The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1856-07-23

letter ~purported to come from " The Sc
crct TtceLre."
December Is, 1s55.-An election held
by order of the Big Springs Executive
COMMITTEES, to pass upon the Constitu-
tion adopted by the Bogus Convention
at Topeka, which received less than
thousand votes, all told, in the WHOLE
Territory.
January, ls56.-Another pretended
election held by order of j. a.. Lane,
Chairman ola so-called Executive Com
.mittee, for members of the Legislature
of the bogus State of Kansas, and for a
Governor, Treasurer, Secretary Of State,
and Supreme Court Judges and other
officers.
February, 1894 Mr.. Cook, q very
worthy citizen residing near Easton.
L~eavenworth county, was murdered by
a party of outlaws, calling themselves
"Free State men,"
March 4, 1856.-The said bogus Leg
islature, Governor, and other State Of
fcers met at Topeka, and were all sworn
into Office BY J. II. Lane, Chairman of
the said Executive Committee. The
bogus Governor sent into the pretended
Legislature a very inAanmatory docu.
ment. called Q message, and began to
exercise the functions of Governor.
APrlI 10, ls56.-Ths outlaws held a
meeting at Ossawattomie, at which they
passed resolutions not to abide by the
Territorial laws, and pledged themselves
to resist them even though they had to
do so by force, and warned the County
Commissioners not to attempt to make
assessments, asserting that they would
do so at their own peril.
April II, 1866. n. Wood returns
from his pilgrimage to Ohio with $50
armed men, who are welcomed in Law
renee by public speeches and other de-
monstrations, and even exhorted by A.
H. Reeder to resist the laws.
April 10, 1856.-Sherif Jones, hear
ing of the arrival of S. N. Wood at
Lawrence, proceeds, as lie was in duty
bound, to arrest him, there being four or
five writs out against him for various of
fences. He fluids him in Lawrence, and
at once arrests him, but he is immcdi-
ately rescued by an armed mob, and .he
authority of law again openly set at de-
fauce.
April 20, 1s56.-Sherif Jones re
turns to Lawrence with . civil posse of
four men, but is again resisted and the
laws defed by the mob calling them
selves citizens Of the town.
April %, Is56.--Sherif Jones pro-
ceeds to Lawrence with n small posse of
United States troops, and succeeds in
making several arrests, but when night
came on was shot in the back by a hired
myrmidon of the New England Emf
grant Aid Society, while sitting in the
tent of Lieut.. Mcintosh of the U. States
Army, and thus received a wound deem
ed at the time mortal.
May Is56.--A band of the outlaws,
about fifty in number, armed with
Sharpe's rifles, enters the Court room
while Judge Cato was holding Court, at
its May term, in the second judicial dis
trict, and forcibly broke up the Court
at the same time earning the Judge
against attempting to enforce any of the
Territorial laws.
Nay G., Is56.--The y. S. Deputy
Marshal of the Territory serves a bench
warrant, issued by Judge Lecompte, of
the First District Court, for A. II. Rec
der, who spurned the authority of the
Court. and boldly defed the Marshal to
take him at his peril, for which he was
cheered by all the citizens of Lawrence
present, amounting to an immense
throng.
Nay "a, 1856 Allen Wiikerson, of
Franklin county, most inhunanly butch
cred by 4 body of midnight assassins
who entered his house between the hours
of y and | o'clock at night, and ap-
preaching his beadsido told him he was
u prisoner of the Northern Legion, at
the same time tearing him away from
the embrace Of his wife, who begged up
on humbled knees, with tears in her ewes,
the brutes to spare her husband, for the
sake Of her helpless children, three in
number, but turning o deaf ear to her
entreaties and the common dictates Of
humanity, the brutes took him a short
distance, and literally chopped him TO
pieces with their bowie-kniyes, for no
other efFerce than that he was an old
resident of the territory, and would like
~ be called upon by Gen. Whitfield to
testify before the Congressional Investi-
eating Committee, and therefore must
be murdered. On the same night Vim.
Sherman and Mr.. Boyle and his two
sous we're massacred in the same manner
by the same assassins, for the same rea-
son-their bodies being most horribly
mutilated their cara, nose aud fingers
being cut off before they were killed.
May 25 and 20, 1S56.-The store of
Joseph NJ. Bernard, at Willow Springs,
in Douglas county, violently entered and
robbed of $4,000 worth of goods by a
party of these self-same outlaws, who
dressed in garb of Indians, committed
these depredations.
Mag, 1856.-The post-ofice in Doug
las county, at Kezersville, entered and
robbed by q party of these same outlaws
and assasins, who forcibly expelled from
the premises the Postmaster.
June Is, 1956.-Mr. Bowen, one of
the oldest citizens of Douglas county,
was attacked in his house ct midnight,
and compelled to leaye the Territory
with his slaves, under penalty of death,
the assassins robbing his house of what
ever was valuable in it..
lime Is, IS56-Deputy Sheriff Har-
ney of Lawrence, attacked in his own
house, at night, by an armed body of
midnight assassins, who, failing to kill
him, renewed the attack on the following
night, h. breaking open his door and
friog at his led, but be fortunately, was
lying on tie foor unobserved, and quiet
ly drawing bis pistol, shot the riDglea-
der of the gang. a man by the name o!