The National tribune., 1883-03-22

Soon afterwards large dog that belonged to
one of the settlers came into camp with bull
let hole through his under jaw The laugh
was on the guard, and he was detailed to kill
the dog. During the next ten days the air
was full of flying rumors Of invasions from
Missouri, attacks on Evansville, killing of Free
State men, collisions with the sheriff of B0ur-
bon county, and other "bogus" authorities
But after while the Missourians broke camp
| and went back to the State, the Free-State set
tiers removed to their homes again, and the bit
ter feeling seemed to quiet down for while.
But the hot-bed of pro-slavery was then at
| Fort Scott, where the Secretary of War kept
four Or five companies of United States troops
stationed to protect the bogus" court then
held there, but ostensibly to overawe the anti
| slavery men, who were then fast filing up
| this part of the Territory, intent upon keep
ing slave labor out and occupying its rich
| soil themselves
| CAPTAIN MoNTGoMERY's BLOODY WORK
AT this time there was Missourian by the
| name of Sylvester Hoag, living on the Osage
| quiet peaceable sort of a man, who seemed TO
| be well liked by his neighbors. He owned
| few slaves and had kept them in Kansas un-
molested for more than three years. Captain
| Montgomery called on him and told him that
| he must either leave the Territory OF send his
| slaves back to Missouri that the soil of Kan
| sas was for free men, and he gave him Just
|
| Territory. Mr. Hoag would not leave, or, as
! he termed it, he did not scare worth cent"
| He got a few of his pro-slayery neighbors to
assist him, fortified his house, and awaited the
result The next night Captain Montgomery
! and his scouts stormed the Notifications,
wounded Mr. Hoag. and killed one of his men.
Hoag then surrendered and promised, If let
alone, to leave the Territory and go back to the
State. He left that night, taking his slaves
with him.
Many of the Free-State men did not approve
| of this bloody work of Captain Montgomery,
and they issued call for public mass-meet-
! ing to protest against the employment of such
| harsh methods of freeing Kansas from slavery.
! The majority were in favor of waiting until
| Congress should see fit to receive Kansas into
/ the Union with a Free-State constitution that
/ would bar out slavery forever, although others
more hot headed were in favor of not letting
! the cursed Institution get fOOt-hOld under
any circumstances whatever. The day of the
| mass meeting great crowds of people came
| hooking into Lebanon. Some came from the
/ headwaters of the Usage, a distance of more
| than thirty miles, and nearly all the Free
| State men in Bourbon county, with their fam
| lies, were there. The convention passed
resolution strongly condemning Captain Mont
| gomeryS course, and declared that 1t was
keeping the settlers in constant fear of assassi-
nation. and that probably the border rufiians
would retaliate on innocent settlers All were
well satisfied that more killing would be done
| on account of H0ags treatment. Captain Mont
gomery himself was present. He was then
about fifty years DID, long, gaunt, lean, fiery
looking man. He was a Southerner by BIRTH
and had coarse, black hair. His small black
eyes, peering out from under long, black and
bushy eyebrows, carried terror to the hearts of
the border ruffianS.
BY invitation he addressed the convention
He said that he was SOutherner by birth;
/ flraEIx IraI
among slave owners and slave drivers, and
knew something of slavery's horrors; that he
had come TO Kansas with his family TO make
home among free men and get out of sight and
hearing of the cursed institution. But now
the power of the Government, backed up by
| the dominant party, was being exerted to force
slavery on free Kansas, where q large majority
of the actual settlers were bitterly opposed to
it. 1t was slavery that had burned Lawrence,
sacked OSawetomie, and massacreed fifteen
Free-State men on the Maria de Cygnes. 1t
was not the real settlers of Kansas that were
causing all this trouble and blood-shed, but
gang of ruffians who lived in Missouri, and Just
as often as they brought their slaves into Kan
sas he for one was determined to put them out,
"peaceably If he could, and forcibly if he must"
The meeting broke up with not the best of feel
ing prevailing. Iquote again from my diary:
June 1st.-More killing going on over on the
Marmaton; runors that three Free-State men who
recently came from Ohio had been murdered by
the border ruans for expressing their anti-slavery
sentiments. and the Free-State settlers have sent
over to the Usage for more help
AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE REGULARS
Captain Montgomery and his scouting party
were soon off for the seat of war, fully deter
mined to revenge the eowardly assassination
of their friends. The bogus" sheriff at Fort
Scott heard of their approach, and determined
upon their arrest. He called upon the COM
mander of the fort for assistance. OF course
for the fun of the thing, if nothing else" As
have already said, they wanted to "chsw 'ern
up" One hundred and fifty United States
dragons, under the command of O major, was
handed over TO the bogus" sheriff, with in
struetionS to assist him in making the arrest.
Captain Montgomery and some twenty-five of
his men were then eampcd on the MarmatOn
River bottoms, some five miles above Fort Scott.
The dragons soon came up with them and
charged their camp A running fight enSued.
MOntgomery'S men Fetreated into the heavy
timber and diSnounting, took TO the Indian
style of warfare. shooting and falling back from
one tree to another until they had put three of
the dragons hors de combat" among them one
lieutenant. The dragons then withdrew and
returned TO Fort Scott, probably satisfied that
1t was not so easy after all to "-chaw up" Cap
tain M0ntgOmery's men. 1t was admitted at
Fort Scott that the troops had gained no new
laurels in this battle.
Int FISe-StdtS men. uONGNefy DtdL0eU zap
tain Montgomery for allowing his men to come
in contact with the United States troops and
considered it a rather serious matter Rumors
were now rife that Bourbon county would be
put under martial law" and that the settlers
would have q taste of military rule-the very
thing they already had too much of. quote
again from my diary:
June u, IS5S.-Governor Denver and Colonel
James Lane come down to Lebanon and addressed
mass-meetng, pouring oil on the troubled waters
and quieting the fears OF the settlers.
The next day they went on to Fort Scott
and had a "big" talk with the pro-slavery
authorities there. 1t was generally believed
that the governors visit would result in good,
and it did for a time. The "bogus" court at
Fort Scott agreed to quash all the old indict-
ments against the Free-State men and let s. by
cones be by-gones." EmigraRts from the
Northern States were now coming into Kansas
in great numbers Bourbon county getting her
full share. In fact, we already had large
majority in the county, and but for the bogus
authorities at Fort Scott, who were upheld and
protected by the Administration at Washing
ton and the invasions of the Missourians Bour-
bon county would have been as orderly and
prosperous as any in the Territory.
JOHN BROWN ON THE osAGE
When l began this narrative it was my in
tention TO tell what / saw and knew of Captain
John Brown and his work in Southern Kansas
But in order to give the reader clearer idea
hour rr.sL L-1a -koE- -