The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1856-05-23
Border Ruffian Cruelties.

Col. j.. III. Lane, in his speech ut Indian
apolis described some of the crueltics prac-
ticed upon the fec State men. Ihrring and
feathering men, and especially preachers,
he said, seemed to he common amusement.
lie saw the preacher who had been tarrcd,
feathered and sent down the Missouri river.
To that odious and disgusting torture a
preacher of the gospel was subjected because
he said he was for making Kansas free
State. After this " coat" had been spread
over him, he was placed upon raft of two
logs, held together by clap-boards, and with
a piece of bacon and corn bread was started
down the Missouri-the most rapid and
dangerous stream in the world. Such was
the treatment of Free State preachers. Col
Inns was murdered. Collins had acted with
him on the Committee on Platforms ut the
Convention in Kansas. He was a gallant
AMI noble man He had been murdered.--
II was said that ,Iaughlin shot him in u
street fight, but that was false. He was
killed by a shot gun and by another person.
Dow had been murdered killed
him while he was on the road home from q
blacksmith shop.
Barker had been killed cruelty and in
cold blood. He was an excellent inoflensive
man another had been killed, murdered by
Clark, the Indian agent, during the trou-
bles ut Lawrence, and Clark had gone to
the Missourian's camp and boasted that she
saw the dust fly out Of the abolitionist' =
clothes when the ball hit"
Brown had been most foully murdered.
He was brave man who could whip the
ruffians, and had done it two to one. lie
was going home with Others in Wagon,
one day, not long ago, when he was met by
some eighteen Missourians they stopped
the way. He told them to let him pass
Later he met another company Of seventy
Missourians. They also stopped him. He
resisted, but that company was strong
enough to take him. They did it, but with
tho strongest assurances that he should not
be hurt. How were those promises kept ?
Worse than among barbarians. He was
taken to a cabin, through the cracks of
which could be seen what was going on in
side. He was told that hc must die. lie
asked chance for his life. lie begged them
to let him fight any two Of them for his life,
with any weapon they pleased, pistols,
knives or guns. No, they would give him
no chance. A halter was put round his
neck and he was led to the door. The limb
was ready. But when he had reached the
door they set upon him, thus bound Us he
was, and thus assured that he should be pro-
tected. and cut him all to pieces with hatch
cts. They kicked that mangled body TO his
wagon, more than one hundred Yards
They threw il into the wagon and kicked ii
after il was thrown in. They drove with it
TO his house, and the first intimation that
his wife had of his fate, was seeing his man.
eled corpse pitched into the house, so that
his blood spattered her dress. She was an
excellent and interesting woman, one as
good as ever lived. She was made maniac
by that awful sight. .
Here are four atrocious murders stated by
Col. Lane, TO have been committed by bor-
der ruffians, and the national administration
has not taken the first step to bring the
guilty parties to justice-indecd, the muir
derer of Barker still holds the Office Of Indian
Agent. and publicly boast that " he saw the
dust fiy out of the abolitiOnists clothes when
the ball hit" ...,.l.
Jones, the bogus sheriff, who is provcdtC
have led band of over two hundred Mis-
sourians to voting place in Kansas, and
threatened the judges of the election with
death If they did not resign in five minutes
is shot, probably by some personal enemy
and Immediately the government authorizes
a reward of $500 to discover the pcrpetrato'
Of the act, There is no protection for the
free State men, .bui all the powers Of tn
federal government are invoked to protec
the Slavery propogandist. And this is tn
equality meted out to the citizens under Thu
free government, as it is called. i,v 4,
Had such outass been committed o.
foreign lands upon American citizens, tn