The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-10

OuL Ills DIOlASIs FTdI1k JdA16S, was
one of the most ferocious and brutal
of the gang. Regrettab1e as it is, the
judgment Of God has not yet over
taken him.
Seen by Federal Officer.
They crossed into Kansas without
molestation or interference, although
a Federal officer who was stationed
at Aubrey with about 100 men, saw
the desperadoes enter the state a short
distance from his post without max
ing any effort to intercept them. For
some extraordinary reason. which does
tailed. No warning of its danger
reached the doomed town, although
two messengers made strenuous eff
forts to give it notice. One started
from Quindaro on fast horse, which
he rode at the top of its speed until
the animal fell dead from exhaustion.
The other man started from Eudora,
eight miles east of Lawrence, but his
horse stumbled and threw the rider
with such force that he died the next
day.
In the summer of 1853, I was sta
toned at Lawrence as provost mar
shall of the district of Kansas, and my
wife and I took lodging at the Ell
bridge house. The building was brick
four stories in height, facing Massa-
chusetts street on the east and run
ming through to Vermont street on the
west. The ground floor was occupied
by dry goods, clothing and drug stores.
On the second floor was the clerks
office, dining room and two large par
lors, one of which I occupied as an
office. On the third and fourth floors
were the guest rooms. Our rooms
were on the third floor and looked out
on Massachusetts, and Winthrope
streets.
Rumors of possible raids had
reached US in the summer and pick
cts had been stationed on the princi-
pal approaches for some weeks, but
as time continued and nothing fur
ther was heard, thew were Withdrawn.
The town was unarmed. Expecting
arms, the mayor had collected the
few old muskets and Belgian rifles
belonging to the town authorities and
stored them in a small building on the
bank of the river, where they were
practically inaccessible: and only a
few of the citizens had weapons in
their houses.
Awakened by the Firing.
On the morning of August 81, was
awakened about 4:S0 by the rapid dis
charge of firearms on Massachusetts
street, and when I arose and looked
from the window, I saw body of
horsemen riding rapidly up the street
toward the hotel, firing pistols into the
houses on both sides of the street. I
told my wife that the guerillas had
taken the town and we began to dress
hastily. Soon the hotel gong sounded
loudly and the guests fastened into
the corridors from their rooms. Many
OF them were scantily attired and a
hasty consultation was held. Their
first idea was to escape by the rear,
but just then a revolver cracked and,
looking from a window into the back
yard, saw Joseph Eldridge, the land
lords brother, lying at the foot of the
high fence with which the yard was
enclosed. He was evidently wounded.
I saw also that Vermont and Win
thrope streets were crowded with men
and knew that escape was impossible
in that quarter and that the building
was surrounded. Resistance was then
suggested but that was soon found to
be out of the question, as upon fnves-
tigation we could only muster three
or four weapons; and I was urged to
surrender the house as speedily as
possible.
Re-entering my room, took a pill
low slip from the bed and waved it
steady fusillade had been kept up on
the windows at the front of the house,
but when 1 appeared an order was
given to cease firing and one of the
raiders, whom I afterwards learned
was Dick Yeager, stepped from the
street to the sidewalk and asked if
we had surrendered.
Agreed to Surrender.
1 replied that we would upon con-
ditton that the men should be held
as prisoners and protected, and that
the women should not be molested.
He shouted back:
"All right. Come down. Your peo-
pie won't be hurt
If anything can be placed to the
credit of the guerillas, it is the fact
that their promise was kept to the
letter. Not one of the sixty or sixty
five people who were surrendered then
were injured or molested, further than
to be searched for money or valuables.
And here 1 want to correct mis-
statement which has appeared in one
of the many written descriptions of
the raid to the effect that I surrender
ed the town. The raiders had pos
session of it for sometime before I
saw them or knew of their presence.
Going down to the clerks room on
the next floor, I found the stairway
leading from the street crowded with
men, and asked one of them to bring
one of their officers to me. He at
once disappeared and in about five
minutes the notorious and dreaded
Terror of the Border stood facing me.
Quantren was then 26 years old
and about five feet ten inches in
height He had bluish-gray eyes and
his hair and moustache were of a
sandy brown. He was slender and
graceful in build and there was moth
ing in his appearance to indicate the
fiend incarnate he really was. AS he
came up to where I stood Arthur
Spicer, a well known citizen who had
known Quantren in so and 81 when
he had spent some time in Lawrence
under the name of Charley Hart. in
troduced US, saying, "Quantrell, this
is Captain Banks"
After nodding somewhat stiffly to
each other, Quantren inquired if I
was In the Federal service, and on
being told that I was. wanted to know
what was doing there and how many
men I had. While telling him had
no men, one of the gang said:
That's not so. for we cleaned up your
gang little while ago." I then re-
-memhered there was. a cann- of TWEEN