The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-08-29

EEkLY HAWk-EYE
The I.awFenee TrageAy-Frishsaul
\ Atrocities or the Rebels.
LEAvENwoRTH. Kansas, Aug. "a, 1863.
The Conservative publishes the following
account Of the Lawrence massacre, from
one of it's editors who has just returned
from the ruins:
i We arrived in Lawrence at O'clock
Flying rumors had painted a terrible pic
tnre, but the reality exceeded the report
We found Massachusetts street one mass Of
smouldering ruins and crumbling walls,
the light from which cast sickening glare
upon the crowds of excited men and dis
tracted women gazing upon the ruins of
their once happy homes and prosperous
business.
Only two business houses were left upon
this street, one known as the Armory, and
houses in all were burned, and only two
escaped being ransacked and everything
of value carried away or destroyed.
! Six or eight soldiers camped upon this
side of the river, and who fired across at
every rebel who appeared upon the bank,
deferred the towards from destroying some
Of the houses near the ferry, and from cut
ting down the flag pole.
The force of the rebels is variously esti-
mated at from $50 to 400. Reliable parties
place it at 800. Their every act during
their stay in the city was characterized by
the most cowardly barbarity. They enter
ed the town on the gallop, firing into every
house, and when the occupants appeared at
the door, they were shot down like dogs
Five bodies were burned to a crisp, and lay
near the ruins of the Eldridge House. They
could not be recognized. 5g -
Eighteen out of twenty-five unarrned
colored recruits, camped south Of town,
ifS fhnip mi hrl-
les lay in the colored church, when we ar
rived.
Messrs. Trask and DR.. Griswold, Baker
and Thorp, were shot down in the yard of
DR.. g., before eyes of their families. Judge
Carpenter was wounded in his yard, and
fell, when his wife and sister threw them
selves upon his body, begging for mercy,
but to no avail. The fiends tiismounted,
stuck their pistols between the persons of
his protectors and fired.
A Miss Stone, daughter Of the proprietor
of the City Hotel, had diamond ring sto-
man to restore it. In revenge for this
the. ruffians afterwards came backand shot
her father before the mothers eyes. They
also tried to kill Miss Stone.
Gen. Collamore went into his well to hide
and the bad air killed him. His son and
Patrick Knafe lost their lives in trying to
get the father out. The life Of District At
torney Mggs was saved by the heroism of
his wife, W no seized the bride of the rebels
horse who attempted to shoot him as he
ran.
Several cases of remarkable bravery of
women were related to US.
The wife of Sheriff Brown, three success
sive times, put out the fire kindled to burn
the house. Her husband was hidden I'M
der the floor. The house was saved by her
heroiSm.
The offices of the Journal, Tribune and
Republican were, of course leveled to the
ground. John Speer, Jr., of the Tribune,
started for his home from the Office after
the rebels came in. Mr.. Murdoch, prin-
ter in the Office, tried to induce him to ac-
company him into a well near by, for safe
tv, but he would do nothing but go home
to defend the house, which he did, and was
killed. Murdoch went into the well, and
was saved.
| A younger son of John Speer, ST., killed
rebel, and left.
The guests at the Eldridge House were
ordered out, their rooms pillaged, and
some of the people shot. Two men from
: Ohio were wounded there, and are now in
this city. Only the presence and peremp-
tory orders Of Quantrell prevented the
massacre of all the occupants.
: After they had been marched about on the
streets, the rebels were told there was ne
gro baby still in the house. They said,
! I'VE will burn the Cd id little brat
up," and they did. We saw it's charred re-
mains, burned as black, as the hearts Of it's
murderers.
The books Of the County and District
Clerks were burned, but those of the Reg
lister of Deeds were in the safe, and are sup
posed to have been saved. Every safe in
, the city buttw were robbed. In the Ed
ridge store, James Eldridge and James
5 Perrine gave the rebels all the money in
the safe, and were Immediately shot down
I like dogs.
All the hotels were destroyed, except the
' City Hotel. The loss in cash was estimated
at $3.50, 600, and on property and all, at two
million dollars. This is a low enough es-
, innate.
The number of bodies, up to the time we
E left, was 113; of which about twenty were
, burned so badly as to render recognition
I impossible. There were large number OF
? strangers in town, and when the entire loss
is ascertained, we think it will reach $50
killed. Many were killed by the rebel
I pickets in the bush.
The people have not yet recovered from
the terrible blow sufficiently to appreciate
the full force of their desolation, and when
7 they do recover from the shock, many more
e will doubtless be missing.
! We have seen battle-fields and scenes OF
carnage and bloodshed, but have never
scene among the smouldering ruins of Law
) renee. No lighting, no resistance; but cold
blooded murde rwas there. We give be-
: low list of the killed, and several woun-
ded.
!, The fienGs finished their murderous work
in nearly every case. This list is all white
: men. A few negroes were killed, but we
, did not ascertain their names:
. John Fromley,J Trask, Of the State
Journal, Gen G W Collamore and Son, J
a Eldridge, James Perrin, Joseph Eldridge,
: Joseph Lowe, DR. Griswold, Druggist, VIM
Williamson, Deputy Marshal, S w Troop,
! Speer, Jr, of Kansas, Nathan Stone, City
y Hotel, Brant West, Thomas Murphy, VIM
E itch, Book binder at the Journal Office, G
/ P Fitch, bookseller, Chas Chalmer, OF the
). Jonrnal, Lemuel Fillmore, James ONeil,
Q ,John Doyle, d G Allison, Of the firm OF
!. Duncan 4 Allison, j s Coans, Levi Gates,
i Geo Burt, Samuel Jones, Geo Gates, John
/ b Gill, Ralph Dix, Stephen Dix, Captain
Geo N Bell, County Clerk, John G Cornell!
" A Kridmuller, Geo Alberth, s Dallinski
Robert Martin, Otis Langly, John w Lau-