White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1858-03-11
AUT,o.sIoeRApHY OF GEN. yAs..H LANE.

Some one has sent Us the {" Kansas Crusader
of Freedom" published in Doniphan City, and
edited BY James Redpath, as principal, and Ri
chard Realf as corresponding editors. James
H. Lane. General ofthe Free State Army, and
VIM. a. Phillips, Author Of the Conquest of
Kansas are put down among its special con-
tributors.. y 80
In the number befose Us Is the commence,
ment of thrillingly Interesting Biography
of Gen. James Henry Lane, which We are told
will appear exclusively in the columns of the
Crusader, Whether the editor of that paper
has secured the copyright, doth not appear
This auto biographical sketch is thus introduce
ed by Gen. Lane. himself, who is proverbial for
his exceeding great HOedsty, and utter forget
fulness of self:
"At the earnest solicitation Of my friends, and
in order to vindicate the character of gallant
soldiers who have fought with me in Mexico and
Kansas, and more especially to do justice to the
real actors in the struggle against Federal and
Missouri Usurpation in the Territory, have
consented TO write Narrative of my life, in
which shall endcavor to embOdy history,
brief but faithful, of the events with which l
have been connected or associated in an official
capacity Incompetent as l am for task so
important, vet feel in honor and in duty bound
to undertake 1t. To avoid the appearance OF
egotism, l shall speak in the third person"
The present chapter, now before Us lis OF
course intended as mere introduction to the
great events that are to follow. 1t is devoted
| to briefhistory of the Lane family, and scarce
! II cracking the outer shell of his own personal
history, the stirring incidents of which are re-
served for the second and succeeding chapters.
If, when the General comes to treat Of his own
personal history more in detail, he should not
be little more happy in his facts, than hechas
been thus far in speaking of his family, he
might better have left off writing his biography
at the end of the first chapter, confne its cir
culatiua to localities where he is less known
than he is in Indiana.
In speaking of his father, he tells us that he
was oneof three who met together in State
I Convention, and unanimously nominated Gen.
Jackson for the Presidency-this being among
the first nominations that Old Hickory received
from a State Convention. This may do for
those that don't know better. But they who
/ kaew Amos lane, in 1924, when Jackson. Ad-
ans, Crawford and Clay, were running for the
Presidency, will remember the virulence with
which he was wont to assail Old Hickory.
Mr.. Lane, with all his good qualities, was vi
client in his preiudices. and implscable in his
hate. He was a violent partisan, and when
aroused, was accustomed to stismatize Gen.
Jackson as ga cold-blooded murderer, whose
hands we're rocking in the blood of his victim"
Afterwards, during Mr.. Adams administration,
Amos Lane acted as Chairman of a meeting on
board of steamboat somewhere below the
! Falls, Which passed Resolutions fayoring the re-
nomination of Mr.. Adams. Before the close oil
his administration, however, hIr- Lane changed
his POLITICS, and became as strongly for Jackson
as he had before been against him. Gen. Jip
Lane NAV perhaps be excused for not knowing
these facts, with reference to his father. as he
was then but ten or twelve years of age. We
might mention other discrepancies of fact, tou-
ching the personal history of his father but it IS
I not at all necessary or desirable
Again, speaking of his brother. John F. Lane,
he says:
"John F. graduated at West Point, and fell
/ in the Florida war. He had the command, at
the tine, of a regiment of Creek and Cherokee
Indians, whom he organized himself"
We would not, if we could, detract aught
] - 81 Tobr Tana He was
a Young man of great promise, and, had he liv-
ed, would have made his mark in the world.
But che fell in the Florida war" says his bro
Their, and he might much better have left it I'M
said. He fell, not fighting the battles of his
country, and by the hand of the enemy, as Gen.
Lane would fain have US believe; but alas. he
fell alene, In his own tent, and BY his own sword,
which, for inscrutable cause never fully
known or explained, ne thrust through his brain,
and thus died the death of the suicide. He was
a gallant young officer, ahdno doubt would have
proven an ornament to his profession, If he had
not thus sadly aud untimely cut himself OF from
the field of his usefulness. We mention this
incident, not in disparagement of Col. John
Lane, but as an example Of singularly bad ~
in his brother, in thus alludiAg TO IL. . p -
So, also, hisallusion to the separation between
himself and his wife, is in execrabIe bad tasse-
at least. these who are cognizant Of the fact
must so regard it. But as there is lady in tbs
! case. re have not word of comment to offer
! further than TO remark, that If Gen. Lane haG
treated her as a good; husband should alEay'
treat wife, il would have been far more to hi
credit. What We may say WIEN the balance o
his autobiography shall be forthcoming, vii
depend altogether en- circumstances For al
} the good he has done, we are willing to Civ.
him credit, not denying for moment that Their
is much in his personal history L at is truly com
muendabte. But for the many evil things he ha
done, not the least Of which was his vote y
Congress to repeal the Missouri Compromise
and open up Kansas 70 the ineursion Of Slavery
he should not complain II he Is held to some re
.popsibi,ity.-Hsv Absay tIndians) TSibuHe.
BrOsn, Of Mississippi. gave voice 10 the feel
ing of the South. N the Senate, when he attack
led Mr.. Douglas for his g inconsisteneies," an