Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1856-05-15

TESTIMONY BEFORE THE INVESTIGATING
COMMISSION The New York Times has pub
hshed in detail the evidence given before the
Commission, on the first three days Gifts ses-
sion. The facts show the control of the cleo
tons by force and fraud of the Missouri in.
vaders to have been more general and out
rageous than the orst previous accounts had
made them. The first witness examines was
Jordon Davidson, Missouran, who testified
that he was a member Of secret society
formed in Missouri, the express object of
which was to make Kanzas a slave state-and
that he had reason TO believe that it existed
also in other southern states, in Virginia, in
Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas. lie
came from Missouri to kanzas to Cote-was
sworn in on the spot as one of the officers of
election, and knew of many others who came
from Missouri and voted. William Lyons,
another witness, testified that at the election,
March, 1855, he saw a Mr.. Shelby, who told
him he had come 100 miles to vote, and 'that
500 Missourians would vote on that day.
he himself knew that over 100 went to Doug
las, where the polls were held, that day 10
vote. Augustus Wattles, living in the sec
ond district, testified, after an examination
of the census returns, that there were but 20
legal voters in that district and yet several
hundred votes were cast.
Thomas b. Wolverton testified that he was
at the October election in Willow Spring, and
that he was told by several men there that
they had come from Missouri to uote, in order
TO make Kanzas a slave state and Thomas d.
Hopkins, residing about nine miles south of
Lawrence, says that at the election he saw
many of his old acquaintance from Missouri;
he adds: "They told me there were about
twenty-five of my acquaintance there from
that settlement; they said they came to vote
nfnI tod 70, d.. IL, II.
to make it a slave state If it wasn't they
would lose their property, and if it was nee
essary they would come again they told me
there were from 700 to 900 from Missouri in
this place, and that there would be from
5 900 to 10000 here in the territory from
Missouri to VOTE Marcus H. Rose of the
seventh district-Have examined census roll
and poll books Of seventh district, of Both of
March; there are % voters on the census, II
of them are on the poll books; there are 234
names on the poll list there were COZ votes
cast in our district on November>29 1854 in
my judgment there could not at that time
have been more than % or 80 resident voters
in that district.
Thus runs the testimony throughout,
whether coming from Free State men or Dor
der rutians, for the latter unlike their apol
ogists in the free States, with all their faults,
are not SO mean and cowardly as to disown
their deeds. 1t is to enforce the tyrannical
laws of the Legislature elected by these stu
pendous frauds, that the government is now
employing the troops, while the bogus off
Gals from Missouri are at work with the
ingenuity and malice of devils, to goad the
settlers, already exasperated almost 5evond
human endurance, into some act of overt re-
sistance to the federal authority. Then &C.
cording to Douglass ugly threat, they will
''subdue" them.