Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-08-14

u part of the way, they were stopped and taken
prisoners by a party of men called the kicka-
poo Rangers, under the command OF Captain !
John w. Martin. They were disarmed and Ia
ken back to Easton and put in Dawson $ store.
Brewn was separated from the rest OF the par
ty and taken into the Office of Z. s. Trotter -
BY this time several of Martins party and some
of tthe citizens of the place had become intoxl-
Gated, and expressed u determination to Kill
Brewn. Captain Martin was DESTROYS to and
did all in his power to saye him. Several
hours were spent in determining what should
be done with Brown and his party. In the
meantime, without the knowledge of his party,
Captain Martin liberated all Of Browns party
but himself, and aided them ia their escape
The crowd repeatedly tried to get into tho room
where Brown was, and ut one time succeeded,
but were put out by Martin and others. Mar
tin, finding that further effort on his part to
save Brown was useless, left and went home
The crowd then got possession of Brown and
finally butchered him in cold blood The
wound of which he died was inflicted with a
Ratchet by man of the name of Gibson. AT
ter he had been mortally wounded, Brown was
sent home with Charles Dunn, and died that
night. No attempt was made to arrest or pun
ish the murderers of Brown. Many of them
were well-known citizens, and some Of them
were officers of the law. On the next Grand
Jury which sat in .Leavenworth County, the
Sheriff summoned several of the persons impli
Gated in this murder. One Of them was M. P
Rively, at that time Treasurer of the County
He has been examined as witness before u.s.
The reason he gives why no indictments were
found is, " they killed one of the Pro,Slavery
men, and the Pro Slavery men killed one of the
others, and thought it was about mutual"
The same Grand Jury, however, f und bills of
Indictment against those who acted as Judges
of the Free State election Riyely says ="
know our utmost endeavors were made to find
out who acted as Judges and Clerks on the 18th
of January last, and at all the bogus elections
held by the Abolitouists here. We were very
anxious to find them out, as we thought them
acting illegally"
Your Committee in their examinations, have
found that in no case of homicide, mentioned
in the report, or in the testimony, has any in
dictment been found against the guilty party,
except in the homicide of Clark by McCrea,
McCrea being Free State man
Your Committee did not deem it within their
power or duty to take testimony as to events
which have TRANSFERRED since the date of their
appointment but as some of the events tended
seriously to embarass, hinder and delay their
investigations, they deem it proper here to re-
fer to them On their arrival in the Territory,
the people were arrayed in TWO hostile parties.
The hostility OF them was continually increased
during their stay in tho Territory by the ar
rival Of armed bodies Of men who, from their
equipments, came not to follow the peaceful
pursuits of life, but armed and organized into
companies, apparently for war--by the unaw
| mi dpntJtIOn nf and ubi
passing through the State of Missouri, all by
forcble seizures Of persons and propertyM the
Territory without legal warrant. Your Com
mttee regret that they were compelled to wit
aess instances Of each of these classes of out
RACES. While holding their session at West
port, Missouri at the request of the sitting
Delegate, they saw several bodies of armed men
confessedly citizens of Missouri, march into tn,
Territory on lorays against its citizens, but I'm
der the pretence Of enforcing the enactment
before referred to. The wagons of emigrant
were stopped in the highways and searches
without claim Of legal powers, and in SON
} instances all their property taken from Them
: In Leavenworth City leading citizens were al
rested at MONDAY in our presence. by an arme
force, without any claim OF authority, sxcel
I that derived from II self constituted Committc
r Of Vigilance, many Of whom were Legisatiy
4 and Executive officers. Some were released 0
t promising to leav- the Territory, and others b,
y ing detained for time were formally notite
: to leave, under the severest penalties. The onl
@ offence charged against them was their polite;
n opinions, and no one was thus arrested for Il
n legged crime OF any grade. Thcre was no resi-
lance to these lawless acts by the settlers, b
(, cause, In their opinion, the persons engaged
lie them would be sustained and reinforced bv Il
IN citizens of the populous border counties of Mi
I'd sonri, from whence they were separated only
SO the riEer In one case witnessed by your Coz
a. mlttee, an application for the writ of habe
corpus was prevented by the urgent solicitati,
ce OF Pro Slavery men, who insisted that it wou
ee endanger the lille Of the prisoner to be dischar
he ed under legal process.
It's While we remained in the Territory, repeat
IL acts OF outrage were committed upon tho qui
d. unoilenjing citizens, Of which We received u
A thentic intelligence Men were attacked on t
H. highway, robbed and subsequently itnprisone
OF Men were seized and searched, and their wea
mt ols OF defence taken from them without COZ
DIS pensation Horses were frequently approp
ed ated. Oxen were taken from the yoke VIII
n blowing, and butchered in the presence of tn,
IN owners. One young man was seized in t
e, streets OF the town Of Atchison, and under 0
o. cumstances OF gross barbarty was tarred a
u cottoned, and in that condition was sent to
family. All the provisions O tn CONSTITUTE
y. OF the United States securing property and pr
n sons are utterly disregarded. The officers
O.; the law, instead of protecting the people, W.
Gu in some instances engaged in these outrag
nd and in no instance did we learn that any III
Ii was arrested, indicted or punished for any
ee tie,e crimes. While such offences were comm
ia ted with immunity, the laws were used as
nd means of indicting men for holding electio
preliminary to framing "a Constitution and
IN. plying for admission into the Union rs the ST.
on Of Kansas. Charges of high treason were IN;
an against prominent citizens upon grounds VIII
- seem to your Committee absurd and ridiculo
IN, and under these charges they are now held
'ed custody and are refused the privilege of b,
The In several cases men were arrested in the St
lto Of Missouri while passing on their lawful b.
Mt ness through that State and detained until
rks dlctments could be found in the Territory.
OIL These proceedings were followed by an
ne fence of still greater magnitude. Under co
ne OF legal process, company of about Sc,
Get hundred armed men, the great body of who
'il- your Committee are satisfied were not citia
u, OF the Territory, marched into the town
Lawrence under Marshal Donaldson and s.
I'M Jones, officers claiming to act under the Ia
wd and bombarded and burned to the ground ,
md cable hotel and one private house, destro,
vas two printing presses and material, and til
md being released by the officers, whose posse ii
claimed to be, proceeded TO SACK pillage ,
for rob houses, stores, trunks, &c, even to
rth clothing of women and children. Some of
md letters taken were private ones, written by
ny, contesting delegate, and they were offered in
,ns idence Your Committee did not deem that
ry, person holding them had any right to use til
the and refused to be made the instruments to
&C. sort private letters thus obtained.
OK, This force was not resisted, because it
i've. collected and marshaled under the forms of |,
OF But this act of barbarity, unexamped in