The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1896-03-15
FAMOUS INDIANA MAN.
THE METEoRIc LIFE AND TRAGIC
DEATH Of JAMES H. LANE.
Fearless mt All Times, He Was often
Erratic-Took n Force to washing
ton to Lincoln.
Chicago Chronicle.

a man who afterwards became a United
States Senator; who later on. having had a
career that was singular and meteoric.
showed a pistol in his mouth and fired a shot
that sent his soul into the unknown.
on the night Of May 81. 1856. he faced a
multitude on the old courthouse square in
Chicago and delivered a speech which lives
in the memory Of those who heard it as the
most fervid since the time OF Patrick Henry
and s. s. Prentiss. 1t was an appeal for
money to facilitate free-soil immigration to
Kansas. Fifteen thousand dollars was the
product OF the address. and women who
heard 1t were so enraptured over its rounded
periods that they went away and sold or
pawned their jewelry TO get funds 10 add TO
the purse. After the paper had been passed
for subscriptions there were some in the
crowd who added other mites. An old docu-
ment in the possession of a man still living
in this city contains a curious inventory OF
articles contributed ON the night OF the
speech. The Chronicle has been allowed to
copy the paper:
F. r. Gardiner, six rifles.
Major Van Horn. one sixteen-shooter.
c. w. Davenport, one six-shooter.
ID. G. Park. can OF powder.
G. II. Whitney, one revolver.
T. NJ Isaacs, one Sharp's rifle
a. 5. Clark. one Sharp's rife.
II. a. Blakesley, one Sharp's rifle.
w. II. Clark. douDle-oarreled rife.
Frank Hanson, d0uble-barreled gun
T. NJ. Hughes, revolver.
The man who moved a Chicago audience
as herein described was James H Lane
body out West has recently written a book
about him. He had become what was called
a renegade in his party. and when a man In
his face away from the John Brown element
in Kansas he was ostracized. and scorn and
contumely followed him to his grave.
For a l0uD time lane had few III anV. 10
speak for him kindly. He had become the
champion of Andrew johnson, and that set
sensitive to neglect. He missed o~vatioSs
when he would return to Kansas. He knew
the spirit of Kansas radicalism and RepuD-
licanism. 1t was unrelenting in unforgive-
ness. 1t burned its bridges Lane tried 10
find solace in the cup. He was not built to
that sort of thing. 1t fred his brain, and his
mind was clouded, and he killed himself one
day as some men left him inside the gates
OF a government farm back OF L6avenworL1.
SLAVERY AGITATION IN KANSAS.
The very new reader who may not have
had time to pick up some of the most stir
ring epochs in the history of his country is
Informed that before Kansas was a State
the proslavery element sought to people 1t
with their own kind. so that when the Ter
ritory would be admitted the new State
would be- one OF the slave constellation.
There was an element in the North that in
terested itself in making the new State free
soil for all men, This element was known
as the Abolition or Free Soil party. 1t had
sent many poor people into Kansas. but the
free-slavery element having started in first
had possession. and when the time came to
agitate the question the proslavery element
drove the free soil men out OF the State. 1t
was that condition which brought out Jim
Lane. John Brown and Jennison- 1t was
That trinity, and the work which followed,
that caused Kansas to be known for years
as bleeding Kansas" or the Land of the
Jayhawker."
Several hundreds OF the expelled free-soil-
erS in their pilgrimage back to the East tar
ried in Chicago and verified the tales which
had already reached here of the tribulations
that befell the expelled. There were men in
Chicago then who were avowed free-soilers
and who had contributed to the cause. They
were men who were fearless and as free
with their money as with their speech. They
were men who took steps to organize the
movement which eventually made Lincoln
President. AT a meeting held later to or
ganize a national Kansas committee an ex-
ecutive committee was named composed en-
tirely Of Chicago men. and the workshop of
the free-soil movement was located in this
city.
J. d. Webster. a~fterward on Grants staff.
and the man who massed the artillery at
Pittsburg Landing, was vice president of the
committee. He died here only a few years
ago. George Dole was treasurer. He died
here not so very long ago. Harvey b. Hurd
was secretary. He is at his law office in
this city every day and appears vigorous
and full of promise: He talks OF the stirring
NAAAANo " tAI AACN-DQn VI 61AlA11llOio d llUuku
they Were recent His assistant secretary
was Horace White, then a reporter, after
ward managing editor of the Tribune, and
now editor OF the New York Evening Post.
This executive committee was in session
one morning in Chicago, discussing what
was to be done to check the expulsion of the
free-soil emigrants from Kansas, when a
man came in looking as II he a been
chased. his hair had the appearance of a
duced himself as Jim Lane. Of Kansas.
we told him." said Mr.. Hurd, that as
he was from the scene we would listen TO
he had TO offer. Much TO our surprise, we
found that ne suggested precisely what we
had determined upon, and we were favora-
bly, impressed with him. When, later, IL was
decided best to make Mount Pleasant. Ia.
q sort of base OF supplies for fitting out
Kansas emigrant trains. We went there
often to hold our meetings. After we had
talked with Lane we authorized him TO take
the lead in Kansas and We would supply the
people and the funds. At one of our meet
fngs in Mount Pleasant we were surprised
again by Lane. He came in unanpOunced.
We had no idea he was In the STATE. That
ways doing unexpected things. He was
the strongest and the weakest man I ever
knew. He was eccentric and meteoric. He
could organize a movement quicker than
any nan L ever saw. He could hold an au-
dience longer than any man L ever heard,
even though his audience was opposed to
him. But he had no executive ability. We
found when he came to our meeting at
Mount Pleasant that he had done nothing
We nae SuEXeSteQ. ne naU zone nothing
which ne himself had suggested. But he
was a magnificent lieutenant"
THE NATIONAL KANSAS COMMISSION.
The chairman OF the Chicago meeting
addressed by Lane was ~. b. Judd. Other
speakers besides Lane were f. A. Hoffman
and j. c.. Vaughan. The executive commit
tee. AZ Chicago men. and others attended
the Buffalo convention called from an ad-
journed meeting in Cleveland. o., in 1856. to
organize the National Kansas Commission.
There were five hundred delegates. Every
man in the convention was either a noted
man at the time C became one later on.
Thaddeus Hyatt. OK New York. inventor of
the sidewalk Observation-Disclosures as they are
generally known was president. Gerritt
Smith was there as the leader and orator.
Lane haG started. but IL is the recollection
OF Mr.. Hurd that Lane did not get there.
There was an incident in that convention
not in the history OF events. Mr. Hurd. as
a pioneer in the movement. had prepared a
statement OF the history and the prospects
OF the crusade. Re had read IL, when Ger
rift Smith came out with his supplement-
OF resolutions. They were read by Smith.
who was an artist IN swaying a convention.
Before the resolutions were put 10 a vote.
however. "A recess was taken for dinner.
Several cOOl-headed men met Hyatt, the
PRESIDENT. and told him IL would never do
10 adopt Smiths resolutions. as they We're