New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1859-12-07

AbErrza FROM THE WIDOW or ONE or u,s v,,rr,


The westport (Mo.) Star gives long account
substantiated by afdavits, of the atrocious crimes
committed in Kansas by Old John Brown and his |
band during the troubles in that Territory We |
have not space for the various documents, and |
give only some Of the more striking passages:
The first murders in Kansas were those COM |
mitted by Old Brown. He opened the bloody ball, |
and he more than any one else is responsible for
the terrible scenes that marked the protracted
political squabbles of the Territory. Of all the
acts in the BLEEDING Kansas" tragedy, the first
in order of time were the murders committed on
the night of the oath of May, 1885, on Pottawato.
Inie creek. In this massacre. committed by Old
kinson, WIN. Sherman, old VIM. 2. Doyle and his
two sons, William and Drury. The heart-broken
survivors Of this massacre--the widows and Or
phans-came to Westport and deposed to the facts
of the bloody affair before Esquire GofortI and
the record is now before US. n..
Allen Wilkinson was member of the Kansas
Legislatures quiet, inofensive man. His widow,
Louisa Jane Wilkinson. testified that the night
of the oath of May, 1856, between the hours Of
midnight and daybreak, she thinks, a party of men
came to the house where they were residing and
forcibly carried her husband away; that they took
him in the Of the Northern army and that
next morning he was found about one hundred
and fifty yards from the house, dead. Mrs. Wikn-
son was very i'll at the time with measles. Here
follows an extract from her affidavit:
al begged them to let Mr.. Wilkinson stay with
me, saying that was sick and helpless, and could
not stay by myself. My husband also asked them
to let him stay with me, until he could get some
| run off but he would be there the next day. or
| whenever called for; the old man who seemed to
| be in command looked at me- and then around at
the children, and replied, you have neighbors !
said SO have, but they are not here, and can
not go for them. The old man replied, it matters
not, and told him to get ready. My husband
wanted to put on his boots, and get ready so as to
be protected from the damp and night air, but they
| Nypu m
After they were gone It, thought ! heard my
morning Mr.. Wilkinsons body was found about one
hundred and fifty yards from the house, in some
dead brush. A lady who saw my husbands body,
said that there was cash in his head and his side.
1 Others said he was cut in the throat twice.
Mr.. Wilkinson was a poor man; of course his
widow was left destitute; but, regardless Of this
fact, they took away some property including the
q e the
to 90 to her fathers in Tennessee. She had two
small children. Mrs. Wilknsons description Of
the leader of the men who murdered her husband
suits Capt. John Brown, a well known character in
the Abolition party. She says that her husband
was a quiet man, and was not engaged in arrest
ing or disturbing anybody. He took no active part
in the pro-slayery cause, so as to aggravate the
Aboltionists !; but he was pro-sayery man.
The circumstances attending William Sherman's
assassination are testified to by James Harris. o
I Franklin county, Kansas. Mr.. Sherman was stay
Ill,
the oath Of May, about O'Clock, Captain JOIN
Brown and party came there, and after taking
: some property and questioning Harris and others
Sherman was asked to walk out Mr.. Harris, il
his affidavit, says old man Brown asked Mr.
