The Leavenworth weekly times., 1878-10-17
NORTON COUNTY,
A Correspondent vipdicascs the Good
Name Norton.

Name os Norton.
NoB-cv, October 4, 1873.
EDITOR TINES :-aYou should go abroad
to hear news OF yourself is an cd but true
saying, and it is 10 less true Of places. We
travelled out Of Norton county Iatsl-, east
wardly, and Inc s-rapge and horrible stories
We heard concerning our own peaceful
county mace Us think we lived IN a coun-
try not one whit better than Dante's infer
nal regions. We were dumbfounded at the
terrible things We heard tha, had happened
in Norton county, and were terror stricken
at the report of how wicked and bloodthirs-
ty were the men who made up the popula-
ton OF Norton. Stories on every hand were
p.enty OF how men were murdered and hung
houses burnt and property destroyed. The
cause assigned was this, that there were a
band OF outlaws, who had sworn and bound
themselves together for the sole purpose Of
preventing the further settlement OF this
county, and that who should ever come and
take up the government land, wonld be i'm
mediately killed. Ii may seem strange that
anyone would believe such thiugs, but let
me inform you and your readers that they
are readily credited. |, myself. know OF NO
less than twenty having been deferred from
coming, owing entirely TO these stories. II
the stories had stopped here it would not
be so bad, but the half had not vet been
told.
RCMoR FURTHER DECLARES
that two men disregarded these mandates
of the supposed outlaws and came and sell
tlal dorm fnlEu Il
homestead, and that instantly these aiore-
said outlaws came with ropes and other
necessary things for causing mans wife
t. be widow, and were proceeding to hang
them up, when the men promised TO leave
and never return. SGil rumor goes further
and says, that one man, who neither regar-
ded them nor feared the devil, settled and
detied them, and was Immediately killed
There are some Of the many stories told to
the detriment Of our county. 1t is true
that there has been one man killed, and
only one since the county has been organi-
zed, and that was seven years ago, and with
the exception of those killed by Indians
We know OF no others. 1t il also true Iha,
two men were partially hung, but not on
account OF settling here. The killing and
hanging are one and the same thing.
THE MAN MURDERED
was John Lands, on account OF a neigh
borhood feud that had been existing sever
al years, and which had been fully publish
ed all over the State. The men hung were
Two men full of liquor, who came into Nor
ton Dragging that they knew the man that
did the deed. rome six or seven also un-
der the influence OF whiskey, and friends OF
Lands, caught them and tried by throwing
a rope around their necks to extort from
them the name Of the person. 1t is but
Just to say that the information thus de-
rived was not in anyway used. We have
conversed with the greater and better class
Of people of Norton, and we have truly
good men here, and We heve yet to hear any
one uphold the killing OF Lands or the
hanging of those men. We are a new
county struggling for existence, the last or
ganized county west, and everything of
this kind works TO our detriment. We
have the Indians to frighten us, besides
several bad men who flock to the frontier
TO ESCAPE PUNISHMENT
for deeds done east We think it unjust
that on account Of few bad men and what
county has there no) Norton county should
qe made hell instead of the paradise that
she really is. We cannot prevent neigh
torhood fights and feuds, but we can, and
have done all that is possible to ferret out
and bring to justice the perpetrators
Such il a true statement, and i write il TO
correct the false stories that are circulated.
We have county that we only desire per-
soTs 10 see in order that they may remain
with US, and when they do come among us
- Il IL
safe az anywhere in the United States, and
a. pla,snpf alSo owl ,hat ua ar. VOW na.r