Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1898-04-16
GLEANINGS FROM KANSAS HISTORY

GLEANINGS FROM KANSAS HISTORY.
'-Over the infinite prairie of level eternity,
Flying as flies the deer,
Time is pursued by pitiIess. cruel oblivion.
Following fast and near
Ever and ever the famished coyote is follow
ing
Patiently in the rear;
Trifiing the interval. yet we calling it
History
Distance from wolf to deer
Eugene f. Ware.
On January %, 1861, Kansas was en-
rolled in the bright galaxy of states,
and on February 9, of the same year
Charles Robinson took the oath of
office as it's first governor.
James 1T. Lane and Samuel c. Pom
eroy were the first United States SEN
ators elected from Kansas. Neither
one rose to the dignity of statesman
ship but they had served the state on
the battlefield and in many a trying
hour, and they deserved their honors.
John J. Ingalls, was the first secre-
tary of the state senate and suggested
the design and motto of Kansas: 'sAd
astra per aspera"-To the stars
through difficulties. This tells the
early history of Kansas in four simple
latin words.
The question of determining the
permanent location of the capital was
submitted to the people in the fall of
1861. with the following result: To-
peka. 1896; Lawrence, 5291; scatter
ing, 1854.
While Kansas was getting fairly or
ganiZed and under way for its race to
the stars, the storms of civil war had
burst over the country in terrific fury,
and the new state was engulfed in the
mad whirlpool of fraternal strife.
The scenes of the border warfare were
repeated with increased relentless
ness. Quantrell, man who had been
a school teacher and divinity. student
few years previously, but now grown
into the greatest terror of the Dor
ders, led band of Missourians into
Kansas, numbering and burning every
thing before them. At daybreak, Au-
gust 81, 1863, the inhabitants of Law
renee were rudely awakened by the
clatter of hOOIs and the rattle of
muSketrv. 1t was Quantrell the guer-
rilla and his band of outlaws. They
fired the principal buildings, and
slaughtered 143 of the citizens. On
Decoration day 1895, a monument
was erected to the memory of those
who fell in that bloody raid.
Abilene was subject to Indian raids
and cowboy sprees until late in the
COS, and Salina was bare prairie I'M
til 1859.
Since its admission to the Union,
Kansas has ever been prominent in
governmental affairs. When congress
came to loggerheads with President
Johnson over the reconstruction poll
cy. Senator James Lane stood by
johnson, and Lanes friends in Ran
sas fell away from him on every side.
Lane who had never known defeat
was so badly chagrined at this disaf-
lection of the people that he COM
mitted suicide at Ft. Leavenworth,
July 1, 1866.
The death of Lane removed one of
the men who had blazed the way to
free soil in Kansas. He was soldier
in the Mexican war. In Indiana, he
had served as lieutenant governor.
presidential elector and congressman.
In Kansas his career had been worthy
of himself. He was not good man,
but saints in broadbloth and chanting
psalm tunes would have done but lit
tie towards stemming the horde of
border ruffians who swarmed into
Kansas to capture it for slave state.
Edmund G.. Ross, the successor of
Senator Lane wrought his political
ruin by one act in the senate. He
voted against the conviction of Pres
ident johnson under impeachment.
At this distance we can honor him
for saving the country from what
would have been great disgrace. but
Senator Ross had to wait for another
generation to set his memory to
rights with the Kansas people.
And now we come to one of the
most remarkable occurrences OF. Kan