The Kansas herald of freedom., 1858-05-01

capped. The process of the court went
forth to arrest the multiplied offenders.
New mobs, levied from foreign States
cruised about the Territory, under color
of the United States Marshal;s posse com
itatus, destroying printing presses, burn
ing hotels, saeking towns and villages
in short, in general career Of rapine and
robbery, in the name of law and order, as
defined by the Chief Justice, whose edicts
they enforced, and by whom they in THEN
turn were upheld in the commission of in
-calculabie yillainy.s One, instance that
fell under my observation, will give as
an illustration of the infinite inhumanity
the various and outrageous cruelty, COM
monty practiced under the pretext of serv-
ing writs, as well as Of the writs them
selves. a--t-
A charge of treason was trumped ur
against two men, They were forthwith
seized by deputy marshal and his posse
their limbs loaded with heavy iron
chains, and themselves dragged, literally
dragged along the earth,. a distance .oI
more than fifty miles. Bail was declin-
ed, and they were committed to prison
Term followed term, yet no indictment
was found. After many months of wea-
~ confinement, sick and Impoverished
they were reluctantly discharged, no one
appearing to prosecute them. This In
stance will serve to show, that the pro-
cess of the court was mere preLext to
get possession of the persons whose infu-
ence the Government had reason to fear
The President Of the United States cheer
ed on this diabolical business, with spe-
cial proclamations. with money, and with
arms. and with men. The Surveyors Gen.
erals Office, under the auspices of CAL
houD, was used as recruiting station, and
the Government funds to pay the recruits
A system of espionage was instituted, in
the post-offices, the mails habitually ran
sacked, and offensive matter not unfre-
quently pillaged and published. Batter
les of cannon on the banks of the Mis-
souri, river, the ordinary route to the Ter
ritory, effectually closed it to emigration
The route through Nebraska, the only
practicable one left, was guarded by squad.
rons of dragons. Trains of emigrants
irrespective of their character or intentions
were stopped, and both persons and prop
erty seized and detained. Meantime a
rendezvous was opened at Oxford-since
so prolific of election returns-to recruit a
militia force from Missouri, with which
to desolate the obnoxious settlements oi
the Territory, while in this enfeebled
condition, beyond the hope of recovery
This army, when, after several weeks, il
took up the line of march for theinterior,
numbered twenty-seven hundred men,
well armed, and fortified with eight peices
of cannon belonging to the State oil
Missouri. About this time, August 1856
the most frightful scene of all our history
occurred-the sack of Leayenworth. A
mob, under the lead of a Federal Office
holder, Che is still one) assisted in COM
mand by other persons, who have since by
virtue of their service, on this occasion,
been rewarded with lucrative places un-
der the present Administration, took pos
session of the city. Innocent men were
butchered by daylight in the open streets
women and children were forced at the
point of the bayonet, to fly from theil
homes larger numbers of citizens were
constrained to leave the country, in order
to save their lives the stores, warehouses
and private dwellings Of the city were
forced open, and their valuable contents
distributed among this ruffian band. Some
persons, with their families, sought shelf
er in United States garrison close at
hand. They were shortly ordered away.
1t may well be imagined with what feel
ings of modification this little band of
sufferers, turned away from the flag of their
country, ample indeed to protect an Amer
ican citizen from indignity, in any part OF
the world, save his own. The whole
country was infested with rowing bands of
ruffians. Manifold and most foul mur-
ders were committed. Long afterwards,
the bodies of missiag men were found
unburied where they fell. This desper-
ate condition of things, forced the rural
population to abandon their homes, and
seek safety in fortified camps. The in
dustriai interests of the country parslyz-
ed, want became widespread. have not
time to note particularly the many affect
ing and deplorable incidents that mark
this reign of terror. 1t was protraeted
through many months, abated somewhat
to meet the exigenoies of a pending
Presidential election, but renewing itsell
with more or less fury, after that motive
for modified action had passed away.
These occurrences which have rapidly
glanced at, make what the President, iu
his annual message, is pleased to style
the alarming condition of Kansas at the
time of my (his) inaguration." Twelve
months have rolled by since he ascend
ed the scat of power, and what is the
condition of Kansas now? How have
We profted by this change ? Have we
less Of the profiigate and corrupt crew d
Federal officials, whose presence has SC
long cursed the country? Not only. dc
the old offenders remain, but new appoint;
ments have been made, If possible, more
insulting, intolerabfe, and outrageous
than the preceding ones. No other tesi
of fitness has been sought for or applied
save clear completely with the crimes
that have characterized the career of the
Administration party in the Territory
Most of these appointees in this city
to-day, fugitises from the aroused ven.
geance of the people, hiding here, in ths
shadow of the White House. One ol
these appoiutees, at the time of his ap.
peintment, stood indicted for murder and
other heinous crimes. This fact was, no
torious. the President knew it. The ap-
pointment was made, and then the Law
officer of the President promptly stepped
forward and entered q 'szisolle PsDseQas 2
on the bill. Thus, a second time was in
terposed the hand of authority to save q
criminal from the consequences of his
crime Has the army been withdrawn !?
Il is well known that under this, Is under
the last Administration, it has been used
to support all the reckless and desperate
schemes of the Pro- Slavery psrty. Did
not It's bugle sound the charge of rufians
on the ballot-box ia the election of De-
cember and January last? Il viii hardly
be denied. Aud the judges. whose fame
for corruption mas passed into pFoyerb-
80 l,S-asl la-.,s fl.axz > = ~