The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1857-1858, 1857-08-12

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Mr.. Andrew Stewart, editor Of the Steuben-
vile COho) Union, who has lately been travelling
through Kansas Territory, arrived At this place
on Monday evening, having departed Leaven-
worth City on Saturday night, the lst inst, and
favored ms with the following particulars Of
fearful tragedy enacted on Friday night and
Saturday morning At that city. The statements
Of Mr.. Stewar; are derived, mostly, from per
sonal observation, and may be relied upon ~
correct.
On Friday night, man named Stephens, Nv
ing in Kansas City, came up to Ieavenworth
City, and, while spreeing around, went into .
drinking shop called the Ward House. The bar
keeper, named Baines, became very friendly, and
after getting Stephens quite drunk, proposed
walk up the river, and took him to spring on
| the bank Of the Missouri river, just above the
Planters House, where they were met and as
| saulted by two men who demanded their money
| or their lives The barkecper, Baines, gave his
! money up and ran of. When no got to the low.
err end Of the town he gave the alarm that man
was being robbed up the river at the spring.
Several parties OF citizens Immediately went up
and arrived on the spot just in time to find poor
Stephens crawling out OF the river, his body and
head all beaten and bruised with stones and
clubs, and his chest and shoulders bearing sew
cral stabs and cuts. The citizens ran to his as
sistance, hut the unfortunate victim, though
struggling to speak, VAS TOO far gone, and pres
emily died, withou, being able to utter . single
word about the manner Of his death, or the
names of his murderers. Suspicious at once
alighted upon Baincs, and so outraged were the
people, and SO violent the prescriptions OF his
guilt, that posse Of the citizens at once arrest
| ed and held him in close custody. The news in
the meantime spread like wild FIRE all over the
l city and the excitement grew intense. An i'm
mediate trial of Baines was demanded, and final.
| ly it was agreed that he should be hung upon
the spot, without judge or jury. rope was
procured and put around his neck, and already
be was being drawn up to the limb Of an over
hanging tree, when he expressed wish to make
q confession. The crowd yielded and let him
down to the ground.
| STARTLING CONFESSION.
He said that he and two men, one named
John Quarles, from South Carolina, and the 9TH
er called Knowl.on, had laid the plot by which
| Stephens was robbed and murdered, and that
the same men had murdered another man a
short time before, and had thrown the body in
the Missouri river. He stated, also, that he and
the men Knowlton and Quarles belonged to an
organized body of about twenty five men, who
| carried on the business of robbing and murder
ing in Leavenworth City, on the Island opposite
the city, and in both the towns Of Lawrence and
Topeka.
| lie then gave them the names Of as many of
the gang as he could remember.
THE ARRESTS.
| As soon as Banes had finished his rev Citations
he was committed to the calaboose, q one story
| stone building, about sixteen feet square, The
crowd then went off in pursuit Of Quasles and
Knowlton, and in a short time had them arrest
L Al Ill.
Woods, the proprietor of the greater part Of
Lea, enworth Island, and regarded heretofore as
an honest man and good citizen. A party pro
ceeded at once TO arrest him. and after making
| a thorough search OF his house, found q, 800
in counterfeit money, lot Of cCunterfeitng
plates and other instruments, and a knife and
pistol belonging to the murdered man Stephens
At these conclusive proofs of the correctness
of the confessions Of Baines, the people were
deeply moved, and held counsel together in
large and small parties, during the whole of the
night.
THE PROCEEDINGS on sATCRDAY-QuAGLys AND
BAINEs HUNG.
We here give the narrative OF Mr. Stewart. !
He SAYS: II went to the Mayors office on Sat
urday morning, and found an immense crowd |
awaiting the result OF the examination of Gods
and knowlton. Baines and Quarles we're in the |
calaboose. While the examination going
on, Judge Lecompte was outside making aspeech
and expostulating with the angry crowd in favor
of law and order. The cry OF hang en-, the
id murderers,' arose frequently from the
mob, but milder counsels seemed to be prevail.
ing, when at once some shouted, ITO the
calaboose! to the caaboosei and away a crowd
of about fifty maddened men started in that di.
rection. The balance OF the people followed af-
ter in smaller parties, leaving Judge Lecompte
almost alone, and the Mayors office relieved of
its throng OF spectators. They had been gone
about fifteen minutes, when heard great yell.
started after the crowd, and followed it to the
bank of a creek, which divides South and North
Leavenworth, where there was steep bank,
and on its edge a large elm tree. | reached the
spot Just in time to see Quarles suspended from
the tree grasping in the agonies OF death at the
rope which was around his neck, while several
of the mob we're swinging on to his arms and
legs, to make his death sure. His body had
hardly ceased its commissions, when the shout
was raised for Baines.
The rope was placed about his neck, and he |
was led to the edge of the bank, when some one |
of the citizens appeared by his side, and with a
watch in his hand, demanded five minutes time |
for further confessions. They granted it; when
Baines said, if they would let him, he would show
them another man in town who was concerned |
in the operations of the gang. He was then Ia |
ken to the calaboose, but for some reason did
not give satisfaction to the people, and they de-
manded his body to be returned to them. Judge |
Lecompte again addressed the people, and with |
some effect for they seemed to divide into two
parties, the one clamoring for the hanging of
the prisoner, and the other demanding trial
for him. Marshal Denis of the Territory was al. |
SO present, and though he exerted himself with |
all his power, he could not maintain his position |
at the door of the calaboose, nor prevail on the
crowd to dispense. The wife Of Banes also APP
peared, and, inspired by the dangerous situation |
of her husband. took heroic stand on the en- |
trance, and endeayored by frantic threats and |
entreaties to stay the wrath of the popuace.
But all efforts were unavailing; the peace party |
were overpowered. Judge Lecomptes voice |
was drowned by the shrieks of the mob. Alarge |
piece ofhewn timber. perhaps twenty five feet
| long and one foot square that was lying near,
| was lifted up by crowd OF men, and plunged
with fearful effect against the calaboose door.
| The sight of the wife's distress, and the sound
of her screams, mingled with the ragings and
| shrieks of the Infatuated mob, was too much for
| me, and turned my back and walked away.
heard another blow from the piece of timber and
a simultaneous shout from the crowd, which
told me that the door had given way, and the
prisoner was at the mercy OF the people. l walk
| ed hastily round the square, for all its terror
| there was fascination in the sight, and reached
| the spot just in time to see the mob rushing
down the street with the prisoner, toward the
| creek and the elm tree. pursued, and when |
reached the spot the body of Baines was already
in the air. and his last death struggles were shiy-
ering along his limbs The crowd then appear.
ed TO be satisfied. Woods and Knowlton mean
while had been placed in an omnibus and con.
veyed to the fort. Thei city continued very
much excited up to the hour left, but no fur
Their violence was anticipated All sorts ofsto-
ries prevailed and many Of the mysterious dis
| appearances and robberies which have occurred
in the Territory are all being referred to this
band OF murderers. This news is truly start
ling. We shall await confirmation with much
anxiety.
ADDITIONAL REPORT.
We are indebted to Messrs. Fitzgerald and
Ryand, clerks of the steamer Emma, for the fol.
| lowing additional particulars of the tragedy de
tailed above. The statements as furnished our
river reporter, it will be seen, show no very ma
terial variations fr0m tho ahava rann,t of NJ