Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1856-10-16

lished in the Missouri Republican of Sept
?, 1856, to which your names are sub
scribed as indorsers. Atchison q Co.,
your principals, have long since placed
themselves beyond the pale OF those who
can be recognized as gentlemen; and
therefore | address YOU.
If this half of the circular CONVEYS any
idea of the spirit or tenor of the whole
article, | venture the assertion that in
recklessness of veracity and bald falls
ification it would be difficult to find its
parallel.
| have never enlisted an army, nor
even a single soldier, to march into Kan
sas. | travelled through Iowa in com
pany with large body of peaceable cit
lzenS, each of whom avoWed with the
greatest apparent sincerity, theirdeter-
mination TO become bona ride settlers of
Kansas, and, so far as my knowledge ex-
tends, have actually made good their
professions, and are now making homes
for themselves and their families. Fear
ing my presence might be seized upon
as a pretext for attacking them by the
United States troops, left the company
on the east side of the Missouri River,
and travelled into Kansas alone, taking
a different route from theirs, so as to be
entirely disconnected with them.
On my arrival i'll Kansas | found the
border papers teeming with inhamma-
tory Recommendations of our citizens, and
boldly proclaiming against them a war
of determination and i'll response to
their indictments, hordes Of dcpraved,
misguided desperadoes entering the
country, many of them having inscribed
on their hats, death to Abolitionists,
E and no quarters" a mother and daugh-
ter, in the absence Of the husband and
father, ravished by nearly one hundred
fiendish men; the gifted Mayor Hoyt,
who had calamity served his country in
the Mexican war, brutally murdered
while totally unarmed, his body hacked
to pieces, and few sods thrown over
him, leaving his arms and feet project
, ing from the earth, prey for wolves;
prisoners murdered in manner exceed
, ing, if possible, even the shocking bar
barity of savage tribes, and aiterward
: scalped-one man scalped While alive,
and who yet lives to exhibit his skinless
=, head to an outraged world; dwellings,
being burned over helpless women and
, screaming children.
In the state of confusion and indigna-
ton resulting from these Outrages, the
people of Kansas sought my aid and
4, counsel; and | took command Of their
9 forces rallied for their defence, as an
imperative duty which the promptings
! of humanity forbade me to refuse. In
. stead of following the example Of your
= associates, we determined to wage an
~ honorable, and only defensive warfare.
= To this end, the first order issued guaran-
- teed protection to the settler without re-
!. ference to his notifies compellcd humane
hi ana courteous treatment OF prisoners,
e forbade the burning Of dwellings,, the
= destruction OF property, and inflicted
! the penalty Of death for its violation.
This order was republished the morning
! after your associates had burned seven
dwellings, near Lecompton, in sight of
the United States troops. No buildings
were destroyed ut Franklin, and the at
! tack was made there under the impress
:. sion that the cannon loaded and used to
fughten tree-State men was the one
taken from Lawrence. The houses de-
, stroyed at Saunders and Bull Creek
although in themselves military tortifca-
tons and occupied but few minutes
7 before their destruction by our invaders
! were burned contrary to orders, and
: by persons having 10 connection with
my command.
:, The house of Clark the Indian agent,
charged as he was with the cold blooded
] murder of the lamented Barber, with its
a valuable contents, was spared by our
; army, which reached it but few minutes
. after the invaders, who had just burned
the seven houS alluded TO, had desert
! ed it and fed to Lecompton. At Lee
: compton orders were given that not a
g shot should be fired at the house occu-
E pied by the widow Brooks and her gal
liant sons and accomplished daughters,
although the building was at that time
occupied by the Very men who had
kindled the fires Of the then smoking
ruins of the houses of our friends. To
Capt. Scott, Gen. Richardson and other
prisoners, | refer you for testimony of
. their proper treatment. The latter gen
tlcman, ut the peril Of my own life, was
conducted five miles outside OF ourpicket
! guard. Although some Of the citizens
: Of Kansas have been driven into meas
+ ures Of retaliation, and it would be
4, strange if they had not, | defy you to
point to a single act committed by the
y men under my command dcrogatory to
y their character as gallant soldiers and
:, chivalric gentlemen.
: As to the charge of treason and out
: lawry, / laugh it to scon. The recent
!, discharge upon bail Of the prisoners
charged with treason will, / trust,
! prevent the repetition Of the stale charge
: by any man who makes any pretensions
e to Responsibility.
/ presume there is no one, even in
the Slave States, SO stultified iii intel
lect as to now imagine that the effort to
inhict the curse of Slavery on Kansas
n by force and arms IS not entirely futile.
y on can, therefore, have no other object
in the invasion of Kansas than the dc
( sire for bloodshed. When you get ready
@ for another invasion to crafty this he'll
Z lish disposition, in order to save further
: imperilling Of our beloved Union, ! will
: entertain a proposition Ike this: You
: to select one hundred actual slavehold-
+ ers. born in Slave States, who have al
: ready been engaged in conflict, Atchison
| & Co. among the number; and to Sc
! lecto one hundred actual non slave-holding
settlers of Kansas, myself included; we
! being the party invaded, and having the
: right to select time, place, distance, and
weapons, who shall fight in presence Of
: twelve members Of tlte Senate and twelve
members of the House of Representatives
: of the United States, one half of whom
shall be selected by each party, with the