Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-05-15
and we will never, as individuals. as a com.

change ourselves from honorable enemies to
cowa-dly assassins. No honorable man can
justify any such course. 1t will be insisted
that this outrage was perpetrated by one OF
the citizens OF Lawrence, by Free State
man, and for political purposes. have good
! reason to believe that it was all arranged
and got up to have this impression to 20 out;
but, at the same time, believe that no Free
State man is party to this arrangement
Since have heard Of this unexpected cut
rage, | have taken every means in my power
to ascertain tho facts and circumstances o.
the a as far as I could, and | have come
to the conclusion have just stated This
way of doing things is nothing new. Las
: fall there was an arrangement to get up an
invasion. We all understand this, and there.
fore | need not go into the particulars. Il
WAS well understood here in Kansas that i
, was thought best that there should be al
invasion. and the destruction of some o! the
, citizens Of this Territory and Of the peoplt
of Lawrence. A murder was committed ou
here, some five or ten miles distant. Tbs
victim was Free State man then, thougl
they pretended at first that he was a pro
slavery man until the desired effect was pro-
duced. The first reports tina: went into the
State below us were that the murdered MAJ
was pro-slavery man, and ml-dereI by a
Free State man; and that the women anl
children OF 2!o slavery men in this vicinity
were being murdered and robbed. 1t haC
its effect, created an excitement, and brought
on an invasion. But when the affair be-
came too serious to be contemplated with
limpunity-whcn it appeared that the whole
affair would end in a civil war-then the
pa tv wing it in charge thought it best t.
look into il little more close, and then they
found that the people of the Territory had
no responsibility in the matter whatever
that it was an individual afiair altogether
and tha: the parties to blame were ON the
side o! the enemies of freedom, that things
passed off with a great many mu.terings, not
satisfactory at all to our party, and now
comes on another demonstration. These
things are not conducted for individual ben
eft. Individuals are as nothing in this
matter. The life of any one nun is but as
a straw, but as drop in the bucket. Here
is war agtatng the whole country AMI
| tl:is is the battle-ground. What is the life
of Sheriff Jones, or Charles Robinson, or
Gov. Reeder. or any other man i'll this con-
test! A mere nothing. A Committee comes
here from Washington to investigate this
matter, and zee how we have been treated; :;
to see who are the oppressed, who are the
wrongpd; to see who are in the right. The
very moment they plant their feet upon the
soil of Kansas that moment these outrages
begin to be fomented. veiything has been
quiet up to that moment: But then in comes
sheriff. who has made himself obnoxious
to individuals in Il thousand ways, aside from
| his political position. lie comes into our
streets ard attempts to arrest men here
without any cause whatever, or for some
very insignificant cause. He comes with a
whole hatch of warrants, to serve 'hem upon
community that is eXasperated against him
for various reasons. The people treat him
ciyIir, 50 far as know. | have never hap
pened to meet him, but have learned OF no
comn.otion. There has been some little ex-
element, perhaps, but the community gen.
orally have been willing to let him 90 on
and make his arrests. Some individuals re-
fuse to be arrested, and then he resorts 10
| the armv. There is part of the army o:
the United States in town to-day. In times
O: peace we have imposed upon Us men of
war, and they may remain here permanently.
"a small portion of the army came here
dozen men or so--mOre or less. Wherever
the United States authority appeared the
men bowed to it IN respect and submission.
Not word was spoken, or a hand raised
against the authorities. Mr.. Jones came
here with the authority of the United States
in his hands, and that authority has been
respected, SO far as | know. Everything
appeared to be working in such a a way as
to prov failure on the part of our enemies.
They had hoped that we would resist and
take position against the United States
authorities, and thus they could place Us
in the wrong. But everything was quiet. -
A corporal could 60 without his guard
through the city, and arrest every man in
Lawrence. w hat was to be done! hap
pened to be out Of town last evening. AMI
suppose | shall net be charged with the
otfen-e committed then. But understand
tn 1t an individual, who is obnoxious to inti-
riiuals as individuals on account OF individual
disputes, and on account of his harra sing
the members of the community by little in
significant wr.ts, took his position in al eX
posed tent, without guard near him; even
l,oI II bo Ill
no precaution taken, bat placed himself in
an exposed situation, and while thus exposed
a shot was fired and took effect | trust,
pray that it will not result seriously. Now
it is inferred that it was done by the people
of Lawrence. Is that reasonable! (cries of
No, No.) There were men of their own
stamp here; strangers in our midst unknown
to the eople of this community. | veily
believe that not man in Lawrence had any
thing TO do with that transaction. (Cres
of Never, Never.') 1t may be askel, would
thew shoot at one of their owl men! / have
partially hinted at the reason. have said
that, in this matter, mans life is of no ac
count. If the slave power of this coLn ry,
in order to possess this Territory, required
that Mr.. Jones should lay down his lie, or
be exposed to the shots of his friends, then
Mr.. Jones must lay down his lif,--then
those shots must be fired. They tried it or
Free State man; it failed. Now il is ne
cessarv, in order to get up another trouble,
that it should be pro-slavery man, in good
ernest; and if the Free State men would
not 90 into it, why. Twill not say they them
selves would do it, but it looks very much
as if that was the case. Of course no man
in this community would approve of this
affair; and would here say, believing as
do, that this attack was the work OF an as
sassn, to make capital against those ct US
engaged in this Free State moremeHt--und
if did not believe it, would do the same
thing-I will here say, that by the authority