: Sherman to go out with him. and Sherman thel
went out with Brown. | heard nothing more 70
about fifteen minutes. Two of the Northern
= Army as they styled themselves, stayed with u
+ until we heard cap burst. and then these tw
7 men left Next morning, about 10 o'clock, / foun
: William Sherman dead in the creek near my house
was looking for him; as he had not come bac
I thought he had been murdered. took Mr. VIM
: Sherman (body) out of the creek and examined il
: Mrs. Whiteman was with me. Sherman's skn
was split open in two places, and some of hi
. brains were washed out by the water; large hol
u was cut in his breast and his left hand cut of
- except a little piece of skin on one side"
/ Then follows an affidavit of Mrs. Mahala Doyle
detailing the circumstances attending the murde
# of her husband and two sons, from which we e,
e tract the following:
Il On Saturday, the Oath day of May, A. D., 1851
# about IL O'Clock at night, after had all retiret
II my husband. James P. Doyle, myself and 81
d chldren-fve boys and one girl. The eldest
about twenty-five years of age; his name is Wi
,f liam. The next is about twenty years Of age; h
10 name is Drury. The next is about seventeen yea
A. | of age his name is John. The next is about thi
v teen years of age: her name is Polly Ann. III
next is about eight years of age his name is Jane
,e The next is five years of age; his name is Henr
ie We were all in bed, when we heard some perso
4
d. Mr. Doyle, my husband. This was about IL o'cot
~ on Saturday night of the Oath of May last My hu
n band got up and went to the door. Those outs
.. inquired for Mr.. Wilkinson, and where he lived.
=. husband said he would tell them Mr. Doyle, n
AZ husband, and several came into the hous
ct and said they were from the army. My husbal
he was pro-slavery man. They told my husbal
II that he and the boys must surrender; they We
wv then prisoners. They first took my husband o
az of the house; then took two of my sons-Wia
a and Drury-out; and then took my husband Al
nd these two boys (William and Drury) away. \
son John was spared, because asked them in teal
10 to spare him. In short time afterwards hea
ev the report of pistols; ] heard two reports. Aft
re which heard moaning as if a person was dyn
nd Then heard wild whoop. They had asked /
i'd fore they went away for horses. We told the
,st that our horses were on the prairie. My husba
he and two boys, my sons, did not come back a
rs. more. went out next morning in search OF the
81 and found my husband and William, my son, lyi
III dead in the road, near together, about two hu
lot dred yards from the house. They were buried
he next day. On the day of the burying, saw
JUS dead body Of Drury. Fear OF myself and q, the
xn where we had been living. We had improved c
me claim little. l left and went to the State
he Missouri.
it'll An affidavit of John Doyle, the surviving ST
The corroborates the above. We extract the folle
po ing:
80 found my father and brother William lying dc
o ss about two hundred yards from the house. l S
nv nv my brother lying dead on the ground, about
~ hundred and fifty yards from the house, in the gr
up near ravine. His fingers were cut off, and
" arms cut off. His head was cut open. There
vs. a hole in his breast Williams head was cut OPP
il9 9 and hole was in his side My father was shot
u ii the forehead and stabbed in the breast. / hi
oiu talked often with Northern men in the Terrific
~ and these men talk exactly like Eastern and MOI
'oo ern men tak-that is, their language and prom
L.: citation were similar to those Eastern and North
aap men with whom have talked. An old man C,
Hu. manded the party. He was dark completed,
up his face was slim. We had lighted the candle,
NJ about eight of them entered the house. I'll
WI WI were some outside. The most of those eight wi
w. | saw in the house were of sandy complexion.
now father and brothers were pro-slavery men, and
ny ny longed to the law and order party.
no Such was Old John Brown whom the Abo
ee- fanatics endeavoring to canonize, and who
ter to make the gallows glorious as the cross.
II In recent letter from Charestown to the CT
vii lesion Courier we find the following, which the
her respondent says is genuine letter received at
ady post-offce, and which was to be placed in G;
of Browns hands:
we To Brown Commander of the Army at Hapes F,
Chsrlestown, Jefferson county, Va. Care of Jaior Cha
tne town. NJ =, - -, =,
for CnArrANooGA; TENN, Nov ~ ~
IAN JOhn BfOtch-or :-AlthouSh fchSe"noe 10
mine, confess that do feel gratlfed to hear I
you were stopped in your fiendish career at
5,s- per's Ferry with the loss OF your two sons.
- can now appreciate my distress in Kansas, W
APP you then and there entered my house at midn
AIRY and arrested my husband and two boys, and
them out of the yard, and in cold blood shot Il
~ .1,,