,scanned by ,roger ,taft1 great-grandson of the author4 ,produced for ,,pg by ,jim ,tinsley jtinsleypobox4com ,frontispiece3 ,pardee ,butler ,,personal ,,recollections ,,of ,,pardee ,,butler ,,with ,,reminiscences1 ,,by ,,his ,,daughter1 ,,mrs4 ,,rosetta ,b4 ,,hastings ,,and ,,additional ,,chapters ,,eld4 ,,john ,,boggs ,,and ,,eld4 ,j4 ,b4 ,,mccleery4 ,,cincinnati ,,standard ,,publishing ,,company #ahhi ,,preface4 ,i have not attempted to write a complete biography of my father1 but merely to supplement his ,recollections with a few of my own reminiscences4 ,he was a man who said little in his family about his early years1 or about any of the occurrences of his eventful life4 ,nor did he ever keep any journal1 or any account of his meetings1 or of the number that he baptized4 ,he seldom reported his meetings to the newspapers4 ,i think it was only during the few years that he was employed by missionary societies1 that he ever made reports of what he accomplished4 ,he had even destroyed the most of his old letters4 ,and so1 for nearly all information outside of my own recollections1 ,i have been indebted to the kindness of relatives and friends4 ,the later chapters have been written by men who knew my father intimately1 and men whose reputations are such as to give weight to their testimony4 ,to all of these friends ,i now offer my thanks for their kind assistance4 ,and to the public ,i offer this book1 not for its literary merit1 but as the tribute of a daughter to a loved father1 whose earnest devotion to duty was worthy of imitation4 ,,mrs4 ,,rosetta ,b4 ,,hastings4 ,farmington1 ,kansas1 ,april #bc1ahhi4 ,,introduction ,in this country inherited fortunes1 or ancestral honors1 have little effect on a man's reputation2 but inherited disposition and early surroundings have much effect on his character4 ,my father's ancestors were from ,new ,england4 ,his father1 ,phineas ,butler1 came from ,saybrook1 ,connecticut1 where the ,congregational ,churches framed the ,saybrook platform4 ,his mother's people1 the ,pardees1 came from ,norfork1 ,connecticut4 ,the ,pardees were said to have been descendants of the ,french ,huguenots4 ,ebenezer ,pardee emigrated to ,marcellus1 now known as ,skaneateles1 ,onondaga ,co41 ,new ,york4 ,there he died in #ahaa1 leaving his wife ,ann ,pardee1 7known for many years as grandmother ,pardee7 a widow1 with nine sons and two daughters4 ,the eldest daughter1 ,sarah ,pardee1 was there married in #ahac1 to ,phineas ,butler2 and there my father1 who was the second of seven children1 was born1 ,march #i1 #ahaf4 ,in the autumn of #ahah1 ,phineas ,butler1 of whom ,i shall hereafter speak as grandfather ,butler1 went to ,wadsworth1 ,medina ,co41 ,ohio4 ,there a settlement had been begun three years before in the heavy timber1 and there were only a few small clearings here and there in the woods4 ,my grandmother came on with her brother the following spring4 ,she had three small children1 but they made the journey in a sled1 in bad weather1 cutting their own roads1 and camping in the woods at night4 ,grandmother ,pardee came on later4 ,she was a woman of great energy1 and brought up her sons so well that they all became leading men in the communities in which they lived4 ,grandmother ,butler was also a capable1 fearless woman1 and so calm and firm that it was said no vexation was ever known to ruffle her temper4 ,their cabins were built of logs1 with hewed puncheon floors and doors2 and on the roof1 in the place of nailed shingles1 were split shakes1 fastened on with poles and wooden pins4 ,but grandfather had brought a few nails 7made by a blacksmith7 from ,new ,york1 and used them in his house4 ,when a neighbor died they hewed out puncheons to make a coffin1 and finding only eighteen nails in the neighborhood1 grandfather1 by torchlight1 pulled fourteen more out of his house to finish the coffin4 ,their lives were full of hardship and privation4 ,grandfather was a famous hunter1 and his well aimed rifle sometimes furnished game that kept the neighborhood from starvation4 ,he was dependent on bartering furs at some distant trading post1 for his supplies of salt1 needles1 ammunition and other necessary articles that could not be made at home4 ,often1 after a hard day's work1 he hunted half of the night to obtain coonskins and other furs4 ,father said that one night grandfather and ,orin ,loomis were out hunting coons with the dogs1 having taken their axes to chop down coon trees1 but no guns1 when they found a bear1 on a small island1 in the middle of a swamp4 ,but ,i find his bear story so well told in the ,wadsworth ,memorial that ,i will quote from that3 ,in the fall of #ahbc1 as ,butler and ,loomis were returning after midnight from one of their hunts1 and had arrived within a mile or two of home it was noticed that the dogs were missing4 ,presently a noise was heard1 far back in the rear4 ',hark6 ,what was that8' said ,loomis4 ,they listened awhile1 and agreed it was dogs1 sure4 ',orr1 let's go back1' said ,butler4 ',no1 it is too late1' answered ,loomis4 ',but1' said ,butler1 ',i'll warrant the dogs are after a bear2 don't you hear old ,beaver8 ,it sounds to me like the bark of old ,beaver when he is after a bear4' ,butler was bound to go back1 and so they started4 ,the scene of the disturbance was finally reached1 after traveling two or three miles4 ,the dogs had found a bear2 but it was in the