Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1904-01-21
Entered at the postofice at Baxter Spring
Kansas. as second-class matter.
THURSDAY, JANUARY Fl.

reached Boonville, he left it and.
disguised az a wood chopper, made
his way across the country on foot
to the Missippi river, where he
reached a boat that carried him
safely back to civilization.
But this state of affairs did not
last always. BY and by forebear-
ance ceased to be virtue. The Free
State men organized under leaders
brave and true az ever wore spurs
or drew swords. Jim Lane was
their captain with Jas. Montgom-
cry, D. r. Anthony, Charles Robin
son, H. Miles Moore, Sam Walker,
Frank Dreaming, Ed. Smith, and
other dauntless heroes az first lieu
tenants. John Brown was a free
lance, but his lance was unerring
and sharp as a Damascus blade.
The Free State men were armed
with Sharp's rifles and Colts revol-
vers, and they knew how to use
their weapons.
The battles of Hickory Point,
Franklin, Wakarusha, and Black
Jack followed each other in success
sion, and the Free State men fol-
lowed the Border Ruffians until
what was left of them were lost to
view in the Missouri bottoms and
Snye hills. When once headed for
Missouri, the motley gang of but
ternuts, forgetting all about the
slaves they never owned, put their
old plantation horses and stolen
mules to a speed that would have
made Nancy Hanks ashamed of
herself. From Hickory Point to the
Missouri river, and from Black Jack
to the little Blue, the roads were
lined with squirrel rifles, flint lock
shot guns, coon skin caps, and but
ternut overcoats with here and
there an exhausted horse and mule
that had been abandoned by their
riders in their wild flight for life
and liberty. 1t was there, Mr.. Edit
or, where your breezy Border Ruff
an correspondent no doubt lost his
mule and other old things "scat-
tered around loose" because if
there was ever anything loose on
the borders of Kansas in Territori-
al days il was these wild-eyed Mis-
sourians when fleeing from the
Free State wrath that was in red
hot pursuit. Not one in fifty of
these lawless creatures could read
or write or ever owned or expected
to own as much as the toe nail of a
slave. They came into Kansas at
their masters bidding, carrying
with them such worldly goods as
they possessed; i. e., old spawned
horses that had been borrowed or
mules stolen from Free State set
tiers, old shot guns or squirrel ri
fles, coon skin cape, with long
streamers, Kentucky jeans pants
with patch upon patch, drab color
ed shirts, worse for the wear and
somewhat odoriferous by reason Of
the proverbial aversion of the Bor-
Ruffians to soap and water; bedrab-
bled butternut overcoats, raw-hide
foot gear all tattered and torn, and
empty bottles of the moon-shiners
poorest. Such was the cut and jib
of the Missouri "Pukes" who invad.
ed Kansas to rob and murder the
Free State settlers and make the
Territory a slave state.
Their leaders, Atchison, String
fellow, Doniphan, Burns, Jackson
Buford, and 10 Shelby were men OF
intelligence and knew what they
wanted; but the common herd that
followed them and did their bid
ding. were ignorant as the mules
they rode. They were what were
commonly called in the slave states
"po white trash"
Therefore, Mr.. Editor, in view OF
all these crimes and misdemeanors
committed ny these Border Ruff
ans, is II any wonder that John