Marshall County Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1855-1859, 1856-06-12
From the Chicago Daily Times.


.In the Teyritory of Kansas there is a
city called Lawrence. In the State of Mas
Stchusetts there is also city called Law
renee ;sindeed, the former was named after
the latter, and intended, like the latter, to
do honor to the name of family widely
and favorably knownas merchants, through
out the Union. The city Of Lawrence in
Kansas, has lately been made the theater
of scenes of violence. A Sheriff and
posse Of twenty men have taken possess
ion peaceably of the guns, cannon and
ammunition, which had been there gather
ed for the avowed purpose of resisting the
laws of the land, and shooting down the
officers and constituted authorities of the
Territory. Over this outrage" this
" horrible atrocity," this " fiendish pursuit
of freemen,'' as Reeder called it, the Abo-
lition papers of Chicago and of the coun-
try are bowling with excessive JUNCTION.
We wish to call up to the minds of these
men and to spread before the reflecting and
intelligent men of the day, brief chapter
in the history of the country, and chap
ter not yet two years old.
In the month Of July, 1854, few brief
hours after the celebration of the glorious
anniversary of Independence, band of
Ruffians," twelve hundred strong, living
in and about the city of Lawrence, in the
State of Massachusetts-tha soil, which
Sumner calls his home, and wherein the
AboitioniSts declare no man can stand ex-
cept as an equal in the eyes of God and
man-in that city of Lawrence, in the
State of Massachusetts, on the 9th day of
July, 1854, this band of 200 sc sMassa-
chusetts freemen," without one word of
provocation assaulted at midnight the hum
BILE tenements and cabins, inhabited by free
white laborcrs, and their families, and in
two hours lcveled forty of those dwellings,
of the poor. In vain did woman shrek for
mercy at the hands of g Massachusetts
freemen - in vain did children implore
that aged parents be allowed to clothe them
selves in their usual garments-thc ears of
Massachusetts, freemen" were deaf to all
such appeals. In vain did the husband
ask that the humble roof which sheltered
the person of his wife then in the pangs of
child birth, be not fired until he could pro-
cure another place for the agonized wife
and anticipated babe The hearts Of Mas
sachusetts freemen" inhabiting the " City
of Lawrence refused the prayer, and
thrusting wife and husband out upon the
barren fields, where with no other canopy
than afforded by the stars, a child was born
on the soil of the humanity loving Massa-
cbusetts These things occurred in Law
renee, in the State Of Massachusetts and
who ever read an article in the Abolition
papers of the country calling on men and
money to defend the homes of those free
white laborers, outraged and torn down in
the city of Lawrence, in the free State OF
Massachusetts
One of the victims of that night of afro
city in Lawrence, Massachusetts, was sadly
injured by a blow from stone cast by one
of the rutfians both he and his ruffian as
sailant came to Chicago-the latter stalks
the streets, bawling for freedom in Kansas,
while the former reposes in the cemetery
fastened to an untimely grave by the ruff
fianism of the "freemen of Massachusetts,, ~
committed in the city of Lawrence
The free white laborers of that city OF
Lawrence, resolved to submit to no repeti
ton of the outrage of the " freemen o.
Lawrence" One of them, now citizen
of Chicago, repaired to Boston, and there
purchased for the use of himself and his
companions, and to defend themselves and
their wives and children from violence, {
sufficient number of guns, pistols, and
powder and ball. These weIe packed ii
boxes and conveyed to Lawrence. Upon
their arrival there, a select number of the
Rufians waylaid the wagon, and attempted
to carry off the boxes containing the wea
pons of defence--the driver succeeded il
reaching the house of the owner, and there
for hours a contest was waged in the street:
of the city of Lawrence in the free Statt
of Massachusetts, whether free white mel
; were entitled to the constitutional privilege
of keeping arms. The arms were soor
put into the hands for which they were de
signed, and then by armed forces dhes'
men drove back the Rufiians, and vindica
ted their own constitutional secured liberty
The Mayor and the authorities of tina
! city of Lawrence, seconded the demand .
the Massachusetts, ruflians that these gun
i, should bo delivered up. Who has eve
heard that this reckless, brutal outrage
committed by the freemcn of Massa
: chusetts' in the free city of Lawrence
) "".."" "....a. .,..n M one worl .. conuemnatiol