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



against the quick and deadly work
of the six-shooter. Up and down
the camp we rode. Here would be
q score of desperate. half-dressed
men, standing at bay around an
overturned tent. A quick charge,
q ringing volley and the riders
would spur over a pile Of dead and
writhing bodies to a fresh attack.
What hurried and ill-organized de-
Tense there was lasted but mo-
ment and then a panic seized the
survivors. We ran them down and
shot them remorselessly. In three
minutes it was all over and a camp
had been turned into graveyard.
There was not one of the soldiers
alive five minutes after we struck
the camp"
The work of death did not end
here. Every man or boy who APP
peared in the street was shot down,
and among all the victims there
was scarcely q man with q gun.
The guests of the Eldridge Hotel
were saved by Quantrelis order at
the request of Robert s. Stevens, a
lawyer t0 whom he was indebted
for some former act of kindness.
This, however, was the only act of
mercy shown. Three hundred
buildings were fred and every bust
ness place in the town sacked and
plundered. When Quantfell finally
ordered a retreat at IL o'clock the
business portion of the town was in
flames, and scores of dead bodies
lay burning under the fierce Aug
ust sun. lie was holly pursued by
the forces of General Ewing and
Colonel Plumb, but made good his
escape into Missouri, where his fol-
lowers disbanded and scattered to
their homes. Quantrell was accom-
panied on this raid by 120 Confed-
crate cavalrymen belonging to Sell
by's division. Their commander,
lieutenant named johnson, was
wounded in :he pursuit and after
ward shot in Missouri by Union
scouts. Quantrell ended the Law
renee raid with q loss of but seven
men. The number of his victims,
unaImcd men and boys, was 2S6.
Later in defending the outrage to q
Southern woman, Quantrell said i:
81 wanted to kill Jim Lane, who
lived there, and as | hadn't the
honor Of his acquaintance, killed
every man | could see to shoot at. -
But Kansas was not to escape
without another visit from Guam
trell and his terrible band. Early
in October, 1868, six weeks after
the Lawrence massacre, General
Blunt, with his staff, band, clerks,
and an escort of the Third Wiscon-
sin Cavalry-the party numbering
in ali $50 men-was marching to-
ward Fort Smith, Arkansas. When
near Baxter Springs. Kan, close to
the border of the Indian Territory.
he was met by body of cavalry,
whose members were dressed in
Federal uniform and carried the
Union flag. There was force of
Union soldiers stationed not far
away in Missouri and ut Baxter
Springs were quartered two squad
rons OF the Third Wisconsin Cav
airy and two companies of colored
infantry, all under the command of
Major j. B. Pond, now the we'll
known lecture manager. General
Blunt supposed that the advancing
force was portion of Ponds COM
mand and rode toward it with one
of his aides. He had gone but q
few yards when he discovered that
that strangers were Qaantrell aud
his men. As he galloped back to-
ward his command, the guerrillas
opened fire uponit. Blunt's escort,
surprised and unprepared, could
offer no effectuai resistance. One
hundred aud ten of them were slain,
all but 20 being shot after they
were taken prisoners.
w.
ouantreli's Final Acts and Death.
ffar tho slon-kkn~ 80 D.-ko.