M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1860-12-27

FROM the Kansas NO J journal OF commerce.
1hC Prime Cause OF the Present
Troubles in Kansas.
/ In a conversation yesterday with a
United States officer in Kansas, he
gave us a history of the causes that
led to the present disturbances in Kan,
sas, as he believes. Some time last
summer, at the last term ofthe United
States Court for the Fort Scott Dis,
trict, indictments were found against
| Itlirty;three Of Montgomery's men for
horse stealing. 1t appears that a citi.
zen of Southern Kansas 1--WE omit all
names) had been solicited by a cousin,
who is q member Of the band, to be.
come an active member, promising to
him that he should be Secretary, with
q salary and a share in the profits of
the concern. He developed to him
the whole plan OF organization, and
laid before him full history OF their
operations. Montgomery, Jennison,
and Others were the principal officers,
and three brothers by the name Of
Forbes were the "experts, ," or the men
who did the major part OF the horse.
stealing. 1t was also disclosed to him
where the place OF rendezvous wa5 in
Iowa.
After obtaining the necessary inIor.
nation this man went before the
Grand Jury, and upon his testimony
the different parties, thirty three in
number, were indicted, and among
them the brothers Forbes. In pursu.
anco OF information obtained through
his testimony, an officer was dispatch.
ed to Iowa, and succeeded in recover
ing several horses and aIrosting two
OF the gang. They were taken to Pa.
ola, and upon being confronted by
come ofthe United States officers, made
iull confessions, in all respects con.
tirming the testimony givon before the
Grand Jury, Writs were at once is
sued for the brothers Forbes, and an
officer intrus ted with the arrest. By
some means, however, the parties got
information of the facts, and on the
arrival OF the officer he was met at the
door with a Sharpe's rifle presented at
his breast, and robbed Of bis papers,
being let-oH with the warning thatif
hassrsS Attempted to serve another
writ ho Should be killed. WriEs'were
then issued against the brothers Forbes
for resistance to q United States off.
eel, and by good management they
were arrested. Bonds in the sum OF
$4,000 each were required, which
they gave. There was no resisting the
acceptance Of the securities, for they
were ample and came fully up to the
law. The officers, however, took good
care to have the securities in such a
shape that if tho prisoners werO not
forthcoming tho securities should be
made to suffer to the full penalty OF
the bonds, Here, then, was a dilem
ma, and the first in any Of tho gang
had been fully oyerreached and en-.
trapped. Various txpedients, such
as motions to quash the indictments,
continuance OF the cases, &C., wGrere.
sorted to, but the Court overruled
them all, and set the time for trial at
the present term Of the Court.
The alternative thus presented, Of
the conviction Of tho "experts" Of the
band, or the forfeiture of the bonds,
and the certain enforcement Of the
penalty, was to be avoided. The first
step was tho killing of Moore and 9th.
er important witnesses, upon whose
testimony conviction was certain, ald
the breaking up OF the Court, in order
to prevent an enforcement, by decree,
against the bondsmon.
Both have been done, and tho mar
ner of doing it has been familiar to the
public for the past ten days. We
have thus given, in brief, the state,
ment furnished us, and from it's high
authority we arc led to give it full
credenco as the main melting cause
to the present proceedings.
Our informant says that the talk
about the neutral land difficulties, and
all other excuses, together with their
threats against Missouri, is only to
enlist the sympathy they suppose still
exists among certain parties in the
territory growing ont Of former trou-
bles: but that now they are at work,
there is no telling where tEoy may
stop. He also is OF opinion that the
troops will effect little If anything
more than they have done heretofore,
owing to the slow and cumbersome
manner in which they move, and the
instructions under which the officers
are compelled to act. 1t is his opin-
ion that nothing short of the establish.
mens of martial law, snd the power to
pursue and exterminate, will ever re-
lieye She country from the depreda-
tions of tho scoundrels who now bold
possession Of the portion of Kansas in
question. All tho formules Of legal
proceedings are rather in aid of the
outlaws than against them.