People's voice. [volume] (Wellington, Sumner County, Kansas) 1890-1917, 1895-07-04

back, and burned the town be-
cause it was depository Of rebel
stores, and when advised to re-
treat, he made his renowned re-
mark: "The Kansas Brigade
never retreats. We will counter
march upon LAMAR" To his
everlasting honor, in contrast
with the barbarities Of the massa-
cres of Marias DIES Cygnes and
Lawrence, not soul was injured
after the armed enemy had fed.
A prominent man told me Of a
perilous trip Of a hundred and
fifty miles through the enemy's
country, and said no words could
express the rejoicing Of his heart
when he neared Pleasant Hill and
beheld the American flag floating
over the town. As he register
ed he remarked to the
landlord that he observed by that
flag that they had a Union town
there. With an oath he replied:
"By no means" What then"
said the traveller, "does that flag
mean% 1T means that Jim Lane
raised it and gave notice he would
burn the town lift was disturbed"
That was true. He halted his
command in line, and ordered
details Of men to bring into his
presence the leading men Of the
town. The order was imperative.
There were bayonets behind it.
They came. His address was
short: "Men Of Pleasant Hill, |
have sent for you. l know you.
You are rebels against your flag
and your country. Look upon
that starry banner, which l have
just hoated over your heads, and
listen to me. l have no men to
spare to protect it. That flag is
more precious to the American
heart than all the property you
possess. l shall return again,
and if you allow a rebel hand to
touch that emblem of liberty,
Pleasant Hill goes up with the
torch as sure as there is a hell.
March," The flag 1oatcd over
that town as long as Lane was in
the field.
Col. G. w. Veale, who was in
Lanes command, tells me that he
witnessed this scene. He says:
"The order was given to 60 into
the bottom lands and cut the
longest tree that could be raised;
and the flag was nailed to it, with
no halyards to lower and raise it;
and the command, marching back
and forth, saw and cheered that
flag until the elements wore it to
shreds, and the bare pole stood
as a witness of the loyalty of the
men who raised it. Jim Lane
loved his state and his country,
and was as true patriot as ever
lived"
1t is not necessary to refer to
the raid on Lawrence, where one
hundred and eighty-fve defense
less men and boys were murder
ed-a massacre rivalling in infa-
my those Of Saint Bartholomew
and the Black Hole of Calcutta
to defend Lane or to prove what
we say of the desperation and
barbarity Of that part Of Missouri
in the periods preceding the war.
The act of Gen. Thomas Ewing
and acts speak louder than
words, but we have both words
and acts to fall back on-sustain
us. His acts are hi 'ory. His
character is that of a humane,
liberty-loving American general,
and an enlightened statesman.
His words are those of the cele-
brated order No. II, in which he
set forth his reasons for his acts.
In that order he designated de-
pots for the storage OF the goods
and chattels Of loyal men, and
commanded them to come before
him with proofs of their loyalty
and receive his protection; and
the further notification that all
men who did not do so should be
treated as public enemies, cap
tured and imprisoned or shot, as
their crimes deserved. Nothing
but the unparalleled wickedness
Of the men who infested the Sni-
bar hills and other Businesses Of
that district could have justified
such an order. Neither Sherman
in his march from Atlanta to the
sea, nor Butler in New Orleans,
exceeded it in severity; but j,
was a just severity, conscientious.
ly administered by a Just man
1t was the extreme of humanit,