The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1856-05-31
GBr 9.a1iilg gournaI
THE sAcK1NG OF LAWRENCE.
Additional Details.


The first property destroyed was the press
of the Kansas Free State, which was thrown
into the river, and everything pertaining to
the Office, with exchanges, paper and a large
quantity of miscellaneous books, was thrown
into the street, mutilated and destroyed. The
flag of the lone star (''South Carolina and
Southern Rghts') was hoisted first upon the
house of G. w. Brown, of the Herald Of Free
dom, and afterwards upon the hotel. Browns
press and everything in the office shared the
same fate as the other, and wagon load OF
books and papers was trampled in the streets.
Jones promised in the commencement that
no private property should be destroyed But
houses were broken open and rifled of what
ever suited the fancy of the mob. Locks,
bolts or bars, were no security. Windows and
doors were broken and destroyed, and money
and valuables to a large amount missing. 1t
was currently reported, uncontradicted, that
eight thousand dollars, chiefly in money, was
lost from one house. Ih
About five o'clock three cannons were placed
in the street, twelve or fifteen rods east of the
hotel, and some thirty shots were fired, shat
tering the wall considerably, but proving alto
gether too slow method of destruction for
these claw and ORDER men. They then set
fire to the building in different places, and put
several kegs of powder under it. The flames
and smoke soon burst out at the windows, and
the whole building was in blaze. The walls
trembled and FELL and the shouts and yells of
the mob proclaimed the triumph of Law and
order in Lawrence. While the hotel was burn
ing, the house Of G. w. Brown was twice set
on fire. The fire was finally extinguished by
some young men of Lawrence. The mob
threatened to shoot them, but they were not
deferred. If his house had burned several
others must certainly have been destroyed, and
there would have been danger of burning near
ly half the town. Many of the mob were bent
on destroying every house in the place, and
speeches were made urging the destruction of
the whole town. Atchison, it Is said, advised
moderation. Col jackson, of Georgia, with
many others, were opposed to the burning of
the hotel. A tender hearted man from Mis-
souri,, who had come out to eXterminate the
id aboltionists, shed tears at the sight of
the destruction of the property of innocent,
unoffending men, as he found them to be. The
mob began to disperse an hour before sunset,
and at sundown most of them had left the
town. A few overcome by the excitement or
stupified by liquor, lay insensible in the street.
They were unharmed by the people of Law
renee.
In the evening Gov. Robinson's house was
set on fire and burned to the ground. And
thus ended, for that day, the execution Of the
'law'' in Lawrence.
The women and children of Lawrence slept
that night either beneath the friendly shelter
ing trees along the bank of Kansas, or hud-
died together in small houses and cabins On
the outskirts of the town.
One man was killed by the falling Of brick
from the hotel.
The report that free State man was killed
at Lawrence, on the 2 lst., think is mistake.
| think it has reference to a most cold blooded
murder committed by them on the 18th inst,
at Blanton's Bridge, three miles south Of Law
renee, where a man named John Jones was
shot after he had delivered up his revolver =
The man who shot him, saying as he did it,
Il have shot one God ID aboltionist, and
I'll shoot another'' Jones was from Illinois
He died the next night
From the number whom l have seen re-
turning, and from creditable information, am
of opinion that there were three men from
Missouri to one from the Territory engaged in
this invasion
The free State men had made no prepara-
ton for defense, and no restance was attempt
ed. Men from all parts of the Territory would
have come to assist them, but they did not
desire it. So long as there was hope in peace
ful measures they would resort to no other
| greatly fear that that time is past, and that
the scenes of the 21st will prove to be the COM
mencement of a civil war in Kansas.
AN EYE WITNESS.