White Cloud Kansas chief. [volume] (White Cloud, Kan.) 1857-1872, 1871-06-29
Of vallandiShanl'A
Death,

., S.'AAeis Iil;iH SsU 1nfslnous ISAsNl"'s, sss''
ing passed to the ton,b without having performed
single meritorious pnblic net to peapetuate his
memory; and his deail, having tecn hsIocrti-
cally lamentrd by who have for years been
hghfing him, and wIlO in their sci-rrt hearts are
glad that be ia dead: it may be as well to give
true state neat 1T the facts connect q Win MS
DEATH
Mr. VALLANI,lGnaM wa, a man ct some Talent
and there ends the good that can be SAID "i nun
He was selfish, ambitious, and INSCRIPTIONS lie
regarded nobo.iy's rights or claims but his Own;
and the Oldest and best tried Democrats ci his
District were pulled down to niake way Tor MS
ambition. He was intensely Democratic, VA
party scnse,) arstocraiic, pro slavery anu feoei'
If he ever seemcd to be otherwise it was beca'i'e
he foIlnd that public sentiment was a'ovcrwheiinins-
ly that way, and maiie an effort to appear liberal
and nagnanimous, with view Of rherins his
own ambition. He was malicious and vin'iicfi'e,
and always had some person 20 abuse, and some
personal revenge to crafty.
In the Third Congressional Distric: there are
some OF the most bcnighted holes to be found IN
the universe. They are inhabited by the lowest
scnm Of society-ignor.nt, drunken, rIiffianly be-
ings, unfit for civilized society. OF svch people,
VAILANDIGHAM was the itlol-they formed his
strength. All the Democrats in the District are
by no means of that class, but large majority
are, and without them, the party would he weak
In all VALLANDIGILaM's political campaigns, he
was followed around by body guard of these
creatures, ready for row or murder in his be-
half. VALLaNDIGHAN himself always went armed,
with pistol and never neglected opportunity to
publicly boast of his skill in handling that weapon.
So that his campaigns were series of bullying,
brow beating, ranting exhibitions of ruf1ianism
Disgrace to any party, and shame to the better
class Of his own party.
At the outbreak of the war, the mass of the
Democrats of his District were strongly Union in
sentiment, as a majority of the people naturally
were; and they followed the advice of DOUGLAS
whom they had SO recently supported for Presi-
dent. They took active part in Union meetings.
and used their influence to encourage cnlistmcnts
But VALLANpIGIIAM, who had a more immediate
influence over them, came home, and at once
the sentiment of his party changed, and the De-
mocracy of that District became intensely dsloya
They committed outrage, murder and arson in his
interest; and when Lincoln was ass,ssinated,
many of them openly rejoiced, and the whistles OF
steam mills and distillcries belonging to Democrats
were sounded in honor of the event.
At the close of the war, great many ruffiians
were thrown upon the country, who had been in
the army, and who had been acting with the Re
publican party. VALL-ANDIGHAM maragcd to buy
up most of these rough, % la! or in his interest
Among his chief bullies one MCGEHAN, Of
Hamilton There were four brothers named My
ERs living there, one of whom murdered some
time ago, by rougs of the MCCLELLAN elan; and it
was said they had threatened to kill all the broth
ers. Last Christmas, another of the MYERS broth
ers was murdered in saloon, and it was pretty well
settled that MCCLELLAN did it. The saloon was full
of men of the same class at the time, but scarcely
any of them could swear to having seen the affair.
McGEHAN was put npon his trial at Lebanon, and
VAILANDIGHAM, of course, was his principal law
yer. VALLANDIGHAM declared his intention of
making the effort in that trial the greatest of
his life, and of acqnitting MCCLELLAN. MYERS
had been shot through the lower part of the body,
and VALLANDIGHAM undertook to show that he
probably did it himself, in attempting to draw a
pistol from his pocket. He used every effort to
prejudice the public mind with this bclief-even
causing it to be telegraphe over She country that
such was his opinion, and that he would undoubt-
clly convince the jury that such was the case.
In his spare moments, in his room, or wlier-
ever he could find any person to listen to him, he
would rchearse his theory, even going through
the motions that he knem MYERS ilitl-al the while
boastingof his proficiency the Use pistol. On
the fatal ev, ming, he had secured the audience of
distinguished lawyer in his at the hotel,
to whoom Inc was illustrating his theory. BY some
mischance, he got hold of loaded pistol; and in
showing how MYERS had killed himself in cndcav-
oring to draw pistol from his pocket cooked, his
weapon went OIL, the ball passing through his alb
domen-in short, he showed how MYEEs had killed
himself The sensation caused by the trial and
the accident had partially the effect desired fer
the MCGEHAN jury failed to agree.
VAILANDIGHAM a strong Calvanist, and he
licved that it had been forcorlaincd that he was
to bc great leader of the Democracy, and to lie
elct.d to high Office. Until he could no
longer doubt that nc was dying, he insisted that
lie would get well-tlat God would not let him
die until he had fulfilled his mission But he died
neycrtheless-this leader and promoter of ruffian-
ism, died in the defence of ruf1an and murl r
or. 1t is one of the events that tend strongly to
make one believe in the doctrine of Special Prov
licences.