Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1857-08-14
Murder and LynChing IN Kansas

The Boston Journal has a long account
from an eye witness of an awful scene of
murder and lynching at Leayenworth X. Z.
July 81. and Aug. l, from which account
we take an abstract.
about nine o'clock Friday night james
Stevens was induced by an acquaintance
named William NJ, Bays, to walk up to Il
| spring ON the bank of the river, three or
four squares above the business portion of
the landing. The spring is IN a very quiet
location, with the bluff hanging, over it,
and no house in the vicinity. While there,
Stevens was attacked by a party of mem
very badly bruised and fatally stabbed. In
attempting to escape from them, he rushed
blindly DOWN the bank into the river. lie
succeeded in keeping atloat long enough to
reach the shore, and raise himself upon a
rock; but he died within a few minutes
During the day he had sos in gold about
his person, but no portion of it was found
upon the body after his decease.'
Bays reported that he and Stevens had
been attacked and robbed 81 that he fear
ed Stevens was murdered. Bays was
found in u dying condition, and unable to
give any account of the affair. Before a
coroner s jury, Bays and one Quarles were
among the'witnesses examined, 'They both
acknowledged being on or near the ground
at the time OF the transaction, but told
such Inconsistent and improbable stories
about an assault upon them and attempted
robbery, &c., that the Jury returned q YER
dict charging them with the murder
Quarles owed during the investigation to
Ia vipn "a lot of ApntprIait mn -, A.
night of the murder, and shortly after de-
posting it and a revolver with a suspected
counterfeiter named Bill Wood. They also
implicated a young man named Knighten
with the murder, and a warrant was issued
for him.
knighten when arrested was threatened
with death unless he revealed the ~particu-
lars Of the affair lie implicated Quarles and
Bays as principals and owned to being con
cerned in the scheme to rob Stevens, but
under an assurance that no serious injury
sho uld be done to him.
1.-The prisoner said he assisted to hold the
deceased for the purpose Of robbing him;
and that when he resisted, Bays and Quar-
les Knocked him down, fired upon him and
N~' ''''' ~ "uc blOuEDl ONEI
to town and lodged in Jail. IN addition to
giving the incidents Of the murder he stated
that Bays and Queries were connected with
an organized gang Of villains. who have
been flooding the country recently with
counterfeit money, aud that tho notorious
Bill uOds was the leader and banker of
the gang.
When the other prisoners learned of
knighten confession, Bays manifested
perfect seli-possessiOn and persisted in de-
nylng all knowledge OF the affair. Ouarles.
On the contrary, was greatly alarmed and
Immediately admitted his own participa.
ton in it. Ills confession agreed with that
OF hnlghten in many Of the details, though
not altogether, lie stated that it was
Bays who stabbed the deceased, and that
hnighten also struck HIM with u heavy
stone.
y warrant was Immediately issued for
the arrest of Woods on the charge of
counterieiting, When the marshal found
HIM, he was making his escape from town
with u pair OF fleet horses. Forty dollars
oil good money was found on his person,
some gambling instruments and about one
hundred and twenty dollars in counterfeit
notes on the North Carolina and Ohio banks
Forty dollars more Of counterfeit paper
"'iS 'Nuhu III Ilh 'Iulh. lie Was taken to
JAIL, but he stoutly denied the charges
brought against him.
The people Of the place were highly ex.
cited. Other robberc3 and murders were
reierrcd-and as no punishment had been
inflicted the icelirg was strong that
iii hat "a example should Ii
Judge Lecompte addressed the people to
dissuade them from violence. His presence
and remarks only added fuel to the flame.
lie implored the citizens in Gods name
to reflect upon that they proposed to do,
ana leave the prisoners to be punished in
The regular way-through the courts OF
a dozen voices responded that there was
10 legal justice in kansas-that the courts
we're IA iarcc-a and that no man had ever
leen punished here for murder.
Judge Lecompte admitted that no muir.
lerer had been convicted, but it was not
lis fault. There was no man who loved
ustioe and hated crime more than he-no
ne who was more anxious to SEQ the guilty I
punished (This remark brought out boots I