The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-04
OLDFREE-STATER
TELLS Of KANSAS
Recalls Some History When
Jayhawkers and Border
RufIians ClaShed.
THIS WAS IN DAYS
WHEN JOHN BROWN LIVED
Tells About the Old LecomptOn
Constitution and How Gov
ernOr Lost Job.

There are not many survivors OF the
old Free State party who under the lead
crship OF Jim Lane made Kansas terri
tory Il free state and kept il So but am
one OF the few" The speaker WAS Cap
thin Orlando III. Macauey OF Denver. e
hearty. vigorous gentleman who has just
passed his sgd birthday and who with
his wife is visiting in salt Lake. guests
or The family Of L. ". Curtis. sT7 First
avenue. He was talking with The Trlb
une and continuing, said:
Yes. IL is long willie ago since the
people made stand for free soil. free
speech, free men and Fremont, the old
rallying cry among the supporters OF John
the men who rallied TO that battle cry
were the men who fought 10 keep Kan
sas free territory and who under the
leadership OF jim Lane did so.
Strenuous Days There.
Those were strenuous times, my boy.
those days when encounters were fire.
qucnt between the Free State settlers and
The border ruffians OF Missouri, who made
III practice TO cross over into Kansas
I for the purpose of driving us out and TO
Ncarry the elections, They never took any
trouble to conceal their Illegal voting.
i recall one instance. II was when
walker was territorial governor of Kan
sas. II was of the greatest importance
that the free settlers should control the
territorial legislature. The majority OF
the Inhabitants OF the territory were Free
as Jayhawkers. This was in 1857. Prior
to that year the armed bands OF border
rufdans from Missouri had invaded the
state and always elected ipro-slavcry leg
islaturcs. II was as l have said. abso
lutcly necessary for the Free StaterS to
win that year. The old legislature had
in September OF 1857 met at Lecompton
and adopted 81 pro- slavery constitution.
II was known as the Lecompton constitu-
ton and il was adopted at the election.
the Free Staters not voting on the only
clause submitted. as they had never rec
ognizcd the old territorial Legislature.
Had to Elect Free Slater.
Hence in view of this IL was ncces-
sary 10 elect the Free State legislative
ticket. The border ruffians must be kept
5ut. jim Lane was the leader. We had
Companies OF men stationed at various
points to keep them out
Il had n company at Westport. on the
Missouri river: now part of Kansas
City. and VIC did keep out large num-
crowd controlled the polling places ar
when the vote was counted il was dis
covered that 1904 names were on the
polling lists as having voted that were
taken from a city directory OF Cincin-
natl Governor Walker as q member of
the cnnvassing board threw this vote out.
and for so doing lost hts job. being re-
moved by President Buchanan. The new
Free State legislature which was elected
in October, 1857. submitted the whole of
the Lccompton constitution to the people
and IL was overwhelmingly rejected.
1T was a long struggle, and there were
many fights between the Free State and
thc slavery men. II was at Ossawatomie
where John Brown. the marvellous OLD
man. defended the town against force
OF border ruftiians numbering fifteen
times his own until failing ammunition
compelled him TO retreat"
Served Through Civil War.
Captain MacauIey was a soldier in the
Civil war, serving the entire war. His
company. RI OF the Thirteenth Kansas
infantry. They were in the second brigade
nrSt division. army Of the frontier and
Were I'm the southwest. This brigade was