Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1856-07-24

headed by Sheriff JONES'" rushed into the
OWE knives in their hands, and approached
'3nrson and Ramsay. Jones pulled out his
tch and said he would give them FIVE minutes
resign in, or die. when tho Eve minutes had
expired and the jugdes did not resign, Jones
s4d he wocid give them another minute and no
more. Ellison told his associate that if they
did not resign, there would be one hundred
shots fred into the room in less than Is min
utes; and then snltehing up the ballot box
ran out into the crowd, holding up the ballot
box and hurraing for Missouri. About that
time Burson and Ramsey were called out by
their friends, and not suffered to return. AS
Mr. Burson went out he put the ballot polls
books in his pocket, and took them with him.
and as he was going out Jones snatched some
papers away from him, and shortly afterwards
came out himself holding them up, crying,
"hurrah for Missouri" After he discovered
they were not the poli-books, he took party
of men with him and started off to take the
pol-books from Burson. Mr.. Burson saw them
coming and he gave the books to Mr. lumber
ger and told him to start off in another direc-
ton, so as to mislead Jones and his party
Jones and his party caught Mr.. Umberger,
took the poll-books away from him, and jones
took him up behind him on o horse, and car.
ried him back prisoner.
After Jones and his party had taken Um-
berger back, they went to the house of Mr..
Ramsey and took Judge John A. Wakefield
prisoner, and carried him to the place OF slec-
ton and get upon a wagon and make them
speech after which they put white ribbon in
his button hole and let him 60 They then
choose two new judges and proceeded with
the election
They also threatened to kill the judges if
they did not receive their votes without swear
ing them, or else resign, They said no man
should vote who would submit to be sworn
that they would kill any one who would offer
to do so---'' shoot him, '' cut his CUTS out. &c
They said no man should vote this day unless
he voted on open ticket and was" all right on
the goose" and if they could not vote by fair
means they would by foul means. They said
they had as much right to vote if they had
been in the territory two minutes, as if they
had been there two years, and that they would
vote Some of the citizens who were about
the window. but had not voted when the crowd
of Missourians marched up there. upon at
tempting to vote were driven back by the mob,
or driven off. One of them Mr.. j NJ Macy,
was asked if he would take the oath, and upon
his replying that he would if the judge re-
quired it he was dragged through the crowd
away from the polls, amid cries of =" Kill the
id niger thief" " Cut his throat" " Tear
his heart out, &c. After they got him to the
outside of the crowd, they stood around him
with cooked revolvers and drawn bowie-krives,
one man putting knife to his heart, so that
it touched him, another holding cooked pistol
to his ear, while another struck at him with a
club. The Mssourians said they had right
to vote if they had been in the territory but
five minutes Some said they had been hired to
come there and vote, and get dollar day
and by Cd they would vote or die there.
They said the Both day of March was an
Important day, as Kansas would be made a
slave state on that day They began to leave
in the direction of Missouri in the afternoon,
after they had voted, leaving some 80 or 40
around the house where the election was held
to guard the polls until after the election was
over. The citizens Of the territory were not
around, except those who took part in tho mob,
and large portion of them did not vote; 34l
votes were polled there that day, of which but
some thirty were citizens
A protest against the election was made to
the Governor The returns of the election
made to the Governor were lost by the Commit
tee of Elections of the Legislature at Pawnee
The duplicate returns left in the ballot box
were taken by f. j. Laley, one of the judges
elected by the Missourians, and were either
lost or destroyed in his house, so that your
committee have been unable to institute a COM
mittee have been unable to institute IL compar-
rison between the lists and census returns of
this district The testimony, however, is uni
form, that not even 80 of those who voted there
that day were entitled to VOTE leaving 81 lille
gal votes. we are satisfied from the testimony.
that had the actual settlers alone voted, the
free state candidates would have been elected by
4 handsome majority
THIRD DIsTRICT-'TECUMSEH,
On the 18th Of March, persons from Clay,
jackson, and Howard counties, Mo-, began to
come into Tecumseh, in wagons, carriages, and
on horseback, armed with guns, bowie knives
and revolvers; and with threats, and encamped
close by the town, and continued camping uu-
till the day of election. The night before the
election 200 men were sent for from the camp
Of HISTORIANS at Lawrence On the morn
ing of of the election, before the polls were
opened, some 300 or 400 Mssourians and 9th
ers were collected in the yard about the house
of Thomas Stitson, where the election was to
beld armed with bowie-kniyes, revolvsrs anC
clubs, They said they came to vote, and whiI
the damned Yankees, and would vote without
being sworn. Some said they came to have q
fight, and wanted one.
Col. Samuel II. Woodson, of Independence
Mo-, was in the room of the judges wher
they arrived preparing poll-books and tally
lists, and remained there during their attempts
to organize The room of the judges was also
filled by many of the strangers. The judges
could not agree concerning the oath to be taker
by themselves and the oath to be administered
to the voters, Mr.. Burgess desiring to admins
ter the oath prescribed by the Governor, and
the other two judges opposing it. During
this discussion between the judges, whic
lasted some time, the crowd outside became ex
cited and noisy threatening and cursing Mr.
Burgess, the free state judge.
Persons were sent to different times by the
crowd outside into the room where the judges
were threatening messages, especially against
Mr.. Burgess, and at last ten minutes were Civ
on thom to organize in or leave; and as the time
passed, persons outside would call out the num-
Der Of minutes left, with threats against Mr.
Burgess, if he did not agree to organize AT
the end of that time, the judges not being
able to organize, left the room, and the crowd
proceeded to elect nine Judges and carry on
the election The free-state mon general,
left the ground without voting, stating thai
there was no use in their voting there.
The polls were so crowded during the frs
part Of the day that the citizens could mo-
get up to the window to vote. Threats were
made against the free-state men, In the after
noon the Rev. Mr. Gilpatrick was attacked anc
driven off by the mob. A man by some calico
Texas" made speech to the crowd, urging
them to vote and to remain on the ground un
till the polls were closed, for fear the abolition
lists would come there in the afternoon and
overpower them, and thus they would lose all
their trouble
For making an affidavit in protest against
the election, setting forth the facts, Mr.. Bur
CESS was indicted by the Grand Jury for PERU.
~, which indictment was found more than
fifteen months ago, and is still pending, Mr.
Burgess never having been informed who hif