Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-07-29

man. The latter shut Dow with double-
barreled gun loaded with suEs, Dow-was
unarmed, He fell across The road and died
Immediately. His dead body was allowed 10
lie where il fell until af,er sundown, whom
|. was conveyed by Jacob Branson 10 his
house, nt which Dow boarded. The les.i.
mony in regard 10 this homicide isvolumin'
ous (e74l, and shows clearly that I, was a
deliberate murder by Coleman, and that Har'
rison Bulkley and Mr.. Hargous were ac-
cessoiies 10 il. The excitement caused by
II was very grelI among all classes OF the
seulers On The 26,h alarge meeting Of the
citizens was held at the place where the mur.
der was committed, and resolutions passed
that Coleman should be brough, 10 Justice
In the mean time Coleman had gone TO Mis-
souri,, and then TO Gov. Shannon at Shaw
nee Mission in Johnson County. He was
there taken inio custody by ST.. Jones, then
acting as Sheriff. No warrant wus issued or
examination had, On The day of the meet
ing at Hickory Point, Harrison Bradley pro-
cured peace Wurran, against Jacob BEnn'
son, which was placed in the hands Of Jonos.
That same evening, after Branson had gone
TO bed. Jones came 10 his cabin with party
Of abou. 25 persons. among whom were Har-
gouS and 5nlkley-burst open the door and
saw Branson in bed. He Then drew his
pistol, cooked Il, and presented il 10 Bran
sons breast and said, "You are my prison.
or, and il you move will blow you through
The Others cooked their guns and gathered
around him and took him prisoner. They
all moun.ed and went 10 Buckley's house
After time they wen. on circui!ous route
towards Blan.on's Bridge, stopping TO drink
on the way. As they approached the bridge
there were l3 in The parry, several having
stopped. Jones rode up 10 the prisoner, and
among other things .old him .ha! he hat
"heard there were one hundred men a, your
house to-day" and, 'tha. he regreued they
were not there, and tina, they were cheated
ou, Of their spon' (s75 In the mean
lime, the alarm had been given in the neigh
borhood Of Branson's arrest, and several o.
the selters among whom wers some who
had attended the meeting o, Hickory Poinv
that day, gathered together. They were
greatly exciIed; The alleged injustice Of such
an arrest Of quie, settler under a peace
warrant by "Sheriff' Jones'" aided by
Two men believed 10 be accessory 10 mur-
der; and " no were allowed 10 be q. large cx.
asperaled them, and they proceeded as rap.
idly as possible by nearer roulo Than lha,
laken by Jones, and stopped near the house
Of J. S. Abbott, one Of Them. They were
on foo, as Jones' party approached on a
can,er. The rescuers suddenly formed
across The road in front of Jones and
his party. Jones halted and asked,
"Wha.'s up?' That's wha. we want
to know! What's up?" Branson said
They have got me prisoner Some
one in The rescuirg party told him 10
come over TO their side. He did so, and
dsmoun.ed, and the mule he rode was
driven over to Joness parry; Jones then left
(a76l. or The persons engaged in this res.
cue, three were from Lawrence, and bad al.
tended the meeting. Your committee have
deemed ii proper to detail the particulars OF
this rescue, as it was made The groundwork
Of what Is known as the Wakarusa War.
On the same night Of rescue The cabins ol
Coleman and Buckley were burned. but by
whom is lei, in doubt by the testimony.
On the morning of the rescue Of Bran.
son, Jones was a, the village OF Franklin, near
Lawrence. The rescue was spoken Of in
the presence of Jones, and more conver-
saion passed between two Others in his pres
ence, us 10 whether it was most proper TO
send for Col. Boone, in Missouri, or to Gov
Shannon. Jones wrote dispatch and hand
cd ii TO a messenger As soon as he start
ed, Jones said: THAT man is taking my
dispatch TO Missouri, and by cd | will have
revenge before see Missouri" person
present who was examined as witness
complained publicly that the dispatch was
not sent 10 the Governor; and within hall
an hour was sen, to The Governor bv Jones
through Hargous. Within few days, large
numbers OF men from the State OF Missouri
gathered AMI encamped on the Wakerusa.
They brough. with them all the equipments
OF war. To obtain than, parry under The
direction OF Judge T. ". Thompson broke
into the Udited States Arsenal and Armory
at Liberty, Missouri, and after forcible de-
,enton OF Capt. Leonard, Chen in charge
(278) they took cannon, inuske,s, rifles
harness. and indeed all ,he materials anc
munitions of war they desired, and some o
which have never been returned or account
ed for. O ~
The chief hostility Of this military foray
was against the town Of Lawrence, and thi'
was especially the case with the officers OIL
The law. ... 49,. r.a A..
Your CCmmiiee can SEQ in the testimony
no reason, excuse, or palliaiion for this feel
ing. Up this time no tcarraat or proc.
lamation of any kind had been in the hands
Of any officer against any citizen Of Lao
renee (e79) No ares. had been attempted
aud no writ resisted IL, that town, The res
cue of Branson sprang gu. oi murder com
mil,ed thirteen miles Il ON Lawrence, in Q
detached settlement, and nei'het the Town
nor it's ci,izens extended any projection ic
Branson's rescuers (9sO). On me contrary
Two or three days al,el lhe rescue, 5. N
Wood, who claimed publiclylo be one Of
The rescuipg party, wished 10 be a,res'ed 'iol
the purpose Of testing the territorial laws, anC
walked up to sheriff Jones and shook l,ands
with him, and exchanged other cour,es les
He could have been arrested wi.hou, an. Y
difficulty, and 1t was his design, when he
went 10 Mr.. Jones, 10 be arrested, but no
attempt was nude 10 do SO (2al).