New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-16
ULAR OBSERVATIONS.
GENERAL DENVER IN KANSAS.
MIS- RECORD AS GOVERNOR OF THE TERRITORY
= UNDER BUCHANAN.

olS
UNDER BUCHANAN.
~ tb. Editor Of The Tribune.
Sir. I have no desire TO detract from the juss
mrtotion OF General James W. Denver, now dead
~. was a gallant gentleman, good soldier, o
o,rteous frank, clever personality, and bold, IN
N,ncbine unQuesuonng before the Civil War; pro-
.n.yarv Democratic partisan. As such he was sent
- buchanan to Kansas Territorial Governor. after
rnysrnor Robert Walker had done so much by his
,.,r dealing and activity to prevent through vlan2us
fra uds the OF the Lccompton convention
outrage General beavers appointment In place OF
po,ert Walker was, whether he knew It or not, re
corded nv Free state menace. and by border
snron LecomptOn Democrats as an Administrator
copributlon to their cause. When Governor Denver
.yoA An Kansas, the Free State cause was nearing
"a, triumph IFS presence there hndcrcd It's progress
and to that extent Obnoxious There was not an
G organized band Of jayhawkers" In Kansas at that
date | use the term "tayhawker" as 1t aitcrwalu
came 70 be understood-that is to signify the more
xioent and reckless State men, The word did not
came into general there until just before the Ovl
,rar betrn There was not when Governor Denver
ms 10 Kansas anything like what the words OF your
,dtuary intimate. Murder, robbery, aTeon,' We're
~ ~ daily occurrence Order and peaceful cond
s,ons were growing steadily and Governor Dcnvei's
rssence had venture 70 affirm who was In
~ midst of oil this but little to do with 1.-THE power
-, concentration, self reliance and sefprOtccoi0n"
which the Free state majority in Kansas developed of
and for themselves In spite of the mnd17snces which the
Federal Governors from shannon to McdaIy, more or
,es mt In the way OF the people. Governor DcnveFi"e
coyornnr Walker worked better than he knew but
Governor Walker did what General Denver dld not
a. pledged himself TO fairness and fulfilled that
r,edre 10 the letter at least. do not mean 10 say
that General Denver consciously or even mega
t,vc,v unfair but lie politically hostile ana per
so,ol,v unfriendly to tie Free state people. Inc
prospect in Kansas when he arrived there was ho'
compromising" and 1t need not have appalled, MS UT
any other stout " heart In fact. do not DeIeVc
u did Very soon after his arrival. however, wme
there was apparent peace on the border, party
of pro-slavery rufians entered Southern h"'sas
AT the trading post Linn County, led by an Arkasah
named Charles Hamilton. Eleven unarmcd and de-
.fenceless citizens OF Kansas were captured by ths
hand OF assassns, placed in row and nred upon
isll being left for dead One alone, II recoiecuoh
.serves me Alright was living when the murdercrs
ltxt-Asa Hengrove, native OF Georgia. HUI
slayeholder and a mechanic lie served In the Union
Army though about sixty years OF age wheh ue
Civil War began. i in Kansas at the time OF
this horrible deed whose story was told In inmoral
verse by John g. Whittier. An active newspaper man. L
,rote about it. and believe that The Tribune published
one or more letters Of mine there anent governor
Denver made loud-soundng march along the southern
border counties making speeches. and guardeoiy cen
surfing the Free State people-that's ALL None OF
the Hamilton gang were captured, and they were not
lover careful either, as to their whereabouts Doing
Known At Fort Scott Governor Denver was never
sthreatened" by the Free state people he was cr't
scsed for perfunctOry policy and some spreadcaglsm
That's all. The border rufians did not threaten"
fhm / am quite sure. 1t Is true that the Maras des
hCygnes" massacre followed by the reap
fpearance. in Kansas Of John Brown and
ssome OF the men afterward dcd with or for him
In Virginia In October and December, 1889, and
March, 1860. Disturbances naturally followed the
Hamilton massacre, but they were not general
land made but little impression the growth Of
kansas. / mean no disreSpect to General Denver
when / say that Governor he was but very Ialt
| fguretead, and that as Democratic ruler he was
snOt 30 obnoxious shannon. or iOOsny Idtlc .is
1iedary. Neither was he as determined as beary 10
suppress wrongdoing when he came 10 Understand
Fits authors or as able and unfnchns In pursuit "a
Fairness Robert J. Walker, decidedly the abes ana
best of all the Territorial Governors Of Kansas
Ii is 50 hard be understood when one Is APP
parently deacting from words of euOgy uttered over
the death Of an honorable and good citizen. But
ii j. harder sun read words whose distinct II gen
,cTal tenor is to place in wrong proportions great
historic series Ike those that make the
Kansas State struggle respected James w. Denver,
all conditions being considered, but ] respected still
more the of free institutions for which |, In
common with many others, ltsked life, faced peril.
endured unnurmurlngy and served without failure or
hope Of rewards. l sure that n 'peiusal of the
flies OF The Tribune during the period of General
!, Denver's Gubernatoral ncumbency in Kansas will
not bear oat the undiscrimiaatin euOgy lavishei
upon 1t In your article of this date announcing his
death. RICHARD j. HINTON
Coney Island, Aug. 10, 1892.