Indiana American., 1856-07-18
A Northern Printer Tarrsd and
Feathered.

- &vA so~&a &AAaseA A&kAe4 @A4
Feathered.
To Ms Editors Of tho Chicago Tri-
6uns:
MANHATTAN. June 10. SO.
A courier from Lawrence has just
handed me the subjoIned communica-
sion. OF Mr.. Cummings / shall speak
hereafter:
ToPsKA. Kansus. June IL. '56.
M. Jansss Rsdpath. Laurence. Kansas;
DEAR 6Is;--In reply to your favor
of the 10Th inst. ! viii give you a
condensed statement Of facts in the
case you refer to.
On my returning to the Territory.
from Ohio. ia May last. ! was inter.
cepted at Lexington. Mo. A small
party Of the citizens Of that place came
on board the boat. who made them.
selves rather ofiicious by questioning
travellers as 10 their destinalion--mos,
Of them Southern men. bound for
Kansas. A gentleman (?) stepped
up TO me and held out his hand re.
marking at the same time, IL certain
ly know you" I replied twas poss-
ible. He asked me to accompany
them into town. I declined stating
that the boat would soon put out. and
that / would not have time. He then
returned to the others who came on
DO .rd with him and held q short con.
sultation. when he again turned 10 me
and said. Accompany us into town.
II replied that would not"
He then said. "By God. you shall
go. Come. on boys, lay holdl"
And, suiting the action to the word,
they laid hold Of me, and forcibly
dragged me of the boat. Resistance
would have been useless. They took
me 10 hotel. where | was introduced
to several distinguished (?) individ.
uals, after which we got supper
About 8 or 10 P. NJ. thu same even,
ing. was invited to take walk. d
course I was obliged to 90. After
walking abouttvo niles We met anoth-
er party-one of whom carried pail
Very little was said to me; the talking
was ell among themselves aside.
was asked If was returning to the
Territory? What business I intended
following when there? +
had forgotten to state that the
leader Of this party Of hell hounds had
seen me when l was prisoner in the
Missouri camp. at Lscompton, X. T :,
in December. 1855. At that time
had in possession two hundred copies
Of the "Constitution Of the State o.
Kansas" which. with other papers
were stolen and destroyed.
To the inquiry as to my future bus
mess in .he Territory. my reply was
that would probably be connected
with q paper. They talked apart foI
some time. Finally, the leader told
me:
1--WE owe you small debt, and 1
might as we'll be paid now as any othe'
time" -rf
"He takes II COOL" said one o
them: another "l,'s damned shame
boys let him loose
"Nol no!' said half a dozen voices
"Let us FIX him and give him starter
toward abolitiouism.
"God." !" cried the crowd.
swell, sir" addressing me. ''you
will please divest yourself Of your
clothing"
II would rather be excused"
"No parlying now, sir. take hole
boys. lay his garments one side. ant
let everything be done in an orderly
manner"
NY clothing was removed from Of
my body; and instead / was covered
with sticky substance, generally called
"tar:" feathers were poured over it.
also received several severe stroke.
from persons in the gang. and wa'
otherwise brutally treated. My
clothes were then given to one. and
was told to depart. started towarc
St. Louis; walked about fifteen mile,
between that and morning. pulling W
at q woodward soon as the boat came
along. and | took deck passage foI
St. Louis. where I tarri~d . few days
and again took passage for Kanss'
City. / arrived safe. Several inter
esting scenes took place on my sscont
trip, but / will not give them here.
a Yours for Freedom in Kansas, 6
if J. F. CUMMINGS.