The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-09


There was Leonhardt, Hungarian refugee,
with splendid frame, noble head, and sOulfull
eye-a born orator, speaking English ike his
niother-tonguc-w flowing brown beard, q
voice like Niagara, and heart like Vesuvlus.
At the latest tidlnRs he was q soldier in our war
for the Union, Whittier he has since gone l
know Bot; but storms arc his native element,
ana he is somewhere an actor In the worlds
tumult.
There was Daniel Foster, a new conner,
Unitarian clergyman, full OF fire and earnest
ness believing in an antrsavery church and an
8nHslavcry God. he sleeps in the valley OF the
James, where he led his Massachusetts company
when Rebel bullet pierced his brain.
There was 7. Dwight ThaCher, editor Of the
from the State of Ney York, After euumG.
rating the successive Kansas executives who
mad sided against the Free State majority, he
added
"And next comes Governor Walker
A voice in the crowd interrupted
Here he does come and no mistake ard an
open carriage containing the Governor his
Secretaries. and two ladies' returning from
driye, halted within few feet of the speaker.
In no wise disCOncertcd--for Kansas Governors
we're never held in awe, and seldom in respect
Thacher continued, and the representative OF
Buchanan heard sentiments which he regarded
as revolutionary
The same evening crowd gathered at Gar
vey's Hotel and ClamOred for q speech from
Walker. Small in stature, with a squeaking
voice, and Without that mysterious something
which we call presence, the new Governor did
not impress them a. gun of heavy metal.
When he spoke in "the big bow WOW strain" OF
welding the power Of The nation, he seemed
"A painted Jove,
With idle thunder IN his lifted hand"
But he spoke piausibly and fairly, pledging
his honor to resist any incursiOns or interference
with the rights of the settlers, On the tax ques.
tion he was profoundly silent. And here | may
explain how this was finally settled. Missouri
papers and Democratic journals both in the
Territory and throughout the orth, urged the
collection of the taxes, even by the strong arm
of the National Government. But the people
were infexible. In Lawrence when the assessor
asked one man for list of his property, q mob
began to gather, and he departed abruptly.
Upon his arrival in Topeka he heard party of
young men step INTO an adjacent store and in-
quiIe;-
''Can you lend us rOpe?"
"For what purpOse'
'There Is q bogus assessor III town, and we are
going to hang him"
The officer absconded again in what Choate
used to call "terrihC and tumultuous haste"
fully convinced that the post of safety was
private station. No further tax efforts were
made,
Those were the days Of violence and blood
shed in Kansas, and our author gives us the
following incidents OF "Life in Leavenworth
in 1872
visited Leayenworth again on the 29th of
June, believing that the municipal election Of
that day could not pass without armed collision.
Nor did it.. Late al night, when our steamer
landed, watch fires blazed on the levee drinking
saloons were crowded, excited men bearing
guns and revolVers were gathered in little knots,
or walking to and fro. friend whom | met
pacing the sidewalk with Sharpes rife upon
mis- shoulder, explained the cause.
Most OF the Pro-slavery men, satisfied that
their rule was over, relrained from voting, The
entire Free tate ticket was elected by vole of
three hundred and eighty-fve to seventy. James
| T. Lyle, the city recorder, was young Georgian
who during the early troubles assisted IN tarring
and teathering aud shaving the head OF Phillips,
a Free Soiler afterwards wantouly killed in
| LeavenWOrth He was also present at the
| atrocious murder of Captain IT, p. Brown, VINO
was literally chopped to pieces with hatchets
| at EastOn, Kansas, in January, 1856 and his
| bleeding corpse flung before his young WIFE,
who was made q maniac by the horrible
| tragedy.
At the polls on the day ofmy arrival, a Border
! Ruffan ballot was offered 10 German, He
| tore il to taterS, askmg:-
do you suppose ! would vote that - Pro-
| slavery tiCketW
This instantly provoked an afIray in which all
| the bystanders took part; and upon both SIDES
several reVolvers were fired. William Haller, a
young Ohoan whose property had once been
burned by PTO.slaVery men, urged the German
! TO stand his ground, Lyle turned upon Haller,
| askng:-
what is it to you ~ and raised a knife. But
| before he could strike HalIer stabbed MN 10
| the heart, and he fell dead.
| Haller was arrested, aud strongly guarded by
| the police; but they were intensely pro-slaVery,
| and Lyle's friends were arming and threatening
| 10 lynch the prisoner. So the free State men,
| with rifles and Tevolvers, were on duty to pro-
| tect their Comrade and watch the officers. The
! pro-slavery party was also gathering and bear
| ing weapons.
Through the long night streets resounded
| with tramping feet and five hundred were
! under aims In drinking Saloons at street cor
| ners in front of the guarded building in which
Haller was confined, and around the little office
where rested the white, fixed face and rigid
form of Lyle. But no further outbreak OC-
CURED The next morning preliminary In
vestgation was held before relic Of border.
ruffian rule, who had risen from livery stable
to the Justices bench. 1t was in the unfinished
stone courthouse, with unhewn walls, rough
benches, and a single table. The cigars of the
lawyers darkened this temple of justice, and
the magistrate heard the testimony while read
ing newspaper.
Many witnesses were examined, and, as in
all ahrays, persons who looked on from
the same point at the same moment, sWore to
| exactly opposite statements Once an attorney
for the defense took his cigar from his mouth,
| and behind huge puff of smoke, objected to
| certain testimony on the other side as inadmis-
sibIe. The justice gravey replied:--
THE court sustans the objection and rules
that the question cannot be asked at ms stage
| of the gamer
The inference was that 'tthe court" played
1 poker Haller was held for trial. Application
| Tor his admission TO bail was argued before
| Judge LecOmpte, Chief Justice of the Supreme
| Court of the Territory His decisions had been
| so uniformly and tlagrantly partisan, that he
| was nicknamed ''JefiTies Lecompte." Under
| the "bOgus code" framed by his own party, all
| degrees of homicide were bailable; and Lecompte
had released notorious criminals charged with
no 111rAar Of u