Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1895-11-08
a wIlD WEST cHALLEHeE.

asking for information rs to achal-
lenge to fight duel which was sup
posed to have been issued by Jim
Lane to Gen. Doniphan, who, in
the DAYS of the old border war be-
tween Kansas and Missouri, lived
at the town OF Weston, in Platte
county, Mo.
"While | bad no recollection of
any such challenges, the name of
Jim Lane brought wildly to my
mind another occasion when chal-
lenges were issued, bat which had
its beginning by very sincere de-
sire on the part Of Jim Lane and
several of his people to hang me.
"Like a celebrated gew Yorker,
l am Democrat. Not only that,
/ have been o Democrat in active
operation for the last forty years,
which will easily carry one back to
1853. My Jim Lane experience
occurred in 1856. I was the editor
and owner. in fact HAS about all
there was TO a little paDk published
in my town IN Eo6raska. Nv only
adherent, so far as work in the Of
fee and composing room went, was
boy about thirteen years old.
This boy was my printer, my local
force, and frequently my business
manager. He was likely to do ey-
erything about the paper except
write the editorials. : This honor |
reserved for myself, as meant that
the uttersnces Of the paper should
be very profound.
cit CHANGED that when the free
soil people were coming into Kan
sas they found it easier and faster
travelling to come through Iowa and
cross the Missouri River into Ne
braska, and then go south into
Kansas. 1t was impossible for
them TO cross Missouri. which was
filled with their foe. Old John
Brown, believe, was the only one
of the free sellers who ever attemp-
ted it. Old Brown came straight
through Missouri.
"Ordinarily the free sellers were
a reputable-looking set of people.
But one day in 1856 Jim Lane
came into town with about as hard
an outfit of 'emigrants' at his back
as it was ever my lot to see. They
were a tough, criminal set, if one
might judge from their appearance.
"They camped several DAYS in
our town reftting for their progress
into Kansas. They were ell men. |
and all had horses o. wagons. Their
hard looks and rather violent be-
havior led me to write an editorial
about them. | got up what in
tended should be a very sarcastic
article, and from the effect it had
upon them l should say it was. If
remember rightly + said some
thing to the effect that, to Judge
from the markings and appearan-
ces of this consignment of free soil
ers, it had its emanation in some
penal institution in the East. 1 |
argued that there should be no fall
ing off of such supply, as almost
all OF the Eastern penitentiaries, to
say nothing of the Eastern cities,
would be very glad to keep it up.
The criminal classes everywhere
might be successfully sent to Kan
sas and the free soil effort might be |
utilized to make of Kansas another
Botany Bay. All this, of course, l |
based entirely on the way the Jim
Lane crowd then in town looked
and acted. l didn't pretend it was
in any sort a description of free
soilers generally, but just simply
this particular crowd then
in town.
cit was the day after the paper
came out, and was si.ting in my
feeling proud Of my work. The
faithful youth l have mentioned
was perched on - setting type.
We were in the . pom for the
reason that there was only one room
to the entire institution, which &C.
cupied the second story over a store.
As sat at my desk thinking mp an
editorial for the next issue q shad-
ow fell across the room and | looked
up. The shadow came from one of
Jim Lanes importations. He was
a tall, Gothic, -boned looking
proposition, shaggy as buffalo,
and with what | deemed very evil
and ferocious look. He carried a