The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-02-28
Letter from Pre- slavery Nissoariaa


introduces correspondent to its readers
thus
I'VE have an amusing letter to-day from
a Border Ruffian- lone who took his revolver
aud went over into Kansas to shoot lot of
"the id Yankees He burnt no powder,
on the occasion, and has since emptied his
revolver, firing AT mark.
We youch for our correspondent being
all he says OF himselt-a Virgnian slave
holder, and a citizen of border county, al
most in sight of Uncle Days farm"
And the correspondent himself tells his
own story as follows
at may not be known to you, the world
and the rest OF mankind, that ID. Atchison.
a doctor or two, and one or two others who
have the honor OF holding. or of having held,
military commissions, have given greater
stab 10 the permanent prosperity and future
growth OF the city OF ST. Louis than all the
rest of mankind put together. Nor is this
all; BY their lawless and unheard VI course
of conduct, they have damaged slaSeholdsrs
10 the full extent OF one-half OF their slave
property These men have, by their law
less conduct, opened wide the eyes OF the
slaves themselves. Now they no longer
"see men as trees walking" Worse than
all. they have opened the eyes Of non.slave-
holders in Missouri. and the world over
The unhoy conduct Of these men. put 10
the "con pc ndium Of the United States cen
sus'' for 1850, affords too much light ior
"Nggers" aud such as own them not. Did
they, AtehisoI, & Co.. not know That, by
sowing 10 the Wind they were likely 10
resp the wbiriwind /" Perhaps not one
voter in thirty in Missouri, owns The leg OF
finger of slave Is not this ominous! All
/ men know that where slavery abounds II de-
| presses white labor 1t keeps down the
/ value OF lands; is encouragement TO enter
/ prise and energy; is hndrance to Common
| Schools is draw back to internal imPro.e-
ments Yet, own ihem-ever did, and
so dill and do all my progentors, both on the
paternal and maternal side. Mine are as
valuable as those ate belonging 10 any gen.
tleman in Missouri, or anywhere else; and
will defend my rights with as much yigor
and perlinacity as God and my pow ers will
enable me to do. But rather than witness
such barbarous assaults and stabs, again,
upon the Constitution, upon the Bill OF
Rights, upon order, deceney, morals, virtue
and religion, upon law and justice, Tor the
sake and intent Of making by force Kansas
{ sIaNe sOpItl TOoHSs "buAa 4 50
nv negroes aud those OF all my kindred, and
all in Missouri, and all ia the United States,
sowed up 10 one huge sack, thousand mill
stones fastened 10 that, and the whole cast
into the depths oil the Pacific. am Viz
ginian; and on my way up the river from
81. Louis, on the boats and a, the landings,
this past fall, ! both saw and heard what
shall but family describe.
II has been said that the Kansas Legs
lature 50 called, wa. legally constituted
body that Judges John Doe and Richard
Roe, shid so; that Reeder said so; that the
Border Democracy, including Uncle Davy,
said so; that Mr.. Pierce, our Great Father,
said SO OF at least nodded assent. Well, how
stand the lacts Missouri Democrats, some
OF them pretty we'll of as the phrase is, and
numbers OF others neither ow ming nor claim.
ing fool vi and Oh the globe, nor horse,
COW. sheep or gun, were hired TO 60 aud do
the voting, the cursing, the drinking, and
other overt Democratic acts. Twenty-Five
If these Patriots, headed and marshaied by a
GOD. loving and God-serving Divine. came
| all the way from Macon county, $50 miles,
| TO vote. Whoever has the right to vote,
has the tight to be elected-then you know
the balance. This sage body OF Legislators
moved the seat OF government-to The In
dian country-Ieit Kansas for Brother john
sons, in the Indian country; and there they
passed real Democratic laws and sent them
into Kansas. Did not a certain Greek law
giyer Ia Spartan perhaps) give his country
code which they were not to alter or re-
! peal until his return, and he then yoluntari-
! ly starved himself to deaths Well, Just SO
| did the Jackson, Van Buren,, Polk, Atchi-
son, and StrngfeIow Democrats of the
Kansas Legislature. They are all dead
| When Brother Johnson first entered the
! Territory, he was q am told very pooF, and
entered, riding on an ass, and colt, the
| foal of an ass. But now, who expects to
hear him say, "silyer and gold have
nonei" Bah, he is worth his hundred thous-
ands, and | think, two sections OF land in
the reverse; but Mr. Manypenny knows
whether il is 30 or not.
! But, to return; if ell earth sea and skies,
assert that the Kansas Legislature was
legally constituted body, will it not be
"bare-faced lie r' Can an honest man say
i'll
have been in Kansas, and can say OF
truth that there are few. very tep abolition
lists there, but large majority are for max.
B ing hdIsdS Tree Sthte, ana very MANY of
I them are not from the North or East either
They are from Carolina, Virginia, Tennes.
see, Kentucky and Missouri, Don't this
show that Atchison settled his tavern bill,
when his host was from homei The fire..
quent assaults made upon the persons, prop
erty and sacred rights of citizens, fill even
: honest republicans and shareholders with
disgust and adherence. The settlers in
Kansas were everywhere styled ignoram-
uses, seris, paupers, vagabonds, towards,
dastards and niger stealers. | was ready
TO shoot them down as ! would wolves a,
first sight. got my revolvers ready But
thought ! would first go into Kansas and
see the scamps myself. And what did they
appear to be when seen aud conyersed with
A more industrious, neat, Clearly, sober,
peaceable, orderly, wel.educated and well
bred people are not to be found on the face
OF the earth thanyery many of them are
found them to be good historians, marhe
maticians, granmarians, and even lnguists.
Some had read with profit Herodotus, Ken.
ophon, Llvy, Homer, and Virgil, &c, &c,
and were nv n IN = ms -.