The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-04-11
SOMERSET, PA, WEDNESDAY, APRIL IL. 1894

member was armed with a rifle and reyol-
ve-, the latter being the favorite weapon.
No oaths were taken aud no vouchers re-
quired 10 secure membership. Gan
you shoot to kill ?' was the only ques-
ton asked of each new volunteer. At
first Quantrell spared the lives OF the
prisoners taken in the raids, but this
clemency was short lived. On March %,
1852, his band to the number Of sixty i've
was camped on the Little Blue. During
the day paper was brought into the
camp containing a proclamation by Cen
eral Halleck outlawing the band and
ordering its members shot and hanged
whenever found. Quantrell read the de-
cree 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 re-
manned. On the following day union
soldier fell into the hands Of the guerril-
las and their leader himself shot him
down, remarking as be did so "Halleck
orders, but we draw blood" After that,
in raids upon young villages in Kansas
and in attacks upon detaehments of
union soldiers, prisoners, citizens and
soldiers were alike slain without mercy.
No one was spared unless to crafty some
whim Of the moment.
THE LAWRENCE MASSACRE AND IFS SEQUEL.
In the summer of 1868, at time when
the borders of Kansas and Missouri were
almost denuded Of union troops, Guam
trell prepared for his long contemplated
raid on Lawrence, the most bloody and
ruthless chapter in the history the war.
Various motives lave been assigned for
this raid, it being claimed on the one
hand that it was made 10 punish General
Jim Lane, who lived in Lawrence and
had been very active in his hostility to
the guerrillas, and on the other hand
that it was instigated by Quantrell to
ayenge some insult he had received
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 east
ern Kansas, the Ninth Kansas cavalry,
under Colonel Preston B. Plumb, were
scattered along long stretch Of frontier
and Lawrence, wholly unprotected, relied
for safety upon its distance from the Mis-
souri,, QuAntrell on the night Of Aug. l9,
1868, at his camp on Blackwater Creek,
near Columbus, Mo-, collected bis follow
ers to the number of pa and briefly ex-
planning his designs rode toward the
Kansas border.
The advance was begun at sunrise on
Aug. 20 and pushed so energetically that
despite frequent detours rendered neces'
sary in ordre 10 avoid encounters with
the union soldiery, at sundown Aug. q
the guerrilla band at point some thirty
miles below the town of Westport crossed
/ the Missouri border into Kansas. The
dress of the guerrillas closely resembled
the federal uniform, and to the farmers
whom they encountered as the advanced
the leaders said that their followers were
recruits for the Ninth Kansas cavalry
Some ofthe farmers, snspecting danger,
at once set out for the camp Of Colonel
Plumb, fifteen miles away, and the cav
alrymen we soon aroused and in puT'
suit. But their horses were worn and
beaten by long journey on the previou:
day and they failed to oyertake Guam
;rell, who at early dawn galloped through
Ffanklin, five miles from Lawrence. The
attempts of Plumb's scouts to reach Law
renee were foiled by those of Quantrell
and just before clock on the morning
of Aug. 22 the guerrillas were in sight o
the doomed city. There were two detaeh
ments of union recruits then in Lawrence
one white and the other colOred, ,lbut bott
we're unarmed. A union officer, mount
ing at the door of the Eldridge House fol
a ride 10 Fort Leavenworth, thirty mile;
away, heard pistol shot, and glancinl
around quickly saw body of horsemer
riding rapidly toward the town from thu
southeast. He was seen by the intruden
at the same instant, and as those in ad
vance dashed toward him he realized
that dash for the river was his only es
cape. Shouting and firing his revolvei
to arouse the sleeping people as he wen
along, he rode at full speed toward Wes
Lawrence and soon reach small bridge
spanning deep rsyine that opened int
the Kaw River, quarter Of a mile away
Into this ravine leaped officer and horse
and disappeared from view. The ofiiceI
reached the river bank in safety anC
aroused the colored recruits who were
sleeping in barn near by and all bu
three of them escaped.
CARNIVAL OF BLOOD.
In the meantime for six long hours
under the blazing August sun, the car
nj, al of blood and death had gone OF
unchecked. When the guerrillas entered
Lawrence, some eighty ofthem scattered
about the streets of the town, but the
main body under Quantrell rode straight
for the camp Of the unarmed white re
cruits, where 100 men were sleeping
happily unconscious of ofimpending death
The scene that followed was described tC
me a year or so ago by one Of the guer
rillas who took part in it. THE first
thing knew" said he, I've were right
on the camp. Save the sentries and a
stray man or so hanging about the fire:
there was not soul to be seen. A sharI
cry rang out from the sentry nearest US
Discharging his piece squarely at us, he
shouted: Corporal of the guard Post
No. g. and fell riddled with a dozen
balls. That brought them out like bee:
swarming from an overturned hive, and
into them We rode, dealing death al
every jump of our horses. We crashed
through tents and among sleeping men.
They tried to rally and form a square
we broke it and tr4mpled them under
foot. Their officers behaved like heroes
but bayonets were no defense against
the quick and deadly work of the six
shooter. Upand down the camp We