Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-06-21
JENNISON'S JAYHAwKERS.
Something of the Personality of the
Nan Who Gave Kansas Its Nickname.

"Col. c. +. Jennison was i'm many
respects one OF the most remarkable
men In Kansas in her remarkable early
day" said an old Kansan. to whom
the early history of that state is as
| familiar as a book. He arrived in the
territory in 1851, in time to take n
prominent part in the struggle by
which Kansas was prevented from be-
ing made 4 slave state, q struggle
which went farther To precipitate the
rebellion than any other one factor
and from that time until the close Of
the war he was what one may we'll call
busy. Born in jefferson county. y. Y.
in 1894, he removed to Wisconsin.
where he graduated in medicine. and
from there he went TO Ossawatomie,
kans.. the home of old John Brown.
Almost Immediately after his arrival,
his anti-slaVery sentiments becoming
known, he IVES ordered to leave. but he
so conducted himself that he was able
To make the other fellows leave, going
so far as TO take the men with whom
he had surrounded himself and dis
perse the United States court sitting
ct Fort Scott, over which Judge Joseph
Williams presided. He had a forcible
way of expressing himself and on one
occasion. when a pro-slavery posse had
arrested a Free State man named Ben
Rice, Jennison demanded his release.
The answer came:
Ben Rice win not be released until
the gates of he'll open, unless by order
of the court.
ITO which Jennison replied:
The gates of your tabernacle will
soon open.
And with his force he overcame the
guard and set the prisoner free
While Senator James H. Lane was
posing and issuing orders as general of
the Kansas brigade, for which he never
was commissioned, he sent Col Jenni-
son an order to issue certain arms TO
a militia company, which the colonel
returned with the Endorsement.
A colonel. regularly mustered in,
ranks a United States Senator without
a commission
'Jennison's regiment, the Seventh
Kansas Cavalry. of which he was plac-
ed in command early in 1861, was
known throughout the Western armies
as 'Jennison's Jayhawkers,' term
which has since become the cant name
for all Kansans. The regiment was
! 200 strong. and it was a scourge to
the Missouri border counties, taking
horses and mules and freeing slaves by
hundreds, who swept over into Kansas
to avoid being recaptured. Such was
his reputation as a raider that the
commonest pedigree for horse in
Kansas was by Jennison, out of Miss
ouri
"A reputation for righteousness
chung to the regiment all through the
war, and II gained a name much wors"
than it deserved, for by common agree
ment, in whatever army it CHANGED to
be, whenever a soldier was caught
raiding a farmers henroost, pig pen.
or smokehouse, he always announced
himself a member of the Seventh Kan
sas.
After the war Jennison served as a
member of the city council of Leaven-
worth. and of both houses of the state
legislature at different times, and died
in 1884.
For many years, and, in fact. up to
Jennison's death, a feud existed be
tween him and Col. Daniel r. Anthony.
a brother of Susan b. Anthony a news
paper man, and now for more than
thirty years the editor and proprietor
of the Leavenworth Times For a time
as often as they met they drew their
pistols and commenced shooting
though l don't know that either ever
hurt the other There used to be cold
story of a Boston man, who wenl &c
Leavenworth Just after the war, stop
ping at the Planters House. then the
swepest hotel in the town. Corning
down TO breakfast late on the morning
after his arrival, he fcrnd himself and