The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-30

the ZOtn OF feDrudrV Win InuSIeT-Foll lOr
a rifle company to be organized at meeting
of the sgners, at the house of William Part
ridge, on Potawatomie creek the 27th. All
OF our number, including father, signed the
roll. At the meeting [ was chosen captain,
Mr.. Williams and Simeon b. Morse lieuten-
ants. Full organization was soon afterward
completed and the work of military drill be-
gan.
BY this time the border papers were bold
ly proclaming as their watchwords: ''War
to the knife and the knife to the hiltn'
death to the Abolitionists!'' in which
class they included all Free-State men. They
exhorted the faithful to "be in readiness,
for as soon in the spring as grass should be
sufficiently grown for their horses, the
friends of law and order" as they styled
themselves, should once more march into
Kansas, and the id Yankee Aboitionists
should be wiped out" 'They must not be
allowed to plant crops" There must be
no childs play this time" referring to the
peace measures adopted at Lawrence, in De-
cember
Early in the spring Colonel Buford, of AL
ALBANIA, arrived with a regiment OF armed
men, mostly from South Carolina and Geor-
gia. They came with the openly-declared
purpose to make Kansas a slave State at all
hazards. A company of these men was re-
ported to us as being camped near the Maria
des Cygnes river, little south of the town
now called Rantoul, L think, and distant
from our place about two miles. Father
took his surveyors compass, and with him
four OF my brothers-Owen, Frederick Sal
mon and Oliver-as chain-carriers, axman
and marker, and found a section line which,
on following, led through the camp of those
men. As all government surveyors and other
government officials whom these Southerners
had heretofore met were known to be pro-
slavery men, the disguise was complete and
no questions were asked. The Georsians in
dulged in the utmost freedom of expression.
One of them who appeared to be the leader
of the company, sad; We've come here to
stay We won't make no war on them as
minds their own business, but all the Adolf
tionists such as them damned Browns over
there, we're going to whip, drive out or kill
any way to get shut of them, by Cd"
The elder DOYLE was already there among
them, having come from the Potawatomie a
distance of nine miles, to show them the
best fords of the river and creek. These
settlers were well provided with arms, but
for men who had come to stay their pow
erty OF farming tools was remarkable. Bands
of such settlers were every day crossing from
Missouri into Kansas, while emigrantS from
the free States were arrested and turned back.
Cannon were placed at various points on the
Missouri river to stop boats for this purpose
The grass of the prairie beng now suffi-
GENTLY grown true to their promises the
work of subjugation was resumed. While
we were engaged in planting corn, q messen-
ger in great haste arrived, saying; Lawrence
has been taken by the Mssourians and is
now burning; come all of you as soon as pos
sible." Without delay / rode to Osawatomie
with the word, and then rallied the men of
my company, whose homes were mostly on
Potawatomie and Middle creeks. The COM
pany from Osawatomie and mine Joined near
our place, and moving as rapidly as possible,
we in the night reached small stream few
miles south of Palmyra and camped. Here
we were joined by the company of Captain
Thore, who informed us that Lawrence had
been destroyed-that ali the leading Free
State men there We're prisoners IN the hands
of the Missouridns-that the force which had
taken Lawrence had divided. and were en-
gagged in the work of destruction and pillage
in other parts of the Territory, and that a
force of 400 men, under Buford, were in camp
a few miles east of us. Early next day word
was brought into our camp from Pota-
watomie that the Georgians. aided by the pro-
slavery residents there, were driving out the
unprotected Free-State settlers on the creek
that old Mr.. Morse had fled in fear of his life,
and that his house had heen pillaged
AN EYE FOR AN EYE.
Up to this time Kansas had endured with
out retaliation pillage, arson and repeated
murder Of her peaceable citizens. when
other also" 1t was now considered that
whenever their relentless foes came to realize
that they were to receive death for death the
day of her deliverance would begin. 1t was
now and here resolved that they, their aiders
and abettors who sought to kill our suffering
people, should themselves be killed, and in
such manner as should be likely to cause
restraining fear. Father, at this time men,
Der of my company proposed to return with
several of my men. At first questioned the
wisdom of reducing our numbers, as we
were near a superior force but as he asked
for only few men no opposition was made.
We aided in his outfit 1 assisted in the
sharpening of his navy cutlaSses. James
Townslev, who resided near PotawatOme
creek, volunteered to return with his team,
and offered to point out the abodes of such
as he thought should be disposed of. No man
stand that retaiatory blow would fall, vet
when father and his little band departed
they were saluted by all our men with a
rouSing cheer.
On the night of that day our companies
moved on Palmyra on the Santa Fe road.
Next day. with detachment accompanied
by Captain Abbot at Wakarusa, l saw the
ruins at Lawrence, Returning we liberated
two slaves, young man and woman held by
a man named Jones, l think, who lived near
Palmyra informed Jones that if he re-
manned until after sunrise, l would not be
responsible for his safety He left for Mis-
souri, ahead on time.
The arrival of those slaves in camp next
morning caused a commotion. The act of
freeing them, though attended by no vio-
lence or bloodshed, was freely denounced,
and in accordance with a vote given by
large majority of the men, those freed per
sons, in opposition to my expressed will,
were returned to their master The driver
of the team which carried them, overtaking
him on his way to Westport, received a side
saddle as his reward.
Soon after, by order of Colonel Sumner, of
the United States army, who came. as he
said, to disperse all armed gatherings of men
on either side, we disbanded in good faith
and returned to our homes. The men from
Missouri, and those under Buford, made
show of disbanding and at once re-assembled,