Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-07-24

The Missourians said mono but pro slavery
men should vote, and threatened to shoot any
free state man who should come up TO vote. Mr..
Mockbee, one Of the Judges elected by the Mis- /
sourians, had store near the boundary fixed
by the proclamation of the Governor, while he
cultivated farm in Missouri, where his fam
lily lived and where his legal residence was
then and is now. The Missourians also held
side election for Governor of the territory, vo
ting for Thomas johnson, of Shawnee Mission.
The free state men, finding the polls, under
the control of non residents, refused to. and
did not, vote. They constituted decided ma
jiorty of the actual settlers. A petition signed
by majority of the residents of the district
was sent to the Governor. the whole number
of voters in this district, according to the CEN
sus returns, was AZ the number of votes cast
was 80, of which whom but Is were residents
whose names are on the census rolls, who did
not vote was ~,
! For some days prior to the election, compa
MES of men were organized in jackson, Cass,
and Clay counties, Mo-, for the purpose
coming to the territory and voting in the 9th
| District. The day previous to the election,
some 400 or 500 Missourians, armed with guns
pistols, an / knives, came into the territory and
camped, some at Bull Creek and others at Pot
awatamie Greek. Their camps were about 10
miles apart. On the evening before the election,
Judge Hamilton. of the Cass County q curt,
Mo-, came from the Patawatamic Creek camp
to Bull Creek for 60 more Missourians, as
they had not enough there to render the cleo
ton certain, and about that number went
down there with him.sa
( On the evening before the election DR.. B. G.
Westfall was elected to act as one Of the
Judges of Election in the Bull Greek precinct,
in place of one of the Judges appointed by the
Governor, who, it was said would not be there
the next day. DR.. Westfal was at that time
citizen of jackson county, Missouri. On
the morning of election, the polls for Bull
Creek precinct were opened, and, without
swearing the jndges, then proceeded to receive
the votes of all who offered to vote. For
the sake Of appearance, they would get some
one to come to the window, and offer to vote
and when asked to be sworn, he would pretend
to grow angry at the Judge, and would 60
away, and his name would be put down as hay-
ing, offered to vote, but " rejocted. refusing to
be sworn" This arrangement was made pre-
viously and perfectly understood by the judges.
But few of the residents of the districts were
present at the election, and only Is voted. The
number of votes cast in the precinct was 1913.
One Mssourian voted for himself and then
voted for his little son. but 10 or IL years old
Col Golfer, Henry Younger, and Mr.. Lykins,
who were voted for and elected to the Legisla-
ture, were residents Of Missouri at the time.
COL Golfer subsequently married in the Terri
tory. After the polls were closed, the returns
were made, and a man, claiming to be magis-
trate, certified on them that he had sworn the
judges Of election before opening the polls In
the Potawatame precinct, the Missourans at
tended the election, and after threatening Mr.
Chestnut. the only judge present appointed by
the Governor, to induce him to resign, they
proceeded to elect two other judges-Qne a
Missourian and the other a resident of another
precinct in that district. The polls were ther
opened. and all the HISTORIANS were allowed
to vote without being sworn.
After the polls were closed, and the return
made out, for the signature Of the Judges, Mr.
hester refused to sign them, as he did not con
slider them correct returns of legal voters.
Col. Golfer resident of Missouri, but elect
ed to the Kansas Legislature from that district a
that election, endeavored with other to induce
Mr. h, ster by threats to sign the returns which
he refused to do, and left the house On his
way home he was fired at by some Mlssourans
|
to one legal vote given there that day. At The
Big Layer precinct the Judges appointed, b,
the Governor met at the time appointed, and pro
ceeded to open the polls, after being duly sworn
After few votes had been received, party Of
Missourians came into the yard of the house
where the election was held, and unloading
wagon fill d with arms, stacked their guns 10 the
yald, and came up to the window and demanded
to be admitted TO vote Two of the Judges de
clded to rtcelve their votes, whereupon the thirt
Judge, Mr. ]. VI. Arthur, resigned, and anohe
was chosen in his place.
Col. Young citizen Of Missouri, but can
didate for and elected TO the Territorial Leglsla
tive Council, was present and voted in the pre-
cinct. He claimed that all Mssourians who
were present on The day of election vert
entitled to vote But thirty or forty of thu
citizens of the precinct were present. AT TIT
Little Sugar precinct, the election seemed t,
have been conducted fairly, and there free stat,
majority was poled From the testimony, tn,
whole district appears to have been largely fre
state, and had none but actual settlers voted, III,
free state candidates would have been elected b,
large majority From careful examination
of the testimony and the records, we find tina
from 200 to 225 legal votes were polled out o
COO, VIC iolul HuihuCt kl'tH III tIC pltClllCtS v
the 9Th district. OF the legal votes cast, tn,
free state candidates received 1872.
SIXTH DIsTRICT-FoRT SCOTT.
A company of citizens from Missouri, most
from Bates county, came into this district tn
day before the election some camping and other
putting up at the public houses, They number,
from 100 to 200, and came in wagons and Of
horseback, crrrying their provisions, and tent
with them were generally armed with pistols
They declared their purpose to vote, and elaine,
the right to do so. They went to the polls gen
orally in small bodies, with tickets in their hands
and MANY, if not all, voted, In some cases the,
declared that they had voted, and gave their rea
son for so doing Mr.. Anderson a pro-saver
candidate for the legislature, eadeavored to dis
suade the non-rcsdenls from voting, because h
did not wish the election contested This per
son, however, insisted npon voting. and upol
his right to do So No one was challenged O
sworn, and all voted who desired to.
Out of three hundred and fifty votes cast, no
over one hundred were legal, and but sixty fou
of those named in the census taken one montl
before by Mr. Barber the candidate Or council
voted Many of the free state men did not vote
but your committee is satisfied that, of the ega
votes cast, the pro.savery candidates received
majority. Mr., Anderson. one of these candid
ates, was an unmarried man, who came into ,h
district from Missouri few days before tn
election, and boarded atathe public house unit
the day after the election, He then took witt
him the poll lists, and did not return to For
Scott until the occasion of a barbecue the weel
before the election of October l. 1856 He vo
ted at the election, and after it left and has no
since been in the district. S A Williams, tn
other pro-slavery candidate, at the time Of tn,
election had claim in the territory. but his lie
gal residence was not there unit! after the cleo
ton.
SEVENTH DISTRICT.
From two to three hundred men from the stat
of Missouri came in wagons or on horseback t,
the election ground at Switzer' Creek, in the 4t
district and encamped near the polls on the Ga
proceeding the election They were armed will
pistOls and other Weapons and declared tho;