Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-07-15

the route, written for the Cincinnati Gazette
| ian abolition paper) by one of Denver's party.
| From it we make several extracts-the first
relating to the Governors first interview with
] Montgomery:
| SUNDAY. JUNE 12.-As we were about leav-
| ing Mnneka this morning. three mounted men
came over the prairie. They were Montgome-
ry's men, and came to ask from the Govern
or an interview with their outlaw cheftain.
| Governor Denver however declined seeing
him. for the design of his (the Governors
visit to the South was not to settle for the past
| but TO proUide for tie future. He came not to
/ arrest but TO make peace. In a few moments
Montgomery came in sight, mounted on
| gray horse that he had stolen from the prose-
| cutting attorney of Bourbon county. He and
! his men rode along ulh party, to Rays
! Mills, just south of the Little Usage river,
| where we dined.
| Hale fellows well met-this subscrvient
Executive tool of Freesoil Administration.
and this revere1d roJbr and murderer, riding
his horse stolen from SOutherner, and all his
| cut-ihroat followers mounted in the same way.
Side by side they continued their journey tow
ards Fort Scott! OF Montgomery's talk and
conversation" while with the Governors
! company. the correspondent writes:
He talks in low cultivated tone-regulat-
| ing his voice so as Just to make his au-
dence hear distinctly and without effort, uses
! classic English-never swears, and quotes
Scripture frequently and accurately. He told
me in his calm quiet way. of how be attempt
ed to set fire TO the pro-slavery hotel at Fort
Scott, and how he shot with murderous aim
at the men who came out to extinguish the
He
once in great while slight chuckle over
some such devilish act-a sort of internal
laugh that might become fiend.
After dinner; the Governor made a speech
to the settlers, and as soon as he had conclu-
ded Montgomery was called out and made
his speech, which, however, the correspondent
continued their journey.
They reached Fort Scott that night, and,
according to the report of this Freesoil cor
respondent, when the Governor instituted an
investigation into the causes of the distur-
Dances, some of the pro-slavery party admit
ted that Gen. Clark and two OF three others
accused of crimes by the Free State men had
found protection at Fort Scott. (Among
others of this clsss, was Capt. Hamilton, of
Georgia, whose acquaintance can never be
made to believe that he is a robber or an
associate of robbers.) OF the admissions
made by the Free State party, the writer says:
WHAT THE FREE STATE MEN ADMIT.
Montgomery admits that he has in his band
several men who have sworn to shoot Gen.
Clark. and that they are lying in wait about
Fort Scott for that purpose. | saw one of
those hp in ba nv tha
nickname of Pickles. His real name is Wright.
He is n machinist by trade came to Kansas
| from Richmond, Ind, and claims TO be
cousin OF Barber. Montgomery admits that
he Is carrying on a guerrilla warfare, and
makes il self-subsisting; in other words, that
he takes what is necessary for the support of
his band from Pro-Slavery men, that having
been forced into the field to protect himself
| and his neighbors against the outrages Of the
Pro-Slavery men, he thinks it enough to give
his time, but makes those who caused the
war, support him and his band in carrying il
on; that it is against the law for any man in
his company to ride Free State horse; they
are all mounted on horses stolen from Pro-
Slavery men,
He admits that he has frightened pro-slavery
settlers away by riding around their houses
as though making observations for an attack
on THIN. and boasts that he keeps the people
Of Fort Scott in constant state Of terror, u.
s. soldiers and all.
This is the case made out by Freesoiler,
who of course represented his own side as
favorably rs possible; and it resolves itself to
this: The U. S. troops and the citizens of Fort
Scott had harbored several men whom the
Free State party accused OF crimes; and in
revenge for this Montgomery and his band
had not only committed depredations upon
the pro-slayery people at the Fort, and kept
them and the troops "in a constant stale of
terror"--had not only set fire to the hotel
and shot down those who came out to eXtin-
guish the iames-had not only sent disguised
murderers there TO kill pro-slavery men
whenever an opportunity prcsented-but
had ravaged three entire counties with fire
and firearms, robbing and driving out every
pro-slavery settler, and mounting his two or
three hundred outlaws exclusively on horses
stolen from the pro-slavery party! This rob
her and murderer then stood before Gov.
Denver, boasting of his exploits and rejoicing
in the success of his system OF warfarel Can
honest, law abiding men imagine but one
course which the Governors duty demanded
! OF him to pursued That course should have
been the instant arrest of Montgomery and
his gang.-But this was not the policy (detes-
table term, that sacrifices ereytsiag TO the
beh,s,s of partyD of the Governor and his
sup riors at washington.-He made another
speech, and proposed the following
Plan FOR PEACE.
| |. That by-gones should be by-gones. and
all past offences left TO be dealt with by the
| grand iuries.
2. That every good citizen should join ia
an organization for the enforcement OF the
laws and Tor the suppression OF all lawlrss
acts.
j. That all obnoxious officers should be re
ported TO the Governor. He would remove
them, aud let the people Immediately elect
others In their places.
This ''plan" appears 10 have suited the
Free State party Cincluding Montgomery aud
his oatiaws) 10 a fraction, and they made
haste TO second It, Robinson, the bogus
''Govcrnor" under their Topeka constitution,
followed Gov. Denver In a speech in support
Of ii. The Southern party kicked up at this
tlmeserying expedient for ignoring the laws
aud delivering them over to the mrreles Of
Montgomery's cut throais; bat The Governor
treated them pretty much Ike Judge Camp
bell served Walker at New orlesns-gaged