The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-05-27

| O--IlsAne, n Saiu lie, ii i 8u come aA lie
way from South Carolina, to do things up ia
such milk and water style as this"
They stripped me naked to the waist, Gov
ered my body with tar, and then, for the want
lof feathers, applied cotton wool Having ap-
pointed committee of seven to certainly hang
me the next time / came to Atchison, they
tossed my clothes into my buggy, pat ne
therein, accompanied me to the suburbs Of
the town, and seut me naked out upon the
prairie. adjusted my attire about me as best
/ could, and hastened to rejoin my wife arc
little ones on the banks of the Stranger
Creek. It was rather serrowful meeting af-
ter so long parting still we were very
thankful that, under good Providence, it had
Jared no worse with us all.
/ The first mob that sent me down the river
l(always excepting Robert s. Kelly) were
courteous gentlemen compared with the last
one. When | was towed out into the middle
of the stream | do not remember to have
heard word spoken by the men on shore
Their demeanor indicated that they felt them
selves performing painful duty, though, per-
haps, a necessary one. This last mob, when
they left me on the borders of the town,
screeched and yelled like party New Zea-
land cannibals The first mob did not attempt
to abridge my rights of speech in reply to all
the hard and bitter things they said against
me. They patiently heard me to the end
For this | felt to thank them-from my very
heart | did thank them. But these men that
have come to introduce into Kansas that order
lof things that now obtains in South Carolina,
Isavagely gagged me into silence by rapping
my face, choking me, pulling my beard, jerk
| ing me violently to my seat and calling out
| DIN you, hold your tongue" All this was
asxxyhi1 Ia hob ind
back. 'i'2 a3
Many will ask now, as they have asked a.
ready, what is the true and proper cause of all
these troubles which l have had in Atchison?
have told the world alreday. can only re-
lpeat my own words. / have said. "Tbe
very head and front of my offending hath this
extent-no more:' 1 had spoken among my
neighbors favorably to making Kansas a free
State, and said in the Office of the Squatter
lSovereign, 81 am free soiler, and intend to
vote for Kansas to be free State" 1t is
true that Kelly, by an after-thought; has ad-
ded two new counts to his bill Of indictment
against me. The first is, that went about
the town of Atchison last August talking alb
olitionsm-I have not the honor Of being an
abolitionist;) and second, that spoke some
how or other improperly in the presence of
slaves. All this is not only utterly false, but
the charges are er post facto, for not word
was said Of this the day they put me on the
raft. The New York Tribune publishes me
as Methodist preacher, that was put on
raft for preaching aboltionism. / am mem
Der of the denomination known as Disciples
| l(Campbellites,) and have never aAaded to the
subject by preaching. published narrative
of the whole affair in the Missouri Democrat
not one word of which has ever been denied,
to the best of my knowledge, except this:
| had heard that Kelly "was born in Massachu-
setts," He says, he was not born in Massa-
chusetts-that he was born in Virginia. Rob-
ert S. Kelly, Co-Editor OF the Squatter Sow
ereign, and government printer, shall be born
Just where he pleases. 5s...,;.g..
| Still it will be regarded as mysterious and
| incredible that man should receive such
treatment, for nttering such words as | report
myself to have uttered. The matter is plain
enough, when the facts are understood. Prior
to August 16, 1855 there was, properly speak
ing, no freesoil party organized in Atchison
county-prehaps not in the whole territory of
Kansas. Freesoilers did not know their own
strength, and all were disposed to be prudent
some were timid. Here in Atchison county
| we were determined that if the Border Ruff
fans, were resolved to drive matters to
bloody issue, the responsibility of doing SO
FeSC WnOlly Will IuCiuSClFOo' AhCAC
are many free-soilers in this county-braye
men, who have no conscientious scruples to
hinder them from arming themselves. and pre-
pairing to 'repel force with force. The Border
Rufians sought, by system of terrorism, so
to intimidate free-soilcrs, as to prevent them
from organizing free-soil party, or even dis
cussing the subject of freedom and slavery in
Kansas. They carried this to such an extent
of outrageous violence, that it came to be cur
rently reported that it was as much as man'S
life was worth in the town of Atchison, to say
81 am Free Soiler." We depreciate' violence
and wish peaceful discussion of the subject.
1t was therefore most fitting, that man whose
profession forbade him to go armed, shouldput
to the test of actual experiment in the town
of Atchison, whether an American citizen, of
blameless life, could be permitted to enjoy the
right of free speech-the privilege of express
ing views favorable to making Kansas free
State-such views being uttered without any
thing of angry, abusive, or insulting language.
It was for this purpose the above words, were
spoken, and which have been the cause OF all
my troubles in Atchison.