Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-03-11

members and the lobby had gone home, leav
ing the town as placid and dull as a cou ntr,
village Gov. Medary had not yet come ii
conflict with the people on single occa
sion and general feeling of graduation
prevailed, at the passage and acceptance o
tho amnesty law" which all hoped woult
end the dreary. everlasting "troubles o
Southern Kansas
But on yesterday morning intelligence wa,
circulated that, contrary to the provisions o
that law, hfteen Free State prisoners from
Bourbon county, handcuffcd and heavil,
ironed, werc being brought to this city il
the custody of Missouri posse of fifty
headed by Capt. Charles A. Hamilton, the
notorious Marais du Cvgnes murderer. net.
ing as U. S. Deputy Marshal. They were
said to be encampcd at Blanton's bridge on
the Wakarusa, five miles south of Lawrence.
J scout, who was Immediately sent to Blan-
ton soon returned to town and confirmed
the report. About half the posse dsbanded
Just before reaching Lawrence. The remain
der with their prisoners entered the city,
laving first been ordered by tho Marshal to
blow any mans brains out who should at
tempt to take their arms or molest the pris-
| oners.
But no sooner had they entered Lawrence
than change came Der the spirit of their
dream. A crowd of men, nearly all on foot,
and by a spontaneous movement, without
any particular leader, or concerted action,
fell upon them and their courage, like that
OF the redoubtablc Bob Acres, oozed out of
the ends of their fingers. A cold chsel was
procured, the prisoners were taken from
the posse, and their letters cut off with won
derful celebrity. And before the posse, which
hal ridden into town with arms displayed, i,
md H., acl l.
make of it, the crowd was upon them. Far
ingloriously attempted to fly ; b It the crowd
on horseback and on foot, followed, amid
such screeching, screaming, halooiny and
hooting as I never heard before. At inter-
walls OF a minute or two, one would be caught
pulled from his steed, and his horse, rifle and
revolver taken from him so quick that he
seemed to think himself struck by lightning.
"iIamilton !" "Hamilton - "Whcre is
| Hamilton ?" were the inquiries on every
side, when suddenly some one responded
"1cro he is?" "There he goes,' pointing
to Il horseman who had Just emerg d from
the crowd, and was not more than two or
three yards from it. Several weapons were
instantly raised, and bang bang bang
went half dozen revolvers and guns, all
pointed at him. The way he put spurs to
his horse was IL marvellous example of human
agility. His situation just then was certain
ly not an enviable one: but providentiallyno
of the balls struck him. and his fleet horse
soon took him out ofrangc. say provident-
ly. because he proved not to be the notorious
murderer wh' has forfeited every clam to
human n'fcy, uil nuglt t. b. shot down
like u dog wherever IL is mt; bat an,thgr
Iamiton-a very respectable citiz n and L
Sf,,t, ,,,.l H. l.,l : 4
the penalty of being found in bad company.
lie was finally caught and disarmed, as were
all the members OF the posse.
Notice being given that Gov. Medary de-
sired to address the people, the crowd soon
gathered in front of the Eldridge House, and
His Excellency appeared and favored them
with long speech. In connexion with a
good many "glittering gencralitics, he h ID
great deal to say about the Importance of
maintaining the letter and spirit Of the am
nesty law He alluded in terms of severe
and just ccnsure to the haste which had SO
nearly proved fatal to Hamilton reprehend-
cd severely the proceedings of the day. and
insisted that the arms which had brci taken
must be given up The general N "No.'
which the boys sent up in respcn~. irritared
his Exccllcncy somewhat ar hn declared
with a good deal of feeling nat IN, arms
were territorial arms-wcr n.-lni Moud
be given up, il it took Lin "a AT /, procure
them. Shouts of luigut'g and dcrison
which followed. convinced the Governor that
he was on dangcloG, ~ ma =, after moder-
ating his tone ...-rlat, and making a few
humorous alusions, he retlrel amidst some
applause.
Then orr va, Il spontaneous call for
"Lane, and tho oll "war horse" threw off
], ,iS i.,,,, II,
wagon in the midst Of the crowd, and spoke
Tor thirty or forty minutes, drawing forth
snouts "i applause or laughter at the close
OF almost every sentance. The old snirit of
80 was reused and Lane was in his element
lie conceded that the arms ought to be given
up, it proper pledges could be obtained but
remarked dryly that Gov. Mcdary's threat
was not the first threat of the kind we had
heard from Governors of Kansas-and had
anybody ever known any one of them to be
carried out? lie defended the proceedings
of the day as right and proper reviewed
with terrible sarcasm the loud threats of the
posse, and the haste with which they had
yielded their arms without firing gun
spoke Of Gov. Medary, rs one of the most
wilyand slgacious politicians in the country,
who was sincere perhaps in his adherence to
Democracy, but had 50 debauched and cor
rupted the government in Minnesota as to
secure for her Democratic representation in
both branches of Congress, when the sent-
ment of her people was unmistakablv Repub-
lican, and whose sole object here was to
"Democratize' the people of Kansas.
After three cheers for Lane, Judge Con-
way was called out, and in pointed, brief
speech, alluded to the polite but systematic
attempt being made to make Kansas false to
herself NOR friap1e md b;storr h.
the Democratic party in power here. Then
came more applause, and T. D. Thatcher,
Esq, Of the Republican was called out. Hi.
voice was for peace-for strict observance
of thu amnesty law. Though political op-
ponent of Governor Medary and his party,
he licved he had honestly sought to do his
duty in these Southern troubles. The next
speaker called out was Col W. A Phillips,
who, in his usual nervous, condensed style,
deprecated violently any breach of the am
nesty law ; showed by their own confessions
that this posse had been the first TO break 1t
alluded to the fact that the very guns taken
from them were Missouri arms, sent to the
border for invaders by Gov. Stewart and
said that the Governors of Kansas are sent
here to do suoh dirty work, and do it so
faithfully that whenever one of them does
anything which the most liberal charity can
construe as praiseworthy, we ought, for the
honor of our species, to indulge in the rare
luxury of praising them-to throw up our
hats and cry "Huzza for Gov. Medary -
(Sensation and applause.) C. II. Brans-
comb, ESQ. in response to calls, appeared
and spoke a few moments in eulogy Of Re-
publicanism, and then tho meeting ad-
journed.
But, judging from the feeling displayed. it
will be a long time before Gov. Medary gets
those arms.
1t is intended that an extra session of the
Legislature will be called in May.
When old Captain Brown, heard of the
Preslent' q instructions 10 Coy Medaru to