Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1861-09-26

Convenfion-H Breays pp in a Rop--T'aIing "Conra-
bandn from the Rebeis-Posifion Of GcH. Lane at Ft
Seoit2Sf Joseph Eracuafed--Thc first and Second
Kansas Regiments to Join Ldnc-Iho Troops 1nriOus
10 90 into MissOui-Aichison BaHetih Dried Up.
ATcH1soN, KANSAS, Sept 0, 1861.
My last letter bears date Aug. 26th but you
would have heard from me sooner had the mails
not been molested and the track on the II. &
St. Joseph II. Road been torn up and the bridg-
es burnt down, so that it was impossible to get
anything in the shape of news over the "sacred
sc" of Missouri. Everything for a while at
least will now have to pass up on the west side
Of the "Big Muddy" to Omaha, N. 4. and
then cross through Iowa to its destination.
This will detain our mail matter a week or ten
days, but while it is a Slow way, l am pretty
confident also 1t is a sure one. Every bridge
on the railroad between St. Joseph and Came
ron is burnt by the traitor devils and probably
a month will clapse ere the road is again put in
running order. The fact is the company have
no money to repair, and the job will have to be
taken and finished by the skillful hands of Un-
Gle Sam.
1t is now almost impossible to get employees
!
within the past month trains have been fired
into by rebels in the roads and in corn fields,
and the last time the news boy was killed and
no less than seven halls passed thro ugh the
clothing and hat of the conductor still he es-
capped uninjured. One hundred and ten balls
struck the locomotive, but the engineer has
guarded himself against anything of this kind
and got double thickness of heavy sheet iron
placed each side of him, and although the balls
may come thick as hail still he can ride without
the least danger of being shot.
The firing of the bridge over the Platte river
last Tuesday evening, and destroying the lives
of so many innocent people believe is without
parallel in history. In an instant fourteen
persons were launched into eternity and some
seventy-fve wounded, some Of Which cannot
recover. Such mode of cruel warfare was
never heard of in civilized community, or
even among the borbarous savages of the forest.
Men, women, children, and even infants, neither
of which ever dreamed of harming any one,
were last Tuesday night murdered in cold blood
by the blood-thirsty rebels setting fire to the
railroad bridge and precipitating two cars of
human freight down into the river distance Of
forty feet After this they rifed tie pockets of
all the dead and ,counded and then skulked off
into the woods as boldly as though nothing had
happened.
st. Joseph has been in the hands of the rebels
about nine days, and all the Union men have
been compelled to flee to the Kansas shore for
protection. Three thousand rebels entered and
took possession of that metropolis last Satur-
day week--3lst ult.,-and without discrimina-
ton have taken possession Of everything they
could get hold of. One firm of the heaviest
merchants in the city secessionists, packed all
of their goods on the steamer Omaha and in
tended to start them to the Kansas shore, but
the boat was seized and Nave * McCord, the
merchants gave them, the rebels $500 in gold
TO release the boat which was Immediately done,
but no sooner had they got out of sight ere
another crowd seized the boat and all the goods,
so the merchants lose all their goods and the
above amount of money from people whom they
have hitherto looked upon as their friends.
Atchison is Just now alive with enthusiasm.
Three miles across the river in Missouri is a
gang of three or four hundred secessonists and
, the Union men of this town have been threat
ened. Col. Jas. A. Martin, editor of Freedom's
Champion, called out the Home Guards, to be
ready in case of an attack from the enemy.
For short time things looked decidedly dark.
Union men were coming in here every day,
having been driven from Missouri soil and many
: of them hotly pursued to the ferry boat. They
have taken few of our men prisoners, and
rumor says have hung them, which | do not
think improbable.
The news went into the country on the
"double quick" that we were in rather an un-
comfortable situation here, and although no one
+ from abroad was sent for, still the men have
been coming in every day, till we now have
seven or eight hundred men in our city, are
well armed and anxious to meet the enemies OF
the government. Jefferson county alone has
sent us over 800 cavalry and 100 infantry,
while the remainder are from Atchison and
Jackson counties In forty-eight hours if need
4 be, we can have force of 2000 men in this
{ town.
Last Friday our city took puke. No les,
I than dozen of the most ultra secessionists il
: the place, fearing the jay-hawkers were coming
into town that night and hang them packed W
their traps in a hurry and at once skedaddleC
!. for Mo- They had no cause for fearing an at
tack from Capt. Jennisons men, and as long a
} they remained in town and behaved themselves
= and kept their mouth shut about the war, ant
u rejoicing at the defeat of our forces and th
ldll Ol OuT HOUc OllCtIh' just as ioliS houi'
they and their property have been protected
But it can now well be said that "they hay
left their country for their countrys good"
} We have so many good Union men in tow
:, now that the secessionists have been waited ol
and demand made for provisions, feed, &c.
IN There is no dodging it goes awful hard will
' them bat they have to shell out freely, for the
7 well know that the free state men have not for
gotten the days of 900. Gen. b. +. String
fellow has been Il disunionist for thirty years
yet he is one of the finest men in town and i
: doing more than "any other man" for the sol
D. diers The committee has not yet waited upo
a the Gen. to demand anything of him and an
o sure they will not have to- The General is
ne ne native Of Nirpinia-cannot say whether he
one of the +. F.'s-and is universally respecte
. by every one in the place, no matter what hi
e. opinions may be.
On Saturday, the 3lst ult., the pro SLAYER
secession democracy held what they called
peace convention, in this city 1t was calle
~. nc by the old border rulIians of 90 and they wer
at going to have peace right away. All the UHiO
democrats in the country rallied and run III
ai 'machne." The secessionists were completed
annihilated, and could not get the resolution
~ in, no way, and retired from the scene in di'
er gust, after hooting down the Union men .
,es Black Republicans.
lie The Atchison Jay Hawkers are out every do
20 and night in the country bringing in guns, n
4 I.xfa pN.fa