The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-08-21
OLD KICKAPOO GUN.
AN ANCIENT CANNON THAT HAS A
REM aRKasLE RECORD.

cage to the Kansas state historical SOcl-
ETY. one of the most valuable relics Of
the border rutfian warfare. 1t is the Old
Kickapoo cannon which did service at
Old kickapoo. Lawrence and other
points along the Missouri border during
Kansas early struggle for free state gov
ernment. This old gun formed the bone
Of contention in many a hard fought
contest between p~roslavery and anti
slavery forces, and a large number of
the old citizens of Kansas can remember
the stirring events clustering about the
history of this remarkable implement Of
warfare.
Of late years the whereabouts Of the
old gun has been a matter of conjecture,
and by many it was thought to have
been lost, bat it is due to the efforts Of
Colonel H. Miles Moore and Captain J.
G. Walkinshaw of Leavenworth that Old
Kickapoo has been resurrected. 1t now
rests in the rooms of the State Histor-
ical society in this city.
The gun is a six FOUNDER smooth
bore brass cannon and was first stolen
from the United States arsenal at Lib
erty, Mo-, and from there taken by Gen
eral Richardson's army to the sacking
and burning of the old Free State hotel
at Lawrence, the Eldridge House, after
it was indicted by the pr~oslavery grand
jury at Lecompton and ordered abated
as a nuisance by Judge Cato, who had
the writ directed to Sheriff Jones, who
summoned the posse, mostly from Mis-
souri,, to assist in executing the writ.
The bombardment which followed
was one of the memorable conflicts of
border ruffian days. The cannon was
placed on Massachusetts, street, Law
renee, opposite. and trained on the hotel
and fired by General David Atchison,
her a United States senator from Mis-
souri,. The first shot went over the roof
of the hotel. The second went through
a second story window, and the third
and fourth shots struck the stone walls,
scarcely making a n impression on them.
Jones, seeing that he was not likely
to abate the nuisance that way, applied
the torch and destroyed the building.
The posse then scattered. The Kickapoo
rangers then took charge of the canno
and carted it to the village Of Kickapoo,
six miles up the river from Leaven-
worth. 1t was planted On top of a high
bluff and there remained posted as q
menace to the free state men Of Leaven-
worth.
Colonel H. Miles Moore first suggest
ed the plan to go up to Kickapoo and cap
ture the gun. He communicated his
scheme to a few free state men, and ten
of the more daredevil ones, under the
leadership Of Captain I. G. Losee, we'll
armed with Sharp's rifles and revolvers,
made q dash for Kickapoo one dark
night, took possession Of the cannon,
and without being discovered were soon
back in Leavenworth. Fearing the gun
might be recovered by a writ in the
hands of the sheriff or other proslavery
officers Of tho county or territory, the
gun carriage was hidden in the south
part of Leavenworth and the cannon
buried in DR.. Davis old peach orchard,
where it remained a short time.
Fearing danger, it was dug up and
taken to Lawrence n dark night in
the bottom of a wagon covered with
hay. 1t remained but a short time,
when it was taken back to Leavenworth
and placed in DR.. Davis temporary
graveyard until the warclouds of 1856
and 1857 had passed away. The gun
was Their resurrected and turned over to
in whose keeping it remained for a long
series of years. On each recurring
Fourth of July and other state occasions
and holidays "Old Kickapoo" was
brought out, crowned with laurels and
escorted with music and joyous crowds
through the streets Of the city.
Finally the turner's relaxed in their
vised parties without authority loaned
the gun one day to the Leavenworth
Coal company for the purpose Of aiding
them to free the shaft Of a mass Of
debris that had fallen and clogged up
the hosting shaft. The gun was taken
down the air shaft, loaded with solid
shot, placed upright and fired into the
mass above. AS there was no chance for
a recoil, the gun burst, tearing a huge
piece from the side of the old warrior.
The gun was returned to the turner's,
but they seemed to have no use for it,
and soon it was lost, and no one knew
anything about it. About five years ago
Colonel II. Miles Moore was passing
down Shawnee street, Leavenworth, and
in an alley near a tinshop noticed az
old cannon. He gave it a close inspec-
tion and found it to be Old Kickapoo.
The turner's had sold it to the timer for
$25, and he was about to ship it to Chi
cago for old brass. Appeals to patriot
ism were in vain, and MI. Moore subse'
quently communicated with the His
torical society, and after some CORE
%spondence the society appropriated $2O(
for the purchase of the cannon. In the
meantime the timer had shipped the
gun to Chicago, where it was recently
found in a brass foundry ready to bt
consigned to a furnace. The gun reached
Topeka in safety.-St. Louis Republic.
In the Barrack Yard.