The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-01-02
Exciting News fror, Kansas ,.-Civil Wa

The Chicago papers oil thursday contain
the following startling dispatches from st.
Louis:
Kansas advices to the Gath which have
Jus. been received by the Democrat, say that
civil war was raging in Bourbon County
Several conflicts had occurred between the
free State and pro-slavery parties. A num-
Der of prisoners were taken on both SIDES
The u. s. Marshal with a force OF eighty
men demanded the surrender OF the free
State party, The demand was answered by
yolIev Of snusket balls The fire was re-
turned and the fight lasted for an hour =
The pro-slavery men finally retreated with
q loss Of ore man killed and two MORALLY
wounded. The United States Marshal was
dangerously wounded.
Gen. Lane was entrenched at Sugar
Mound determined to fight the Dragons ii
they attacked him y battle was regarded
as inevitable
Exciting debates bad taken place in the
lawrence Convention. The Committee on
RESOLUTIONS presented three reports The
majority report disapproves voting for State
officers First minority report, recommends
the State rickst. Second, signed by Red
path, recommends participation in the cleo
ton, for the purpose of destroying the Lc-
compton Constitution. That no man he
nominated who will not pledge himself TO
crush it. That the Topeka Constitution be
submitted to the people, and that loyalty to
that instrumen; be made the test OF teaity 10
the free State party, and that the Legisla-
ture repeaI the present code of laws. Rob
insou, Phillips, Conway, Schuyler, and
Vaughn, were in. favor OF voting. The most
radical and revolutionary speeches were
made.
Bourbon County, in which this civil war
RACES. is the county in which Fort Scott is
situated. The troubles have nothing to do
with the Lecompton Constitution. Clark,
who is the man accused Of having been the
murderer Of Barber several years ago, is Re
ceiyer at the land Office at Fort Scott. Be-
sides being disagreeable in this position to
the free state men, he has rendered himself
a still greater object of hatred to them by
his activity in enforcing the FAX and rebel
lion laws Of the last pro-slavery legislature.
Accompanied by deputy sheriff he had
been going about collecting taxes, Selling
the property of free state men in default OF
payment, and making prosecutions under
the rebellion bill. These proceedings natu-
rally led to frequent collisions, and finally,
q company of free state men went down to
the Fort and undertook to libeTatc some
men Clark had imprisoned under the rebel
lion law. The pro-slavery men at the Fort,
to avoid collision, in the absence OF Clark,
released the prisoners. Clark, enraged ct
this, and now being reinforced by about
$50 Missourians, is said TO have attacked
the premises of some free state men near
the fort, an outrage the free state men
promptly resented, and :. battle followed
Three pTo-slavery men are said to have been
killed, one free state man, and number
wounded on both sides.
The pro-slavcry men now sent deIega-
ton to Secretary Stanton, asking the aid Q!
u s. Troops to protect them. But Mr..
Stanton regarding it as n local quarrel in
which one party was about as much in the
right as the other, refused to send the troops
Both parties then commenced TO muster
their forces in earnest. Some six hundred
are said to have been assembled on botf
sides, aud on the 10th pitched battle tool
place, in which five pro-slavery men were
killed, number wounded, and number ia
ken prisoners on both sides. OF the FREE
state men about 30 persons were taken ant
confined at Fort Scott.
On the receipt of this news at Lawrence
Lane started for Fort Scott with three o.
four hundred men, and Acting Gov. Denver
xrr ttyn NJ
panies of regulars The St. Louis despatch
given above has reference TO what subse'
quently occurred
The election on 2lst on the Lecomption
Constitution went off without any outbreak,
although at some points there was much ex-
element. st Leavenworth, the dispatches
say, "much excitement prevailed. Many
Missourians were present, some of whom
voted swearing in their votes. The form of
oath administered was, "Are you at this
instant an inhabitant Of this Territory"
Several MisSourians were arrested. Judge
Lecompte issued writs Of habeas corpus for
thsir release Calhoun was burned in eiligy.
Ely Moore was shot in the leg by a German
As to the result Of the vote, all accounts
agree in stating that large majority was
given for the - Constitution with Slavery
Indeed no other result could be expected,
as the free state men generally refusrd to
vote. No intimatiOn is given as to how
large a vote was cast, but from the fact that
1900 votes were cast at Oxford, where there
are VIGOROUSLY not 100 legal voters, there
can be little doubt but fraudulent votes
enough were made to foot up Jorge aggre-
gate.
The various propositions submitted and
tie discussion at the Lawrence COnvent.o on,
which was called to determine the course OF
the free state men in reference TO the cleo
ton in January under the Lccompton Con-
stituiion, show that the free state party has
quite as large a proportion OF fools IN Its
ranks as it can bear. This eternal clinsing
TO and holding up Of the Topeka Constitu-
ton, as n golden calf in the wilderness, is
the most disgusting sort of tomfoolery.
If the free state men had sense enough
steadily and firmly to cling to but the one
otjec;-,he right, in legal, peaceable and
fair wav, TO make their own Constitution
aud laws, to plead persistently and earnest
" with Congress for an enabling act like
that Of Minnesota, and drop all their other
rebellicus schemes and expedients, they
would inevitably and speedily emerge from
all their difficulties. But in following the
consels Of such men as Lane and Robinson,
they are only continually plunging deeper
into the mire.