The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-03-20
For tie Herald Of Freedom.
Tie Bourbon County DiMculfies.



T Mr.. EDITOR AS there has been mucl
speculation and Misrepresentation abroa'
8 in relation to the Bourbon county dificul
ties. and believing the public might de
sire to learnth facts as regards the origin
progress and result, we have concluded t
give plain statement of the facts as the,
occurred, for publication in the> column
, of your paper.
II Some time during the summer of SO
h the little Usage and Sugar creek coGnss,
were visited by gang of marauders un
der one Clarke and one Fox, whose pro
fessed errand was to dispose "lav and or
der,n by killing or driving off Abolition
lists, burning houses and driving off stock
and seizing upon such other property a
the inhabitants were obliged to leave il
their hurried departure.
j Among those who fed, were Mr.. s. w
Stone, Solomon Stone, and MIR. Beason
Mr.. Stone left forty acres of corn stand
ing, thirty head of hogs, and some othe
personal property. He stopped in Mis-
souri,, awaiting the result of the em.
\ .broglio. A man by the name of Jobe,
who had been up to the seat of strife, re.
turned and represented the house of Mr.
Stone burned, which was false, and thai
it was impossible for Stone to return
Under menaces he succeeded in purchas.
ing Stones corn, amounting to over one
i thousand bushels, and thirty head of hogs
and some household property left behind
for an old horse and two sides of bacon,
worth, perhaps, $40.
j Last June, Stone returning to his claim
found it occupied by pro-slayery preach
er, by the name of Southwood. South.
wood pretended that he had purchased
the claim from Jobe, distant relative oi
Southwood's. The facts are that South.
wood had bought it on condition that be
should pay stipulated sum in case Stone
should not return. Upon the return Of
Stone the citizens, some sixty in number,
turned out and put up another house fol
him, on the same claim, to enable him to
contest the right of Southwood at the land
i office
Stone claimed the right to procure wa
ter from the well which he had himself
previously dug. but it was partially grant
ed with reluctance. On one occasion the
Southwoods fell upon Mrs. Stone and
whipped her most shamefully. This out.
rageous conduct becoming known to the
neighbors, they ordered Southwood te
| leave within specified time.
Southwood next turned up in Forl
Scott, before the Grand Jury, and succeed.
ed in getting the citizens, who had order
ed him to leave the county, indicted for
rebellion. The proper officers from Fort
Scott went UP and arrested them, and
took them to town for trial. They were
i examined and committed. Some time in
i August MIR. Beason also returned to the
neighborhood, and commenced hunting
the hogs which he had left. He soon as.
certained that they were now claimed BY
a man by the name of Gouly, he having
bought them from Stout. Beason never
had authorized any person to act as his
| agent, and claimed that he had not trans
ferred his right to the hogs. He went to
gathering them up, and as he found them
he put them in Mr.. Stones lot. Gouly
Enow brought suit against Beason for theft;
warrants were issued against him and be
was taken to Fort Scott for trial. Mr.
Stone was sick, unable to sit up, but to re-
lieve Mr.. Beason he consented to be
hauled to the Fort as a witness in fayo,
of Beason. But upon his arrival in town
ne was arrested for secreting stolen prop
erty, and third rate pro-slayery lawyer
demanded $50 for conducting his defense.
Gouly, the prosecuting witness, testified
that he had purchased the hogs of Stout,
but there was no evidence introduced that
Stout had been authorized by Beason on
any .otlfer man, to sell the hogs.
Stone was. held to bail in the sum OF
$500. Beason finding that the same ey.
idence would be adduced against him,
and that in the opinion of the tool acting
as Justice, it was sufficient to commit him.
ne waived examination and gave bail
DR.. Kimberland, who stood IS bail for
Beason, next morning found his buggy
thrown down steep bluff adjoining Fort
Scott, badly injured. d few days after
Kimberland's hay was fred.
These and other outrageous proceed
ings caused the citizens of Little Usage to
become distrustful of the administration
of justice on the part of the administra-
ton officers at Fort Scott. and a citizens
court was instituted. The members of
this court were not residents CT Bourbon
county, but were selected from various To-
ealities. Young Southwood was arrested
for threatening the life of Mrs. Stone
Southwood's wife went to the Fort and
gave word that her husband was held in
durancs BY this citizens court. Marshal
Little Immediately summoned possse
and proceeded TO arrest, or rather fight
those engaged in holding the citizens
court On their way to Usage they ar
rested Mr.. Stewart, james Denton. and
Mr. Anderson. for what we have not yet
learned.
The Marshal and posse proceeded and
endeavored to make the arrest, but failed
for want Of numerical power. Next