Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1856-05-22
HIGHLYIMPORTANT FROM KANSAS
ROBINSON ARRESTED In MISSOU RI
ATTEMPTED ASSA ASSINA TT ONS.
Correspondence of The New York rribune.l

LAWRENCE City, X. T.,t
Friday, May 2, 1886.
Having an opportunity to send as far as
St. Louis by private conveyance. Qor the
mails can't be trusted,) will pen you few
lines, relative to the latest outrage. On
"Wednesday last, Mr. J. N. Mace, formerly
of Newburyport, Mass, who resides alone
upon claim four miles Northwest from
here, on the prairie, testified before the Con-
gressional Commission. now in session at
this place, relative to the invasion of the
polls ut Bloomington, at the election of the
3oth OF March, 1855. He gave u plain,
straightforward statement of whit he saw
and heard. Among other things. he exposed
the vl'ainy of bogus SHERIFF Jones, the
lately shot-at, on that occasion, ,cio ioas then
Postmaster, of Weston, Missouri, but who
left his home, and crossing the border into
this Territory, proceeded, with gang of
rlffians from his own State, to Bloomington,
and there took possession" of the polls
driving Free State men away by brandishing
weapons and threatening their lives. He
held his witch in his hand and notified the
Judges Of the election that they could ha, e
five minutes to retire, and would be shot if
they failed to obey! The Free State men
did not bulge an inch, but remained at their
post. The five minutes expired, and the
chivalrous Southern Jones ertended the time
to one minute more, that they might have
an opportunity 10 bless themselves. Before
this minute eXuired, however, Jones was
called out uf the room where the balloting
was going on, and did not return to COM
plete his contemplated murderous work.
This was the kind Of testimony given by
Mr.. Mace, and has been corroburated by
other witnesses. We will cut the story
short, and come at once to the sequel. About
9 O'clock on Wednesday evening Mr. Mace
was called to the door of his cabin by the
barking of his faithful Newfoundland watch
dog, which was tied just outside the cabin.
He united the string and let the dog 60.
holding on to the other end of the string
himself, it being so dark he could not see
very we'll. He supposed that the dog had
seen wolf. The animal led him to the
brow of a bluff, the descent from which led
down into deep ravine. Here Mr.. Mace
stopped, and instantly two pistols were dis
charged at him from below. The fash de-
veloped the presence in the ravine of two
men. One shot grazed his right shoulder,
and the other entered his left leg below the
knee. He Instantly fell, when the men gave
hellish cha! hal" ond one of them ex-
claimed: "There is more id abolition bail
for the ,uolues." Mr.. Mace, occupying po-
siton upon the brow of the bluff, could easily
be seen from below, SO great was the con-
trast betw cen an object and the horizon
Seeing him fall, and supposing him dead, the
valorous "Border Ruffians' fed, chuckling
to themselves, no doubt, that they had done
brave thing. Mr.. Mace crawled to his
cabin, his faithful dog and only companion
keeping close by his side. He sat up and
bathed his wound, and bandaged it as well
as he could, and suffered through tn re-
mainder of the night, expecting every mo-
ment another attack from the same party
Morning at last came, and, suffering though
he was, he succeeded in reaching Lawrence
where he obtained medical aid, and is now
doing well.
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