Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1860-08-04
SATURDAY MORNING, AUG. 4, 1890.

DER RuFFlAAd.
THE private letter below was put into our
hands by DR.. Doy, of Kansas, who, it will
he recollccted was arrested some months ago
in Kansas for the alleged attempt to aid in the
escape Of fugitive slaves. Hewss imprisoned
ond sentenced 20 sixty-fve years in The
Missouri penitentiary, but was rescued by
party, at the head Of which was his son
Charles. This was the cause Of the brutal
murders which aredetailed below. The letter
is from a Mr.. Archibald, a friend Of DR.. boy,
and gives graphically the horrible details Of
these murders, as atrocious as those for which
the internal villain Hicks was hung. Yet
these desperadoes are at large and there is
no prospect that any justice will bring them
TO their merited punishment
"LAwREcNE, Kansas Territory, !
July 18th, 1860.
@My Dear Friend: Mrs. boy and myself
have Just returned from the most exciting
Journey ever travelled. We wentto Moneka,
a beautiful town seventy-hve miles south Of
Lawrence where your son Charles appears
TO have large interest (six full town shares,
containing q number Of building lots each.)
Although it is near the Missouri line it ap-
pears to have grown very fast, and it is quite
a thriving country around it. The circum-
stances connected with Charles's murder are
these; On the night of the 9th Of July,
about midnight, gang of about twenty men
surrounded the house of Mr.. Martin, whose
house stands some little distance from the
town, where Charles was stopping while he
attended TO business connected with his in
terest there. They called out Charles name,
and Mr. Martin went 10 the door. Charles
called out that whoever wanted him was to
step TO the door.
'They still continued to stand of, and
demanded Charles tOcome out or they would
set IRE TO the house, using at the same time
the most awful language. Mrs. Martin ex-
pecting 10 be confined every day, Charles
thought it not best to endanger her. He
therefore actually sprang out and ran the
gauntlet through the crowd, receiving a
severe shot through the leg near the knee.
Although a volley ofshots was fired after him,
he succeeded in getting TO the house of Mr..
Henry Waffle, (late Of New York State, some
distance of. The wretches then actually set
fire to the house of Mr. Martin, with his poor
wife in that condition, giving them six hours
to leave the country. It appears Mr.. Waffle
and his son Harvey seeing the house Of their
neighbor in flames had gone towards IT TO
assist them. Charles and the Waftles passed
each other, without either party knowing it..
Mrs. Waffle says that Charles prepared
deliberately to receive them, should they
follow him there, loading the guns and pis-
tOis.
He put the little children under the bed,
and advised Mrs. Waffle to follow them as
soon as she heard them coming. In the
meantime the party Of rufiians had seen old
Mr.. Waffle and soon going to assist to put
out the FIRE, and told them they also had to
die When the old man asked why, the an
swer was on account to the part he had taken
in past troubles. They were both totally
unarmed. The son took 10 his heels but,
though badly wounded in the leg, still made
the woods The old man received several
shots, but still called to his boys to bring his
rifle. But another volley took one side Of his
face and head of, and he fell dead. It ap-
pears they succeeded in getting Charles's
money, he leaving it in his hurry. 1t was
quite a sum, with which he was about to con-
tinue his claim contest with one of the same
stripe that now lives on his farm.
"To return to the house of William Waffle
/ they were not molested that night; Charles
it appears, lame as he was by the shot, assis-
ted by old Mrs. Waffle, actually fetched home
the body Of the old man, went to the store for
! nails and necessary things to make a coffin,
| then went into rayine near and dug grave I;
! getting all ready TO bury the old man, al
/ though Mrs. Waffle says she begged him to
/ think of himself, and make his escape, as they
would kill him. But he looked round upon
/ the little children and the widow, and the
wounded son whom he had succeeded in get
ting from the woods, and said he could not
leave them but would die protecting them.
! The editor Of the Mound City paper told me
that Charles attended to the wants Of the
family at the store in the town tina day, as
| ifnothing was the matter more than common.
At midnight Mrs. Waffle said, while he was
screwing down the lid Of the coffin, as they
were about to bury the old man, the gang
again appeared, and got close to the house
| before Charles observed them, when he sprang
| into the bedroom, put the little ones under
the bed, and carried the guns, &c, that he had
prepared to the door, and continued to fire
I'LL all were discharged. It appears he NOR
tally wounded three Of those british men,
but received a shot in the breast. He threw
himself on the bed, and told Mrs. Waffle that
they had finished him.
GAfter a few seconds he again jumped up,
and exclaimed, This viii never do He
advised her to get under the bed with the
children, and he would draw Off their atten-
ton. He got out of the window, being very
feeble, and made his way to the valley at the
back ofthe house Here he was again over
taken by the wretches, who fired a volley
breaking his leg and otherwise mangling
him. They left him for dead. At early dawn
one Of them went and looked at him and was
surprised to find him still alive. Charlie:
asked for water, but the person left, and the
gang, who must have been near, returned
and left the body riddled with large number
ofbullst holes. Our friends buried him unde
a beautiful tree where Mrs. boy and mysel
went and wept over the spot that contains a
great and heroic heart as ever beat in human
breast.
. ait appears an inqust was held upon thC
body of the old man Waffle, and Charlie
would be a witness, therefore they said, 'deaC
men tell no tales, and kill him they would
This caused their second return to make sur
work Those fellows told Mrs. Waffle tina
the troubles Of '56 were not yet settled
They then drove her and the children ou
e of the house, and set fire to it, burning al
(. theirclOihes, furniture, &C., with the body o
Mr. Waffle. They have given her notice +
leave the country in six days, or die. Thisi
/ the spirit of slavery. This journey and eZ
animation has sickened my very soul. The
remember you, and mind, they will follo'
you for years They cannot afford to let sue
blood as Charless live, it endangers them.
JOHN c. ARCHIBALD"
!. THE LINE POINT SWNDLE.-YOu will II
y y member Broderick's overwhelming .exposul
ON the Lime POINT Pnrchase i'm California. "a