Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-09-26

Another squad went dashing down Main
street at full speed, yelling and shouting like
indians--tiring their reyolv6rs right and left
at every man. woman and child on the street
and at every door and window in which face
was seen. This squad made on for the Ell
bridge House, at which was the headquarters
| Of the Provost Marshal OF Kansas. They sur
| rounded the house and without firing gun
! demanded an unconditional surrender. All
was silent for Few moments, when Captain
| Banks, Provost Marshal OF the State, appeared
at window and displayed white handker-
chief as a flag Of truce. tIe offered to surren-
der if they would give him an assurance that
the inmates would not be harmed.
QuanTell, who WAS present, rode UP and
was about to reply to Captain Banks, when the
gong OF the hotel sounded through its halls to
awaken it's inmates. The raiders, thinking
this was the tocsin Of fight and defense on the
part of the inmates, fell back and hesitated
for moment, but seeing 10 danger began to
the others rushed to the rooms, plunderins
and robbing everyone they met. The inmates
about sixty III number, they drove out and
marched them over to Winthrop street
Thence they We're marched and put into ar
old house on the river bank and were held az
| hostages, if they should be needed for that
The hotel, which had cost about $7U, 600, with
| all It's stocks and stores, was burned to the
| ground.
Another squad surrounded the johnson
! House and began Immediately firing into the
| windows. portion Of the inmates came out
| and surrendered Us prisoners. They were
marched few rods from the house aud shot
down by detail by their guards. Other in
mates OF the house were shot down az they
! would run to escape Some were shot in the
| building and others consumed alive with tho
| burning building
The house Of the mayor Of the town Gcnor..
al g. A. Collamore, was surrounded by squad
! detailed for that special purpose The nlavor
| at rb, Il
| ing that death was knocking at his door. Tho
| noise Of the rllf1ians as they surrounded his
house awoke HIM. Ho got up, saw the trap he
| was in, and tlat there was no possible way of
escape The raiders were bursting open the
doors of his house. To taco them would be to
face their reyolvcrs and death Flee he could
not; hide he must. At the Kitchen door was q
we'll, and into this he went The raiders en-
I tered his house, and searched it from cellar to
! garnet, but not finding him they fired the
house and watched for him to run out AS he
did not come they supposed lie had persisted in
! the flames. Fate against him, nevcrthc-
less A portion Of the tNlrLins house fell into
the we'll, and between the two elcments-tire
! and water-he persisted. After the raiders had
left, Mrs. Collamore-~who knew her husband
hiding place--sent friend, Mr.. Lowe, to look
for him. In going into the well the rope broke
and he persisted, too. Assistance was brought
and three dead bodies we're taken out How
the third man got into the well no one ever
knew.
In another portion of the town, at the resi-
dence of Dr.. Griswold, were living four fam-
lies: The Doctor and his lady; s. NJ Thorp,
STATE Senator and lady; Mr. j. c. Trask, editor
of the State journal, and lady, aud Mr.: G. WI
Baker and lady This houst, had it's alta ckine
party also. They demanded that the men
should come ont and were assured if they
would come gu. their lives should be protected
Tho fou1 men came and The ruftians marched
thom out into the middle OF The street. In an
font
was coming, they were shot down. DR.. Gr.s-
void and Mr.. 1lask were killed, the other two
wounded. The demons went up to them rolled !
them over and seeing that Thorp and Baker !
We're still alive they fired another yolley INTO !
their bodies, killing 1horp, they supposed
Baker too But, by a miracle he recoverctl |
with three bullets in his body. While this was
going on tho ladies attempted several times to |
go to their husbands but were driven off by the |
demons. The raiders went in aud robbed the |
house Of everything of value, even demanding |
the personal jewelry of the ladies' Mrs. Trask |
begged to retain her wedding ring. You have |
killed my husband; let me keep his ring?"
<'No, by The eternal" said the fond, and
snatchcd it from her finger
Another gang visited the house Of Judge |
Carpenter He was called for and met them |
at the dcors 30 pleasingly that the raiders were
astonlshed at his manner They went in,
robbed the house Of some valuahlos and went |
off, not molesti!,g the judge or even firing the
tho house urrnoested, visited it With this
gang the Judges genial manner and courtesy
had no effect. Upon telling them he was from
New York State one of the fends yelled out:
1T is your damned New York fellows that are
playing he'll in Missouri" and with the words
drew his revolver and shot him The Judge
though severely wounded, ran into the house
and the fen,ls after him. shooting shouting
and yelling. They chased him from room 10
room and finally he ran out into the back ward,
1n2 b, owl lnf oil
His wife ran to him and threw herself over
him 80 as to shield him from further danger.
One of tho devils, lifted tine arm Of the wife
from her husbands head and sent ball into
his brain. Tho house fired, bnt was final
ly saved from destruction by the united efforts
of some ladies.
A squad moro fiendish than all tho rest Wis.,
tied the house Of Mr.. Edward Fitch, a very
worthy and talented man from Hopkinton,
Mass, and one who had taken very active
part in the formation OF Kansas as a State
He was called and as he was coming down the
stairs shot dead They continued to fire at him
till at least . dozen balls were lodged in his
body. The house was then set on fire and Mrs
body out of the flames. They would not even
allow her to save her family portraits that
hung upon tho wall They drove her off to
distance, where she sat down with her then
three fatherless little ones and watched with
sad heart her home and husband consumed in
er's feeling no one but herself can tell
Beyond the outskirts Of the town was the resi-
dence Of the Rev. s. s. Snyder, q prominent
minister of the United Brethren Church and
true Christian in every sense OF the word. He
was a. man Of much prominence and was chair
man OF the first Free State Society, and held at
this time commission as linutenanti in the Sec
ond Colored Regiment. Especial committee"
OF these dasperadoes visited him and shot him
in his bed room.
MIR. Dix lived in house next door to the
Johnson House He was fred on in his own
house. He ran to the Johnson House, was with
the number that surrenleredth there, and met the
same fate that they did. His brother who was
shot four times, crawled into an clubhouse and
feigned to be dead and saved his life
George ". Bell, who was County Clerk, and
lived in the high part of town, saw the raiders
He seized his mnsket and ran down into the
street 70 help defend the town. Finding no
one else turning out to help him he threw away
his gun and tried to make his escape, lie ran
into all empty building and attempted to hide.
raider came in and was on the point OF shoot
quaintance, who in former days had visited
each other often. The raider promised to spare
Mr.. Bells life and that of friend of Mr.. Bells
who was hiding in the same building They
marched into the street and there met squad
Of raiders, who began yelling; s'Shoot them!
Shoot the damned cusses" Mr.. Bell asked
permission to visit his family first and bid
them farewell, but was given in reply four bAls
in his BODY The traitor, who had been ac-
nuainted with Mr.. Bell, went to Bells home
and told his wife that he had shot her damned
abolition husband, and then drove her and her
six children out Of her house and fired it
Two young mem James Perine and James
Edridge--were sleeping in q store squad
came and burst in the door and ordered the
two man to open the safe and promised to save