Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-06-18

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the water-courses, where fencing and fuel
are far more accessible.
The country travorsed between Stan
fton and Prairie City was little more roll.
ing. and considerably better timbered than
that between Shawnee and Stanton already
described. The Oaks often covered con
siderable tracts of upland, while young
timber was visibly spreading on all hands,
under cover of the universal hazel-bushes
of those Kansas uplands, which are not
burned over every year. Our next post
Office above Jones's was Hickory Grove,
which reminds me that saw more good
Hickory this day than any former day of
my life. Some of the Oak, also, were very
good. These, with the Black Walnut, are
the settlers main reliance for timber, rails
included The Elm, Cottonwood, Syca-
more, &C., warp so badly when sawed into
boards and seasoned, that very little use
can be made IF them, though / think |
saw few Cottonwood rails The grass
was abundant and superb; the soil gener-
ally deep aud excellent.
We had another smart thundershower
on Friday morning (20th), after which
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miles north. My companion was o young
pioneer from Southern Missouri, reared a.
mong slaves and Shareholders, but Free
State from the time he could fairly see,
who assured me that he knew large por-
tion of the people of Missouri to condemn
and hate slavery, even while they shout q
vote in its favor. He came out here in
1855 to be rid of the curse, and had had a
pretty fair experience of the struggle, hav-
ing been with Lane at Bull Greek, when
800 Missourians did not venture to attack
$50 Free-State men, but, after being sepa-
rated by night, beat retreat across the
line leaving some of their arms and camp
equipage behind them He was also at the
somewhat noted Battle of Black Jack"
which he described to me substantially as
follows
On the lst Of June, 1855, Henry Clay
Pate, at the head of Pro-Slavery band,
emerging suddenly from the Indian Reserve,
which then covered most Of the region be-
tween this point and the Missouri border,
surprised the little settlement of Palmyra,
which they sacked without resistance Next
morning they proposed to extend their op-
erations to Prairie City, which would prob
ably have shared the same fate, had not
Old Brown, lately driven away from Osa-
watamie by an overwhelming force, been
camped, with ten of his tried men, in the
woods on Black Jack, little creek four
miles eastward, strengthened by these
Prairie City resolved on resistance, and
mustered its sixteen Sbarp's rifles, in addi.
ton to those Of Old Browns party, and
when the Ruffians sent in six of their men
to sack the place, preSuming there would
be no resistance, they took four of them
prisoners, and chased the other two back
to their band, with bullets whStling by
their ears. They found the Rufians en-
camped on the open prairie, but draw out
in line for battle, where they stood per-
fectly still as the Free-State men neared
them, firing as they neared-to get the
range of their rifles. AS they approached
a small ravine only lay betwixt them, but
the two lines could be aud and were dis
tinctly counted on either Side--ffty-four
men in rank competing the Pro-SIavery and
twenty-SiX the Free-State party. Soon,
two or three of the Ruffians went down
badly wounded and one after another OF
their comrades were seen failing off, max
ing tracks for Missouri at 2:40 gait, until
barely twenty-five of them remained, when
Pate raised white flag and surrendered
at discretion, to just fourteen men standing
in the Free-State array at that moment
Seven horses, two wagons well laden with
the plumber of Palmyra, two drums and
about forty stands of arms were among
the "spoils "of victory !" and though Col.
Sumner with his U. S. troops came down
on hearing Of the affray, liberated the pris-
oHerS, and restored what they claimed as
their property, the booty taken from Pal
myra was left and rest6ted to its rightful
owners. Not one Free-State man was kill
ed or badly wounded. The wounded Mis-
sourians were kindly nursed at Prairie City
till they were well enough to travel, when
they were recommended to resume that
wholesome EXERCISE suggestion which
they gladly pro6ted by Two of those who
got away died of their wounds. And
though there we're many alarms, and yeaI
of marching, camping, scouting, riding, af
ter that, to the destruction of all industry
and progress, Prairie City has seen no or
ganized company of Border Rufians at heI
uOOlo oiuNO IuhI Au udy Va OuuOI LOW
The road from that City to Lawrence
Is miles) passes over rolling country
mainly prairie, crosses the great Santa Fe
trail, now horribly cut up by many heavy
wagons passing in bad weather, then takes
over high divide and along a limestone
ridge which runs out into the valley of the
Wakarusa, and affords a magnificent view
of the country for an area Of twenty mile:
in each direction, with the prairie in gooC
part cultivated, cleaning in sunlight oil
every bend, and the Wakarusa with its bel
of timber making its way through them t.
join the Kaw, with its still larger belt, Oh
the north. Spacious mounds or spurs o
limestone covered with soil and grass rist
TO the hight of two or three hundred feet OF
every side, on one of which, visible for ma
ny miles on every side, flag, when raised
used to give warning of invasion and dan
ger in the troublesome days now happil,
passed away, AT the base of one of thes
spurs, by the side of the Kaw, sits Law
RENEE, clearly diseernible from distance o
ten miles. Descending from the ridge, an'
passing over lower prairie two or thre
miles, we cross the Wakarusa "a moderat
creek, hardly twenty yards wide, but yer.
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