The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-08-26
mebeI raid in kansas.

s3One OF the most iHiaIhouS dtu uisei cSStHS
soutrages of the rebellion has just been COM
nitted in the destruction of the, town of
Lawrence, Kansas, and the murder OF nearly |
two hundred Of the defenseess citizens
Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas coun
ty, and is situated on the right bank of the
Kansas river; seventy miles from its mouth. |
Itwas well and Substantially built, and con-
tanned about A, ,0o0inhabitants. The city was
founded in 1851, by settlers mainly from New
England under the auspices of the Emigrant
Aid Society.
About six O'Clock on the evening of the
goth, the guerrilla chief Quantrill, with
force of about eight hundred strong, crossed
from Missouri into Kansas near the town of
Gardner, sixty miles below, and imme-
diately started for Lawrence, arriving before
that town at four O'Clock in the morning. He
posted guards around the city, SO that the citi-
zens could not escape, and with the remain
! der of his men commenced pillagng stores.
shooting citizens, and firing houses.
Il A gentleman who managed to escape by
secreting himself in cornfeId, near the
.ttown, reports that he SWAN the river at eight
/ O'Clock, and on reaching the bluffs this side,
/ he had plain view of the town, which was
in sheets of flames. ,f5
|of From what he saw he thinks the loss would
reach. 50, 100000.
II In one case the guerrillas drove twelve men
4 into a house, shot them, and then burned the
building. ..z.s.,s
! The citizens He'd into rayines and bushes.
while the fiends stood on the banks and fred
i into them, killing and wounding them by
scores. +
Twenty-6v negro recruits were shot.
They took all the money that could be
J, found in the pockets Of citizens and houses,
and stole all their jewelry, even to the rings
i on their fingers +
, jim Lane escaped on horseback, rallied
!. about 200 men with arms, followed and over
Z took Quantrel twelve miles south of Law
renee, where fight occurred !,
ri Two banks WAS robbed Of every dollar, and
: the third escaped only because the heat was
: fso great and the rebels could not get the vaul
It fopen. ~si'i's.. - -
s,dlo The list of killed and wounded number
e sofhe 18o, the majority of whom were kille.
Il Instantly among them the Mayor, and Johl
1T Spear, who formerly edited the Medina Ga
y izette. s
IN These were Killed Instantly, and most {
il them IN their own houses with their wives an
W children clingiilg to Them while the murderer
of placed pistols to their bodies and shot then
be Gen. Ewing, the general commanding tt
'al department, with 500 troops has above
sct This guerrilla band, who have been prowlir
do. about the border numbering and robbing f
ny six months to organize this expedition, rit
he 10 miles into the interior and destroy the ci
IN and murder its people, and being absent tre
WI Headquarters did not k1aoa0 Of the inuasion u
til the rebels agere back IN Missouri. Col. Je
8 nison has been re-inssated in command, a
- with iorce Of troops sufficient for the p'
:, pose proceeded to the border, and will rel
further invasion if the commanding Gene
os- does not interfere. This General Ewing
10 serves the halter for his criminal negligenc
title -.4---.... :. - ..,------ - 9Is
eol- Portmonaies, wallets, leather bags at
4. Ravenna Book Store eJ ss9