, trunks, &C., even to the
clothing of women and children. Some oil
the letters thus unlawfully taken were pri'
vate ones, written by the contesting. dele
gate, and they were offered in evidence
Your Committee did not deem that the per-
son holding them had any right thus to use
them, and refused to be made the insrtu-
ments to report private letters thus OBJ
tanned.
This force was not resisted, because 1t was
collected and marshaled under the forms
of law. But this act Of barbarity, unex-
ampled in the history Of our Government t,
was followed by its natural consequences.
All the restraints which American citizens
are accustomed to pay even to to the mp.
pearance of law were thrown of one oct
Of violence led to another; homicides became
frequent. A party under II. Y. Pate, CON-
posed chiefly Of citizens Of Missouri, were
taken prisoners by party Of settlers; and
while your Committee were OF Westport, q
company, chiefly Of Missourians, accompa-
MED by the acting Delegate, went to relieve
Pate and his party, and collision was
prevented by the United States troops
Civil war has seemed impending in the
Territory. Nothing can prevent 30 great q
calamity but the presence of large force
of United States troops, under o comman-
der who will with prudence and discretion
quiet the excited passions ofboth parties, and
expel with force the armed bands of law
less men,. coming from Missouri and else
where, who with criminal psrtinacity infest
the Territory.
But the obstruction which created the
most serious embarrassment to your Commit
tee was the attempted arrest Of Governor
Reedcr, the contesting Delegate, upon a
writ osattatchment issued against him by
Judge Lecompte to compel his attendance as
a witness before the Grand Jury of Douglas
NU;ll;a ,,, E,na racontly frou, tho