Weekly hawk-eye and telegraph. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1855-1857, 1856-06-04
The sacking of Lawrence.


The first property DESTROYED was the press of
the Kansas Free State, which was thrown into
the river, and everything pertaining to the office
with exchanges, paper, and large quantity Of
miscellaneous books, was thrown into the street
mutiated and destroyed. The flag of the lone
star (South Carolina and Southern Rights") was
hoisted first upon the house Of G. w. Brown. of
the Herald of Freedom, and afterwards upon
the hotel. Browns press and everything in the
office shared the same fate as the other. and n
wagon load of books and papers was trampled in
the streets.
Jones promised in the commencement that no
private property should be DESTROYED. But hou
scs were broken open and rihed OF whatever sui,-
ed the fancy OF the mob Locks, bolts or bars,
were no security. Windows and doors ~.
broken and destroyed, and me- nov ar ere
reported. and nncc. Ag i. W. ,, a,1ao.es
sand dollars = ,ntradic!rd, '',at e;abt thon.
house. ,niehy in mohe' was lost from one
.,uoYt i've o'clock, three cannon were placed
in the Street, twelve or fifteen rods east of the
hotel, and some t',irty shots were fred, shatter.
ing the wall considerably, but proving altogether
too slow a method of destruction for these claw
and order men, They then set fire to the bull
ding in different places, and put several kegs Of
|
burst out at the windows, and the whole building
was in blaze. The walls trembled and fell
and the shouts and wells of the mob proclaimed
the triumph Of law and order in Lawrence
While the hotel was burning, the house OF G.
| w Brown was twice set or fire. The floor was
burned through. The fire was finally ex,inguisl
dby some young men of Lawrence The moi
threatened to shoot them, tut they were de-
tered. If his house had burned, several Others
must certainly have been destroyed, and there
would have been danger of burning nearly hall
the town. Many of the mob were bent on des
troying every house in the place, and speeches
were made urging the destruction of the whole
town. Atchson, it is said, advised moderation
Col. jackson, of Georgia, with many others
were opposed to the burning of the hotel. A
tender hearted man from Missouri who had come
out to exterminate the id abolitionists, shed
tears at the sight of the destruction Of the prop
erty Of innocent unoffending men, as he found
them to be. The mob began to disperse an
hour before sunset, and at shutdown most oil
them had left the town. A few, overcome by
excitement or supplied by liquor, lay insensble
in the street. They were unframed by the PEG.
pie of Lawrence.
In the evening Governor Robnson's house
was set on fire and burned to the ground And
thus ended, for that day, the execution of the
Claw" in Lawrence.
The women and children of Lawrence slept
that night either beneath the friendly sheltcring
trees along the banks of the Kansas, or huddled
together in small houses and cabins on the out.
skirts of the town.
One man of the posse was killed by the falling
of brick from the hotel.
The report that free State man was killed at
Lawrence on the 2lst, think a mistake.
| think it had reference to a most cold bIooded
| mn mi toIb ,,f how, tba OIL;
Blanton's Bridge, three miles south of Lawrence,
where man named John Jones was shot after
he had delivered up his revolver The man who
| shot him saying as he did it, 81 have shot one
God id abol ZIONIST, and III shoot another
Jones was from Illinois. He died the next
night.
From the numbers whom have seen return
ing, and from credible information, l am of opin-
ion that there were three men from Missouri 10
one man from the Territory engaged in this in
vasion.
The Free State men had made no PREPARATION
| tor defence, and no resistance was attempted.
| Men from all parts of the Territory would have
come to assist them, but they did not desire it..
Solong as there was hope in peaceful measures
| they would resort to no other. greatly fear
hat that time is past, and that the scenes of the
| 2lst will prove to be the commencement off civ
Il war IN Kansas. An EYE WNEss.
| ANOTHER OUTRAGE
In addition to the foregoing we have been
furnished with the subjoined letter Just received
by gentleman in ST. Louis, which throws adj
d.tonal light upon the fearful state of license and
disorder now existing in Kansas
TOPEKA, May 90, 1856.
Dear Brother.-Your wife is very unwclt-
She was injured in travelling the other tlay from
ere TO my house. A party fred upon us. and a
ball passed through her arm. Come here i'm
media.ely. will send this BY Mr.. Dunn, as
there is no dependence to be placed in the mails.
Yours affectionately,
GEO. H. WOODS.
There are five hundred men here in arms
Free State men