New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-01-01
THE RUFYIANS AGAIN-THE POLLS At
KED-THREATENING SPEECHES.

When left Lawrence | intended 10 10 up 10
Donphan, but had learned that there was deter
mination on the party the Platte County Boys
TO mob the election. The rainy aud stormy
weather prevented my going, and kept me at Leay-
enwOrth; perhaps Providence had determined that
| should thus be witness TO most outrageous
act of violence.
had feared very much that the rain would keep
the voters away, but on Saturday afternoon it
cleared away cold and sharp, but with sunlight anu
lair weather The voters came in, not so numer-
Gus as on other occasions, but by noon there were
nearly three hundred votes polled and as the yot-
ING had only commenced at 10 o'clock, II was sup
posed that there would be at least SIX or seven
hundred votes counted. My attention was first at
tracted by large boat-loads Of people coming over
the river The ferry-boat is a large, wide latboat,
capable of holding several wagons or many horse
men, They had commenced crossing in parties a
ten or a dozen early in the forenoon; but about IL
O'Clock they came over in whole boatloads, and
the island opposite seemed to be alive with
them About noon l learned from aperson who had
come down the river side that they were also cross
ing at the horse-ferry at Fort Leayenworth, three
miles above, and were coming down by land. AS
the MSsourians have never voted at these elections,
prououncing them " illegal" and have merely at
tempted TO ntmidate l naturally concluded that
all of these Platte County sccundrels were not
coming over for any good. On inquiry learned
that Brigadier-General Easton, of the Territorial
Militia. had stated in his paper and had proclaimed
that his brigade" should be dsbanded in Lea
IL. L. LII Inasx
out in the law and order" campaign against the
"Abolitionists of Lawrence, they were over to-
day TO get I" an honorable discharge" which should
entite them to the gratitude of Uncle Sam, TO the
tune of 81 so day. Bad as this version the story
looked, suspected that it only explained part Of
the truth That the disbanding should have been
postponed for FIVE days, might have been accounted
for on mathematical calculation, to the effect
that these FIVE days would amount to SI2 so extra
per man; but that it should have fallen exactly or
the day that the new Constitution, framed at
Topeka was to be submitted to the people, looked
q little like a calculation on the part Of the gal
liant General Easton, or whoever had been at the
bottom of il.
watched the emigration Of these Border Ruff
ans for some time and without the slightest wish
to exaggerate, do not think | ever before saw s0
many cut-throatooking villains in one crowd
The groceries thronged, and the spirit OF evil
commenced its work of inspiration. Hard-featured
and whisky favored, unkempt, unshayed-they
evidently belonged to the great unwashed and
4" unterrifed." With red blankets and blue blanket
and dirty white blankets, and no blankets at all,
with garments dyed in mud, and Of home-
spunish look, and many of them with long West
ern rifles, they staggered about, cursing the
- Abolitionists" generally, and few persons
about LeavenwOrth in particular.
About o'clock went to dinner. had learned
that the parade and disbanding were TO come of at
2, and fancying that nothing would happen before
that time went to my hotel; but l was mistaken.
The Clerks and Judges of Elections had been
closing the polls TO go to dinner; all of them had
left the votingrOom but three. The voting had
been done at window and to this the crowd
have been describing made a rush; they were led
on by two prominent Pro- Slavery men who live m
the country few miles out, the one an Irish Ro-
man Catholic named Dunn, the other was Judge
Payne, who was elected Judge Of Leavenw0rth
County by the bogus Legislature, and who is EVIL
IDENTIFY Southern man, and just as evidently not
afflicted with any kind of religion. The window
was driven in, glass, sash, frame and all. Dunn
got on the sill and commenced q delectable forE,-
ula, thus
In the name of law and order 1 demand that
ballot bOxr
No id parleying," cried Payne, cooking Q
six shooter and presenting it at the clerks. Take
the box, Cd d-n it, take the box ~
Two ofthe three persons in the room at the time
it was attacked, got of without injury, having
arms; the third, a man named Wetherill, one Of
the clerks Of election, and who was unarmed,
tried to take away the ballot-box and make his es-
cape by door opening on another street. Closely
pressed, he threw the box under counter, and
as he emerged into the muddy street was Knocked 4
down by clubs. Not less than thirty men weroi
around him and jumping on him. One man had
raised to strike him, if he could have doneb
so for the crewd. 1t was the work of an instant,
and Immediately some few Of the Free-Stato men
who had not been frightened of, interfered Tho
first who nterpOsed was PrOSlavery man, who
seemed to have trife Of the Samaritan in hims
but young man from York State named Anthony,
and man named Brown, both good and tried
Free-State men, cooked their pistols and rushed
forward, az did some others. Wetheril was raised
and carried home; and although he received some
severe injuries am happy to add he 10 recov-
ering
The mob having got possession Of the ballot
box and poll-b0oks, paraded them of in triumph.
Tie streets resounded with shreks and yells, and
it was evident that the halftipsy invaders were
ripe for further mischief walked through and
among them to hear their threats and exu1ta-
tions / heard them discuss the next step in tho
programme, which was to throw the newspaper
Office of Col Deahay into the river. Seeing this,
inquired Of one leading Free-State men, for tho
whereabout of the Mayor Mayor Slocum had, L
knew, been elected by the Free-State men, by a
large majority; but it turned out that the Mayer,
like many others Of the Free-State men who have
taken the lead here, was not " in the breach" in
the hour Of danger. He had sent up 10 the fort for
trOODs a MESSAGE which knew "a as utterly futile.