The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-10-01
oUANTRELL AND HIS BAND.
on the Missouri and Kan
sas Borders in the Sixties.


The name OF Clark Quantren IN the
years from 1851 10 lS65 on the Missouri
and Kansas border struck terror into all
who heard It. Ouantreii was a native or
Ohio who went TO Kansas at the time OF
the war there between the Free State
men and the Shareholders Quantrell took
no part IN those troubles. but when the
civil war broke out and reign OF blood
shed existed on the Missouri and Kansas
border and in which the lawless Kansas
1ayhawkers took the opportunities offerea
BY great war 10 wreak revenge on the
Shareholders, against whom they held
grudges from the old Kansas troubles,
they murdered Cuantrelfs younger
brother. He then raised a band Of guer-
Filias and worked vengeance upon the
murderers. In tie course OF his opera
tons he attacked al midnight on Aug.
p. 1868, the town OF Lawrence, Kan, held
by the 1ayhawkers. who were organized
guerriiias fighting on the side OF the
United States. With 300 armed men he
stormed the place, with loss OF eighty
OF his followers. He killed I9l and
wounded 5sl OF the occupants of the place
and burned IL 10 the ground. This was
only one. but the most destructive OF his
raids. Recently. at Independence, Mo,
the survivors OF ouantrell's band held a
reunion. at which some scores Of them
were present. They are all old men and
are respectable citizens. Interviewed by
members of the press. they one and all
manners and gentle disposition. and was
always.
one Of the survivors. James NJ. Camp
bell who lives in Kansas City, Mo-, was
interviewed BY the 81, Louis Post-Dis-
"Quantren was the smartest man ever
knew. He had no qualifications OF leader
ship born in him. He knew Just what 90
DO In every emergency. In camp he was
gentle and sometimes Jolly. He was kind
- me nd "a xxyhA he
Tad any, Quantrell never got excited,
not even In a fight. He was as cool as
cucumber. They called him reckless. bat
he never unnecessarily endangered the
lives Of his men. And he could shout
an, how that man could shoot! l was
with him regularly for nine months. ana
Off and on fer a wear and a half longer.
Ills men did not fear him. and there
was only one offense for which he said
he would have one OF his followers taken
any member of his troop who insulted a
woman should be shot. He said TO US:
No matter how much a woman may
abuse YOU. take her abuse. Let her talk
and scold. but say nothing 10 her IN re-
sentiment. We are fighting men, not wo-
men. No provocation will excuse an in
silt OF back talk TO a woman And you
will find" concluded Campbell. that no
member OF Quantreifs command was ever
accused OF insulting woman. There
were men on the other side who were
different"
History as il is written by the men
on the other side. calls him a bloodthirsty
demon. a merciless marauder. a vandal,
a desperate at the head OF band OF
savages, plundering and slaughtering I'M
der the cover OF "A state OF war. There
has never been a more feroeious and
1iendish warfare than that waged by the
Kansas iayhawkers on the Missouri Dor
der. and Quantren and his band were
It's products. They were MissouFians or
ganiZed 10 defend their own frontier and
10 retaliate upon their murderous foes.
That the people of Jackson county the
starting point Of the Ouantrell men and
one OF the centers of their operations, re-
gard these survivors as heroes of war Is
cot 10 be doubted" saws the correspond
ent OF the POst-Dispatch. Quantrell was
shot down BY federal soldiers in Ken
lucky a month after the surrender OF
General Lee, and he died from his wounds
IN a hospital at Louisville shortly after
ward The shocking and horrifying facts
of the civil war appear TO be forgotten,
and our people are only concerned with
the barbarities perpetrated in the Philip
pines. The Missouri border in ISs1-S5 was
the scene of events which make the
cruelties enacted in the Philippines pale
In contrast.