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

ucf tUti. DefOre TIE close OF the
following year-strange irony OF
history--Qaantrell had become the
scourge Of the Western Plains.
III. :
on2ntrsll's Years In the West.
Quantrell had not yet passed bis
10th birthday when he made his ap-
pearance in Pssla, Kan, in the
spring OF 1857. Paola was one oi
the Democratic towns founded 70
neutralize the influence of the .sfree-
soil' settlement. A sale of Indian
trust lands was in progress when
Quantrell reached there. 1t was
provided that sales should be made
only to 'sactual settlers" but whole
sale fraud was resorted to to render
this stipulation of little account.
In many instances settlement was
made by running wheeled shanty
on to the section it was proposed to
bid in, after which affidavit would
be made that the demands of the
law had been fully complied with.
Quantrell engaged to hold down
an S0-acre claim for hotel
keeper in 'Paola. Later he claimed
that he had been cheated out Of his
pay, and to reimburse himself,
drove off a yoke of oxen belonging
to his employer. lie was followed
and the oxen taken from him, but
he was allowed to go his way.
Following this, Quantrell dis
appeared from view for a time.
Late in 1853 Quantrell appeared in
Lawrence, Kass., having for some
unknown reason taken the name of
Charley Hart, and for a year or
more was employed as teacher and
as agents clerk among the Della
ware Indians at their reservation
on the Kaw river. He attached
himself to and gained the conf
dence of a small knot of daring
spirits in Lawrence, who were ever
ready to aid the escape of fugitive
slaves from Missouri, and to give
protection to the free colored peo-
pie, who, in considerable numbers,
had moved from the adjacent States
into Kansas. This scompany of kid
nappers made repeated trips to the
border counties of Kansas, and the
number of their victims soon
amounted into the hundreds. Great
indignation was aroused at their
work. When QuantrelPs connec-
ton with them finally became known
he was forced to flee for safety to
Jackson county, Missouri.
Soon after his advent into Mis-
souri,, Quantrell went to Texas, and
from there to the Indian Territory,
where for q time he was the COM
panion of Joel Mayors, later chief
of the Cherokee Nation. He was
present at the battle Of Springfield,
where General Lyon lost his life,
and also at the battle of Lexington.
Following the latter engagement he
returned to jackson county, where
he lived at the house of Morgan
Walker, and adopted the calling OF
bushwhacker. His first act in hi,
new role was one of signal cruelty,
With few com panions he planned
the death Of two Missouri 1 nionists
q father and son. His victims
being unarmed when attacked, rar
and hid in q covered bridge. Th,
son was shot down and his bod,
thrown upon the bridge. Quan
trell's party then fired the bridg,
at both ends and watched it con
sumo the body of the son while tn,
father was burned alive. Two o
the perpetrators of this outrag
we're afterward captured by the U n
ion forces, tried, convicted an,
hanged. The only excuse Gffere,
for it was that the two men kilIe,
had been stealing the horses of re
bel sympathizers.
Quantrell had now completed
surrendered to the passions tha
then swayed the people amonI
whom he cast his lot, and Lis edu
cation, daring and superior intel
ligence at once made him a leader
At Blue Springs, No., in May
1861, his famous band of guerrilla
was organized, and its sudden an
merciless raids soon became the tel
ror of the Kansas border. Quar
trell's band was made up entirely 4
volunteers, the most Of them bein
young farmers from the Nilsson
border counties, and it also inclut