M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1856-06-19
H1citing News from Kansas.


IN the opposition journals:
Massacre-.--Five Men Bru-
tally Murdered in Cold BlOod----Au-
thentic Information.
On Monday, the 10Th, Judge George VIII
son and Thomas Totten. OF Shermanvllle,
Anderson county, X. T., bore dispatches to
Gov. Shannon reporting five OF the most
diabolical murders upon the record Of crime.
We state the circumstances as told US by
the gen tIemen themselves:
On Saturday, May "a, between the hours
of | and 2 o'clock at night, some twenty
one or two men, armed with Sharpe's rifles
and sabers, called at MI Doyle's house, in
the vicinity of Shermanville and 0sawatom-
lie, and inquired for Mr.. Doyle. His eldest
son, young man of about twenty years,
came out Of the house and inquired what
they desired2 The reply was they wanted
him and his father. The father immediate
ly got out Of bed and went to the door IN
company with a younger son, a mere boy,
and made the same inquiry as his son did
The party Immediately rushed upon them
and closed the door, shutting them outside
of the house, and one man dressed in full
uniform STEPPED forward and laying his hand
upon the shoulder Of Mr.. Boyle, said he to
his friend; that he arrested him in the name
of the "Northem army
They then dragged them all to a ayine
near by, and cut their ears and noses OIL
The father saw their object was 10 kill them,
and appealed to them to save the lives OF
his two sons; that las for him, he was old
and could no: live much longer; but, for
Heavens sake, to spare the lives of his two
sons, that they might support their old moth
er and little sister. They needed not his
appeals, but fell upon these defencless men
and cut them to pieces with their sabers.-
One Of these devils, after runninga saber
through the father, cut his head nearly off with
the same weapon. After they had finished
their butcherings in the ravine, they return
ed to the house and attempted TO burn 1t
down. Mrs. D., the vile and mother OF
the three murdered men, appealed to them
to save her house and little girl; that they
had murdered her husband and two sons,and
for the sake OF mercy to save the life OF her
little girl and shelter to cover their heads.
They finally desisted, and went off shout
ing. They then proceeded up to Mr.. AL.
len Wikinson's not far distant, and asked
him to come out doors; he refused, and they
Immediately broke open the door, pulled
him out Of bed, and carried him a short dis
tance from the house and butchered HIM as
they had poor Doyle and his two sons
They then proceeded short distance further
to The house of German, well known in Kan
sas as "Dutch Henre," who isa very strong
pro.slavery man. They called for him but
he was not at home. His brother, VIM
Sherman, was in the house at the time and
was interrogated as follows: elbow long
have you been in the Territory" "Only q
few days." "Are you Pro-slavery manf'-
"No, l"Are YOU Free.State mani" "No.'
"Do you belong to the Northern Amy"-
"No." "Then d---n you, you are ou!
prisoner" and they seized him and carried
him of. The next morning he was found BY
some Of the neighbors in the bushes dead
with his head horribly mangled. These are
the facts as stated by the bearer of dispatch
es to Gov. Shannon, ant, without a doubt, are
strictly true, II this wholesale midnight
butchery has q parallel IN the annals Of this
or any other country claiming place among
civilized nations, we should like to be shown
the page ofits record.
MORE "FREE-sTATE RUFFIANs."
The following letter was received yester.
day from Major Buford. OF Alabama, ant
we publish it, adding another witness to the
already Overwhelming evidence, as to who
are The real Border ruftans" IN our coun
try:
Ar MoGEE's CRossNs OF THE WAEARUsA,l
Thursday, May 20, 1856. J
His Eecelleacy, Wilson Shannon
Dear Sir:-Last night about | o'clocl
A. NJ, guerrilla of twenty five armed Ab
olitionists attacked the house of Martil
Bowen, Esq. two miles South Of this place
robbed him of all his money, (about fift.
dollars, "a rifle, revolver, thrae horses, AM
five saddles and brides, and ordered him, OF
peril ofdeath, to leave with his family il
"a hours. They also threatened to plunde
Mr.. Lahay and Capt. Saunders. Twenty
three mounted armed men (supposed to b
of the same partly were, about O'Clock thi
morning, seen on the swamp within half
mile of Capt. Saunders house, on Washing
ton Creek; the Undersigned, ourselves
went in pursuit and saw ten Of that part.
retreating across the prairie from Capt. Saun
ders' place where they were in the act OF en-
acting descent upon Saunders, with tn
view to punder him and seize sixty stand o
arms, known 10 be at his house. Seeing ou
party, with the ten United States mounted
men, they escaped over toward Rock Creek
MIR. Bowen and family, Helen and family
and Jones and family are now here with US
flying for their lives from their homes
Must the law.and. order men thus be driver
out of the land? Do not blame US, If we tel
them no, but if you must do so, turn upol
those who hunt our lives. and drive then
out or exterminate them.
J. BUFORD.
We concur in the above: G. W. TAYLOR
s. M. SALTERs.
Upon the receipt Of this news, some tel
or twelve citizens OF Lecompton volunteered
to go and protect Mr.. Lehay's family AND
property. About nine o'clock, the company
started for Lehay's, and had proceeded som'
six miles from town, near where the Califor'
MIA and Lecompton roads met, and there
brought to halt, to await the coming o
two Of their company, who remained in the
rear.
While there, suddenly and Unexpectedly
volley ofabout forty guns was fired into
their ranks. So surprising and unexpected
was this attack that every man was unhors'
ed, their horses taking fright. Three horses
were killed, and one, in the fall, fell upon
his rider and injured his right leg very much
A ball passed through a Mr.. Fishers hat
cutting the hair and grazing the skin upon