The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-04-11
a Renaissance,
To the Editor Of the Eagle.

A summer day had quietly passed
away; it was night, at the city of Law
renee, Kan, Aug 90, 1863. The cur
tain of night had shut out the light; and
with bodies weary from the toll and
heat of summers day, and minds filled
with plans for the coming morrow, peo-
pie had retired, to rest and sleep, I'M
conscious of any approaching danger.
The following day opened bright and
serene. The sun rose in a cloudless
sky. From the summit of Mount Oriad
one view, without the city, beautiful
panorama. indicative of peace and Sc
curity. The beautiful green of the
Kansas prairie, radient with the various
hues of native flowers, moved with the
undulating waves from the morning
breeze the sinuous course of the
Kansas river being indicated by the
line of darker green of brush and
trees with the occasional CLEAN from an
exposed expanse of its water. 4 cloud
OF dust, indicating the approach of
body of horsemen from the east, if seen,
attracted no attention. Within the city
the curling smoke ascending from nu-
merous chimnies gave evidence of prep
aration for the morning meal, prepare
tory to the usual routine Of daily labor.
There was nothing to portend the ca
lamity which this day came to this fated
city; nothing to warn this people of the
scenes of carnage and pillage so soon to
be enacted, and nothing Indicating the
proximity of the band of fiends whose
demoniacal yells. crack of guns and
clash of sabers were soon to make pan
demonium and scenes of horror fit for
hell.
Lawrence was, at this time, my resi-
dence and place of business. Not being
well during the night and contemplat-
ing trip to Leavenworth, this day, |
was up earlier than was my custom, and
this circumstance providentially saved
the life OF my son, and also that of my
brother-in-law, as / had sent them out to
the ranch to get mule to take with me
to Leavenworth, while a boy staying
with me at the time, who remained at
home, was during the day brutally
murdered.
L lldu HOJ SOuS IOl III HUN
when the noise in the street and the
exclamation from my wife: Charles,
the bushwhackers are here!' drew me to
the window, from whence | saw neigh
Dor shot down in the arms of his plead
ing wife, whose fearful entreaties and
those of her sister were unavailing. And
this was but one of a number of similar
incidents of this day of horrors. fully
thought my time had come, and awaited
quietly my turn in this fearful drama
and ! can attribute my deliverance only
10 the care of an all wise and protecting
Providence. | was twice called out in
my yard to be shot, l was told but
heaven gave me strength and tact to dis
suade these murderers from their pur-
pose by giving me confidence to place
my hand on the knee of the leader.
and to gently and firmly tell
him this truth: that l was
a Free-Soil man, and an Abolishionist,
but bore no man any i'll will or enmitv,
and each time my life was spared. My
house was not destroyed and | only lost
what money my wife aGd | had ON our
persons. Had [ prevaricated or tried to
hide, | believe ! would have been speed
lily murdered. Providence guided me in
doing that which secured my safety.
A correct statement of all the events
Of that fearful day will never be written.
1t would be story Of events tragic, hor-
ribla and isolated. No one who wit
messed the scenes of that terribIs day
can ever forget its horrors; and no one
who escaped with his life should cease
to thank heaven for his deliverence
c.. A. WRIGHT.