The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-11-10
Read this Narrative.
To his Ercels,acy Fraaklia Pierce, Presides!
of the United States.

tAkn lNo years ago htoHe. aHa WIKI NohSf1.
erations connected with my own health, and
the selection of quiet, happy home tor
myself aud family, found my way 70 the
Territory, and located my claim at Ossa-
wstomie. II was then wilderness eeun-
try, and but four or five white families were
then resident in that section 81 the Tern |
tory. But soon, from almost every state
in the Union, that country was peopl,d,--
We had no store, no post office, no MAJ
route, no mill or blackssat.t s{,ep. A eur
request Government established weekly
mail route, and appointed Mr.. Samuel oeef
postmaster. Mr.. John Selton received the
contract FOR carrying The mail--four weekly
mails reached US from different points, Two
good stores were established, and groee-
nv store We had large steam saw and
grist mill. st q cost VI Sl2OvO. ~ opera
top. We had "a blacksmith and cabinet
shop, and dwellings, 10 all nearly nifty, IN
the town. The people lived together IN
harmony: they were enterprising, ilnptoy'
ing their iarms- planting crops, To the ex-
tent, in some instances, OF loo acres. We
had built a school house, which was also to
serve us as temporary place OF religious
worship Preparations " ere on foot for the
erection Of two large churches; various
buildings and improvements were commen'
ced We had passed the FIRST rough work
Of pioneer life. We had all shaken with
the ague, we had all groaned under the
burning lever We had passed through a.
winter severe beyond precedent, The bright
spring opened upon US; We we're cheered,
The sun shone as brightly as ever, aud YER
nal showers came, and gave promise OF a
fruitful season. We began to plan, our
crops, but rumors Of attack from the people
OF another State alarmed US. But little
could be done, and yet all were diligently
at work 10 provide for those whom God had
made dependent upon them. And while
thus our people were busy in their fields, on
| the 9th day OF June last, an armed company
OF about 100 horsemen. many OF them
known residents OF Missouri, visit our town,
make several of our people prisoners, sack
and rob all our dwellings Of their valuables,
set several buildings on FIRE, steal eighteen
horses, threaten and assault osr citizens,
and retire with threat that at a future
time they would return and destroy the
town. The people are in terror, sleeping
in the woods, and 10 constant fear OF their
lives.
The arm of industry is psralyzed. Our
teams sent for provisions TO Westpoft or
Kansas City, are stopped, searched, and
robbed. None but the ignorant OF more
courageous dare leave home. August 10,
Mr.. Ackerly, who drove the stage from Os-
sawatamis to Westport, was made prisoner
at Westport to learn the fate of his courier,
and is detained prisoner until the 18th Of
August, when, robbed of his coach, har-
ness, and one horse, he 10 sent, late at
| night, into Ossaw atamie with between 800
and 400 letters.
August 30.-Early in the morning, Gen.
Reid, from Missouri, with an army yariously
estimated at $50 to 400 armed men, march
upon the town, having previously murdered
one mile before reaching the place, Mr..
Frederick Brown and Mr.. Garrison, and left
DIR. Cutler for dead.
They take Nr. Williams and German
called Dutcl, Charley prisoners. Mr.. w.
is brutally murdered in the town; the Ger
man is murdered soon after. They severely
wound Mr.. Updegraft and Mr.. Collins
They also kill MIR. Partridge, fleeing for
his life, and Mr.. Powers, a sick man, endea-
vorng to escape from the burning houses.
They then sack and burn the town, leay-
ing only IL buildings. Women fee from
their beds ia their night clothes, with chill
dren under their arms. The sick crawl as
best they can into the wooda--the murdered
Powers was one OF them.
They then visit my claim, hail mile from
the town, rob and burn my house, Including
piano forte worth iour hundred dollars
They had burned my Office, cot open my
iron safe and robbed it Of all its valuable
contents, OF plate, money aud papers. They
take of my horse, wagon and harness, after
burning my three outbOuses They kitnRp
my oldest son, and bear him off TO Missurl,
where they for many weeks detain him.
Terror-striesen, the people flee from The
country. Cut of from sapplies-by the
BorGerers sworn 10 accomplish our destruc- |
lion--we nave been compelled to get out |
of the Territory, where no protection OF
life or property is enjoyed to the protection
Of the Stats. We are robbed OF our all,
and more, we are hunted as the roe upon
the mountains.
We are to-day thrown upon the cold
charity OF the world, ruined Ours is far
from being solitary case; we personally
know of hundreds who have had 10 fee
rom the Ossaw atamie section, impOy erish-
med
To you, your Excellency, | look for re-
dress. | have the best reason TO believe
that our town was destroyed under your au-
thoriy. Gen Reid came into the Terrific
~, as am compellep to believe, under the
call of Secretary Woodson, as Kansas mi /
lila. II not, why is the burning Of a town,
the murder of quiet and unoffending citi. |
zens, the imprisonment OF its mail contract |
ors, the detention OF the mail over two
weeks, and finally the robbery OF the Office |
Of over 400 letters, monies, &c, and the |
destruction of the office ignored by you!
Again, Gov. Geary, in his letter TO Secre- |
tary Marcy, dated Lecompton, October 10,
says: For upwards Of two weeks no outrage
has been automatically reported" Allow
me, however, 10 inform your ExcelIency
that during the two weeks mentioned by
Gov Geary, on outrage was committed at
Osaw atamie, in the burning oftwelye build
ngs that remained Of that il! fated town.
including the steam saw mill, a stora just
opened, and the post office. Allow me TO
Inform your eacelleney that have satisfac.
tory evidence 80 cause me 10 believe that
| Gov. Gesry was informed OF the fact, and
| pie then--but refused, as il had ever been
before the writer left Kansas, September
30 uit. Thus the Governor ignores the
sr5hgs done TO Free State settlers in Kan
/ sqs.
| But, lest weary your Excellency with
my complainings, will close by asking it
| there is to be no protection for the Free
State settlers OF Kansas? Will your Ex-
cellency still see us threatened, robbed,
driven out or murdered, and lend no listen
! lag ear, afford no proiectlonl Has liberty
! become Grim !, that her sons must be hunt
"a, prosecuted, burned and murdered in this
fair land of boosted freedom and equality
| and that under the cogn zance Of govern
nentt am NOT a politician. The outra.
yes suffered by myself my neighbors and
| friends, force me thus to resort to him who
10 sworn 10 support the Consi tuition of the