Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1894-03-22

A
Arkansans. Each member was
armed with rifle and revolver. the
latter being the favorite weapon.
No oaths were taken and no vouch-
ers repaired to secure membership.
"Can you shoot to kill?" was the
only question asked of each new
volnnteer. At first ouantrell spared
the lives of the prisoners taken ia
the raids, but this clemency was
short-lived. On March -, 1862,
his band to-the number of 65 was
camped on the Little Blue. Dur
ing the day paper was brought
into the camp containing q procIa.
nation BY General.ffalleck, outlaw
ing the band and ordering its men,
bers shot asd hanged whenever
found. Quantrell real the decree
to his men and gave all who desired
it permission to leave. A score of
men who had joined the band the
day before at once mounted their
horses and rode away, but all of the
original members remained. On
the following day a Union soldier
fell into the hands of the guerrilas
and their leader himself shot him
down, remarking as he did so:
"Halleck orders, but we draw
blood" After that, in raids upon
the young villages of Kansas, and
in attacks upon detachments of
Union soldiers, prisoners, citizens
and soldiers, were alike slain with
out mercy. No Que was spared un-
less to crafty some whim of the
moment.
Quantrell's command over his
reckless and lawless followers was
complete. There was nothing of
the ruffian in his manner, and he
seldom swore, buts in action his rich,
sonorous voice gained fresh volume
and his words of command would
ring out as sharp and clear as bugle-
notes. At the night approach of an
enemy Quantrell was always the
first awake, and his low: "Saddle,
boys" once repeated would arouse
every man. He was a splendid
horseman, and loved horses for their
own sake. His favorite horse was
not trained so but no one could ap-
proach it but Quantrell. Ii would
always bite at others, out neighed
and showed the greatest pleasure at
his approach. Quantrell had no
fency for gun, and always urged
his men to rely on the six-shooter,
which nearly all could handle with
wonderful skill.
| Ill.
Lawrence Massacre and It's Sequel.
In the summer of 1868, at a time
when the borders of Kansas and
Missouri were almost denuded of
troops, 4uantrell prepared for his
long-contemplated raid on Law
renee, the most bloody and ruth
less chapter in the history Of the
war. Various motives have been
assigned for this raid, it being
claimed on the one hand that it was
made to punish General Jim Lane,
who lived in Lawrence, and had
been very active in his hostility TO
the guerrillas; and on the other.
that it was instigated by Quantrell
TO aTenge some insult he had re-
ceived while resident of the town.
Be this as it may, the guerrilla
leaders plans were skillfully laid and
boldly executed. While the only
Union forces then in Eastern Kan.
sas, the Ninth Kansas Cavalry, un.
|. der Col. Preston B. Plrmb, were
scattered along a long stretch OF
frontier, and Lawrence, wholly un.
pfo.ec,ed, relied for safety npon iti
: distance from the Missouri, Guam
: trell. on the night of August 10
I 1853, at his camp on Blackwatel
; creek, near Columbus, No., colIec
: ed his followers to the number o
27t, and, briefly explaining his de
signs, rode toward the Kansas Dor
! der.
: The advance was begun at sun
rise on August 20, and pushed s,
7 energetically that, despite frequen
detours rendered necessary in orde
: to avoid encounters with the Unior
: soldiery, at snndown on August 2.
: the guerrilla band, at a point som
+. 80 miles below the town cf Nest
, port, crossed the Missouri borde
9 into Kansas. The dress Of tn
guerrillas closely resembled the Fed
: eral uniform, and to the farmer
: whom they encountered as they ad