Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1856-05-30
Report of a Gentlemen from Lawrence

From tn. New York TrII,ncI
We have conversed with Mr. Chas. H.
Branscombe, who left Lawrence on the
morning of the 10th inst. on a mission to the
President at Washington, to implore him to
interfere and save the people of Lawrence
from butchery and their property from total
destruction by the Infatuated Border Ruilian
mob.
Mr. Branscombe secs no reason to hone
that the news of the destruction of Lawrence
is not correct. Indeed he says that no one
not an eyewitness to the facts, can well con-
ceiye the constant and varied outrayes to
which the Free State men of Kansas have for
some time past been subjected Tins FIR
instance, on the 18th inst nartv NJ eIoron
free State settlers were Quietly nj worL With.
out arms. in a field at Benicio some fnnr
miles from Lawrence. when tbnv wero sud-
denly surrounded by tventv-Gve Niissourians
armed to the teeth. who tool, tbrm nr;soncrs
without anv warrant mr. otbcr nn,bnr;,,.
The Mssourians carried them into \ nriob.
boring cabin, and with manv ootbs orda+ed
them to leave the Territory an noin IF dooth
Cd d-n YOU. if Won are cvrr cangbt Lcro
again YOU shall he strunrun, ~ 70 \o
hraska, d-n YOU, You have no ricbt in
Kansas :" Such was the lanouage Of tLoso
rutlAns who concluded by saving that thev
were coming to Lawrence in a few DAYS r.
wipe out the id abolition CITY and ~ kilI
or to drive of every one of the Inhabitants
After this admonition thew released all of
their prisoners but one, Mr.. Simmons.
formerly from Worcester Co.. Mass who
had answered them with some spirit. and
whom they curried away with them for fnr-
Their discipline.
Another fact reported by Mr.. Branscomlc
affords an illustration of the spirit of the
women Of the free States settlers Previous
to thus arresting the men in the field part
Of the same gang had visited the cabin of Mr..
Simmons for the purpose Of stealing his re-
volyer and ahnrpe's rife. His wife was
>nnSd refused to give them up. She
ie1leN!lc revolver at the leader, but Just as
she was about to pull the trigger one OF the
rnihans seized her arm IRON behind and took
the weapons IRON her; alter winch they lett
her with the same brutal menaces as were adj
dressed to the men IN the field.
hoboery mas been practlced without res
traiht upon inc Tree state people. COWS and
other animals have continually been killed
and carried off to the camp OF the Rufiians at
Lecompton. One man was forced to drive
ms own COW there. where she was taken
rom INN and Killed before his eyes. These
instances are given as specimens from among
many Others, and are by no means the worst
that might be reported, as those who have
real our recent Kansas letters are well aware.
Mr. Branscombe was at Lawrence when
they received the reply OF Marshal Donaldson
to the request OF the people to be informed as
to the precise nature of his demands, and
declaring that they contemplated no resist
ance to the laws Mr., b. describes it as ex-
ceedlngly coarse and insolent in its manner
The only points of complaint which the
Marshal brought against the people of Law
renee were !. The shooting of Jones >.
The applause of the people when Reeder
declared he would not be arrested on the
Process for contempt of court and 3. The
existence of military organization IN the
town.
Gov Reeder, Mr. B. believes, is safe in
Iowa. lie left Kansas, on the earnest advice
of Messrs. Howard and Sherman, of the Con-
gressiOnal Committee, who thought that his
absence would remove a cause of collision be-
tween the people of Lawrence and the United
States troops or border marauders We now
learn that his assassination hod hoon do,or
mined nm hy tbo I,tta i .t
H.. ''ei' anu 'h"V IL was lot
''"' I"iPo9, '"at ne WAS 10 DC taken to Le-
compton, MI branscOmbe Tears that Gov.
Robinson will also be assassinated.
Such is the aspect Of Kansas. Assassin
atoms, robberics outrapes and vioIencn or
every DESCRIPTION ara freely nracticed ,vbiIn
the United States troops, f1ltv authorized t0
aid and sunport the border Rnfinn autLor-
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