Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-10-24
Tho Free state Prisoners I'm Kansas
Their Fare and Prospects.
Topeka, Sept. SO

now under confinement at Lecompton.
was my second visit to that forlorn littl
Virginia town. / call it thus because th
whole sensation is that of the Old Domin
ion. Instead of the rising school-houses an,
churches of Lawrence, the little street i
lined with bar-rooms, whereof the chief j
the virginia Saloon The tavern is tru
Virginia-bacon, eorn-bread and dirty nc
gro boys and girls to wait at table. South
em proyincialisms strike ones ear at ever
moment, and the town is garrisoned by Col
Titus militia, REINFORCED yesterday by 2i
precious youths from Georgia, in a higl
state of whisky.
The Governor declines all control owe
the prisoners, but Marshal Donelson wa.
very ready to permit me to see them. II
fact they were very visible, being allowed
an area Of a square rod or so before theil
prison door, guarded by few young Mis-
sourians, who paced up and down with load
ed muskets. I met one of the poor fellows
allowed for some reason to cross the street
pursued by an evil looking scoundrel with
fixed bayonet. It is singular how much
alike all Slavery officials look. l saw halt
dozen times repeated the familiar features
Of my Boston friend, Mr.. Asa o. Butman.
The hundred and five prisoners iounged
about looking as prisoners everywhere do.
They are kept in large unfinished build
ing, without an atom Of furniture of any de-
Scription. They do their own cooking,
with very scanty utensils, and such provis-
ions as I shall hereafter describe. They
have obtained with great difficulty fifteen
strswpallets for the whole company. Some
have no blankets; but the majority posses
she luxury of one apiece. 1t was an ex-
ceedingly cold windy day when was there
the exposed side of the house was unfnish-
ed and about half its superficial extent con-
sisted Of great gaps through which the wind
whistled. A few of the men lay about on
the floor sick with fever and ague.
Most Of them are young men, the flower
Of the youth of Lawrence. They are a
hght-hearted set of boys, and are resolved to
avenge themselves on their captors by per
feet indifference to captivity. This comes
hard, however, on some, fathers of families
and owners of farms, which are alike suffer-
ing from their absence. Three weeks labor
of a hundred men, all lost in the business
season of the year, for it is the only time to
get in hay for the winters supply.
One man had left six children, all sick,
and his wife accidentally absent from home;
he said he Supposed some of his neighbors
would look after them Another carried in
his arms child, who was l was told, the
lcv-X of,IJ to-, -, 7 ,,,-,o,,oo onJ ,-,e H.,
tened with the name of the town. The
poor little thing looked rather forlorn, as its
palid father carried it up and down the bare
prison room; an early initiation into the sor-
rows of Kansas.
All these prisoners arc bound over for
trial in October on the charge of murder in
the first degree. You are aware of the bril-
liant series Of engagements in which the
freemen of Kansas had driven the invaders
from their borders before Gov. Geary ap-
peared. In most of these a few Missourians
were killed. In return for this every Free
State man who is accused by any body of
having taken part in those engagements is
in danger of arrest. The greater part, how
ever, were taken after the battle at Hickory
Point while of the Pro-Slavery men, who
still had the black flag flying when these
we're taken, not one was captured.
If each of these prisoners had in broad
deliberately murdered man, they
could have been placed in no worse position
than they are now, for simply defending the
liberties of their country under most fearful
For instance,.in the attack on Osawkee,
the Free State men, on entering the Pro
Slavery fort, found man chained to the
floor by a heavy log-chain about eight
feet long, which was rivited to his leg. In
this position he had been kept six weeks, on
the charge of stealing horse. In all the
produced By this discovery, no
man was killed; but the Missourians were :
to perform the labor Of detaehing
the chain from the leg. Ny informant saw
It done. For this affair, some of those 1 {
saw at Lecompton were imprisoned, and !.
others in this place are hiding from arrest =
Or working on their farms, with horse :
ready saddled for instantaneous escape from :
any suspicious visitors. :
All these arrests have been made by the !,
United States troops, whom it is the pres r
ant policy of the people not to resist. But =
this patience cannot last for ever; and on
y repeat, what have every day asserted.
Ehen I say that the election of Fremont is !
he only thing that can avert bloodier 7
conflict than has ever yet stained this soil. !
When not a single Pro-Slavery man is ar !.
rested, how can men help seeing that the
sustaining Missouri
The Governor excuses himself by saying
hat the Free State men make no complaints
but be does not wait for complaints on the :
other side, and he admitted to me that he
sent up to arrest the leaders of our train of
smigrants without an affidavit from any !
one. He has been repeatedly informed of !,
he reason why the Free State men do not
make complaints-namely that they repu- {
lia5e the bogus laws and despise the Judges. :
But he never will understand it. if it is stat
ed to him every day during his stay in
Kansas. ---- --- ;,
I think he means to be kind to the pris-
1ners, and he readily consented to order :
Isne additional blankets for them and to ;
suggest some improvement in their fare; he :
also, on being requested, directed the Mar ;
IhaI to close up the chiuks in the building
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