Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-01-31
Capl. Montgomery of Kansas.
LOeANsPoRr, Ind, Jan. "a, 1859.

er, the somewhat noted capt montgomery VI
Kansas, as would be of general interest and {
give correct idea of his conduct in the distur-
Dances there would say that my knowledge
of his recent history is too limited to give that
interest which it would were in possession OF
all the facts in the case. 1t has been very hard
to hold correspondence with him, as it has only
been at a few intervals that letters to him or
from him have been suffered to pass unobstruc-
ted, and newspaper paragraphs have been so
contradictory that one not posted In Kansas
matters could make nothing out of them Still
with the aid of four or five letters from hun, and
information from persons just from Kansas ac-
ouainted with him, can make reliable state
ment as far as the facts will go. Before doing |
so, however, will answer your inquiries re-
specting his parentage, size, age, general ap-
pearance, birthplace, DC.
He was born Dee 18th, 1914, in Austinburg,
Ashtabula Co, O., and his grandfather and
family settled in Conneaut in 1899, when Buff
falo contained but two dwellings, and Cleveland
about the same number. His ancestry were
Scotch who emigrated first to the North OF Ire
land, and then to America; and the Montgom-
cry who fell at Quebec was of the same family
stock He is FIVE feet eleven inches IN height
slender make, dark hair and blue eyes, erect,
and genteel appearance, and pleasing address.
He has very little of bluster in his department.
but he has an energy of will, and disregard OF
danger, that nothing can turn him from dong
what he believes to be right, and necessary to
be done.
In March 1887, he went to Mt Sterling, Ken
lucky, and at Georgetown, Scott county, he was
engaged in teaching for twelve years. At the
latter place he married, in ls42, Miss:Nancy j.
Sutphin, whose father held five or six slaves
His health requiring more active exercise he
) moved to Morgan county in the same State, and
undertook building mills, where his wife died,
) and a freshet in the month of August sweeping
off his timbers, what little means he had was
; swept away. Marrying second time, he with
his wife and family moved to Bates county, MIS-
souri,, in 1850, and after the organizing OF the
Territory to Sugar Mound, Kansas. There he
built a cabin, fenced and cultivated some 90
acres of ground, and had good stock of cat
tie, horses, DC, and was doing finely up to the
time of Shannon's Administration. He was op-
posed to the introduction of Slavery into the
: Territory, but was not an antl-Slavery man,
and intended to remain entirely neutral in the
troubles then beginning, and remained so until
the Territory was invaded by armed bands OF
robbers from Missouri and elsewhere. Before
the first sack of Ossawattomie he was dePuted
, to 90 to the Governor (Shannon) to ask prOtec-
, ton from the armed force which was menaelng
: them. In letter to my sister he says; "The
last view of our settlement which had while
on NV way showed by the smoke that already
, the enemy had begun firing our buildings and
1 expect mine will share the same fate, and my
wife and children be left houseless and destitute
iftheir lives should be spared -------
! He laid their case before the poor liquor cask
: miscalled s'Governor OF Kansas" and received
only threats and abuse. No protection would
be eranted-these were Territorial militia EN-
ployed by Government, who were levying con-
= tributions, and the inhabitants must submit
: He returned to find his cattle driven of, his
crops partly destroyed, and house plundered, but
left standing, and family unframed.
Finding that they could expect no protection
from the Government he and others determined
to protect themselves They enlisted under
Brown, and commenced to act on the defensive.
: A few weeks later Ossawattomie was attacked
by Capt. Reid with 400 Territorial Militia, y
when Brown with about 40 men made stand
in defence. Sixteen men armed with Sharp's
rifles did the firing. The Missourians, on
horseback had to expose themselves to their fire
at nearly half mile distant and, although
from their number it was impossible to stop
their approach, yet they lost "a men killed and
SO wounded, while the Free State men lost one
man killed and one wounded.
About this time Geary succeeded Shannon,
and disbanded the troops that AtchisOn and
others had marched into the territory, in re-
sponse to Secretary Woodson's proclamation,
and several small squads remained IN the terri
tory continuing to plunder the inhabitants
These stripped my brother and his family of
everything left them, and he had many narrow
escapes both from them and the "'troops" dur
ING the summer and fall Order was finally
restored, but the small number of troops at
Geary's command, together with the entire i'm
munity from arrest which the pro-slavery party
euioyed, emboldened them to erect fortified
block houses in the Southern part ofthe terrific
~, from whence they would sally out and plum
der Free State settlements, and hurry back to
their dens with the spoil. Winter had now
come and the Free State men, robbed of every
thing, to the scanty clothing they wore, with
no means of supply, no protection for life or
property, no means of redress by law, and no
hope for the future, had to look the facts in the
face and ask What shall we do ~ Nineteen,
one boy of I6, organized company, choosing
Montgomery as captain, and Uolced to spoil those
1uho had spoiled them.
Thev first attacked one of the block houses
near them and after desperate fight took it
They shot the commander and released the
others on their promise to leave the territory
and not return They did not hesitate to take the
property of violent prO-slavery men who had
been engaged in plundering free State men, and
organizing court they tried, condemned, exc
euted. or acquitted those charged with acts of
violence against unoffendlng free State citizens
Violent pro-slavery men who would not be quiet
thew drove from the territory under threats Of
death should they return-yet they have ever
held inyiolate the persons of women and child
rem and the rights and property Of those who
have deported themselves as peaceable citizens
The company soon increased to near 100, and
thew soon completely nd the southern part of
the territory of the maraudiDg parties with
which it had been infested except the locality of
Fort Scott, and they were held completely in
check. The company have several times fol-
I.oJ ,,ar+ies into Missouri and in one case took