Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-02-01
Cant. nrOntgomery---His own Account

We published yesterday an interesting sketch
of the famous Kansas Montgomery from the
pen of his brother, and we add from the Law
renee Republican of the 10th ult. brief note
of what Capt NJ says of himself:
There are two sides to every story. For
months the name of Capt. James Montgomery
has been associated only with charges OF out.
race and crime On Tuesday he voluntarily
APPEARED in this city and surrendered himself
TO the civil authorities for trial. On last eve
ming before one of the largest audiences ever
assembled in Lawrence-presldedo over by Hon.
Mr.. Harding, of Doniphan-he stood for two
hours and half, and gave a history OF South
eastern Kansas for the last three years.
| We cannot even give an abstract OF his
| speech. Many Ofits facts are already matters
| of history. 1t is sufficient to say that Captain
Montgomery claims to have lived in good faith
up to the Denver amnesty as it was understood
by.the people at that time; that the late trou-
bles have been oeeasioned by a violation OF that
amnesty, IN legal persecution, and personal
attack upon himself and family, and that he is
willing and anxious for peace on honorable
terms, His remarks were received with great
| favor by the audience and will furnish basis
| in the minds of numbers for arriving at dit
ferent estimate of his character than they had
previously held We believe and hope that this
southern difficulty has at last about spent It.
self. and that permanent peace may hereafter
reign.
A late Lawrence letter makes the following
note of the impoverished condition of Captain
Montgomery and family, and the recent attempt
upon his life
From some of the stories of plunder that are
in circulation, you would be apt TO think that
Montgomery's house was sort of Ali Baba's
cave, piled with booty. He lives In very hum
bic log cabin, Is by l3 feet. There he, with
his wife and half dozen children, are living IL
verv reduced circumstances. The war has re-
duced him from comparative comfort to power
ty, and his little children are now, in the dead
of Winter, barefoot, and himself, man of in
telligence and activity, clad in plain, poverty
stricken garments. He has been called on tc
gehGrUus 20 IieIEsse has been toe
the night when the attack was made, the family
had retired to bed early They had been sitting
around a blazing log fire, which was still burn
ing brightly, and the inside of the cabin was
lit up by the blaze, as well as if a candle had
been burning Near the fire there were some
cracks in the logs left open Whether this was
for defense in case of an attack, or for ventila-
ton I cannot say. Suddenly the sound Of
horses feet awoEe the sleepers. The house
was surrounded by twenty armed men. "Come
out, Montgomery; we have writ for you p
Cool, and fearless, Montgomery sprang to the
fire, and, as rapidly as possible, began to scatter
it SO as to darken the room. Then it was
that the misereants, scarcely yard from his
body, fired first shotgun loaded with buckshot
at him, and pistol. Some of the buckshot
lodged in the bed where his children were Sleep
ing The pistol ball glanced past his person,
and the miscreant cried to his comrades: "The
work is done," and they wheeled and fed
Montgomery sprang to his rifle and would have
fred, but the piece snapped.