middle of ,long ,swamp1 and the alders were so thick that there was scarcely room for man1 dog or bear to get through4 ,this did not deter ,phin4 ,butler1 however4 ,they got near enough to find that the bear was stationed on a spot a little drier than the main swamp1 surrounded by alder bushes1 and that she was determined not to leave it4 ,the dogs would bay up close1 when the old bear would run out after them4 ,they would retreat1 and then she would run back to her nest again4 ',we can't kill her to-night1' said ,loomis1 'we will have to go home and come down again in the morning4' ',no1' replied ,butler1 ',i am afraid she will get away4 ,we can kill her to-night1 ,i guess4 ,you can go and hiss on the dogs on one side1 and ,i will come up on the other2 and when she runs out after them1 ,i'll cut her back-bone off with the ax4' ,they concluded to try this plan1 and came very near succeeding4 ,as the old bear rushed past1 ,butler put the whole bit of the ax into her back1 but failed to cut the back-bone by an inch or two4 ,enraged and desperate1 she sprang upon the dogs1 who1 emboldened by the presence of their masters1 came too close4 ,with one of her enormous paws she came down on old ,beaver1 making a large wound in his side1 which nearly killed him4 ,he was hardly able to crawl out of the swamp4 ,the fight was then abandoned until morning1 as without ,beaver to lead the dogs it was useless to proceed4 ,it was difficult to get the old dog home1 but he finally got well4 ,early in the morning the hunters were on the ground4 ,this time they had their guns with them1 but found the old bear was gone4 ,on examining her nest of the night before1 her unusual ferocity was explained4 ,she had a litter of cubs1 which1 however1 she had succeeded in removing1 and must have carried them off in her mouth4 ,in a short time the dogs had tracked her out4 ,she was found a half mile lower down the swamp1 where she had a new nest4 ,butler's rifle soon dispatched her2 but her cubs1 four in number1 and not more than three or four weeks old1 were taken alive1 and kept for pets4 ,father said that he could remember when they brought the bears home1 growling1 snarling--the crossest little things he ever saw4 ,strange as it may seem1 my father did not inherit grandfather's love for hunting4 ,i never saw him shoot a gun1 and he has never owned one within my recollection4 ,orin ,loomis was often heard to say that ,phin4 ,butler was the most courageous man he ever knew4 ,he was quick-tempered1 but warm-hearted1 and full of fun1 and as honest and sincere as he was bold and fearless4 ,one time he was traveling1 and stopped at a tavern4 ,the strangers present were discussing the statement that every man has his price1 and each man was telling what was the least price for which he would tell a lie4 ,finally one man said that he would tell a lie for five dollars4 ,grandfather's impetuous nature could stand it no longer1 and he burst out scornfully3 ,tell a lie6 ,tell a lie for five dollars6 ,sell your manhood6 ,sell your soul for five dollars6 ,you must rate yourself very cheap6 ,and then1 they said1 he fairly preached them a sermon on the nobility of perfect truthfulness1 and the littleness and meanness of lying and deceitfulness4 ,my grandmother was also very conscientious1 which was illustrated by the fact that on her death-bed1 after giving some good advice to her daughters1 she charged them to carry home a cup of coffee that she had borrowed4 ,an old ,wadsworth friend1 writing to us since father's death1 says of him3 ,from a boy ,pardee was remarkable for his uprightness1 and bold and strict honesty1 and it was a maxim among the boys to say1 ',as honest as ,pard1 ,butler4' ,he and his father before him were specimens of puritanical honesty and courage1 and had they lived in the days of ,cromwell and in ,england1 would doubtless have been in ,cromwell's army4 ,scarcely was the settlement begun when a school was taught in one room of a log dwelling-house4 ,when but three years old1 father was a pupil in the first school that was taught in the new school-house1 by ,miss ,lodema ,sackett1 and continued to attend school a part of every year4 ,books were scarce1 but he was fond of reading1 and read1 over and over1 all that he could obtain4 ,the ,western ,reserve was settled mainly by ,new ,englanders1 who were intelligent and ,god-fearing men2 and religious meetings were held from the first2 printed sermons being read aloud when there was no preacher4 ,a ,sunday-school was organized in ,wadsworth in #ahbj4 ,the most influential man in the neighborhood was ,judge ,brown1 an uncle of ,john ,brown of ,ossawatomie4 ,he was noted for the purity of his life1 the dignity of his demeanor1 and the firmness with which he defended his views4 ,he was a bitter opponent of slavery1 and1 what was strange in those days1 a strong temperance man4 ,before leaving ,connecticut he had heard ,lyman ,beecher deliver his famous temperance sermons1 and he came to ,wadsworth with his soul ablaze with temperance zeal4 ,the community was strongly influenced by him1 and father said that he was much indebted to ,judge ,brown for his temperance and anti-slavery principles4 ,even in those early days ,wadsworth contained a public library1 a lyceum where the young men discussed the questions of the day1 and an academy4 ,father took part in the lyceum debates1 though he was said to be slow of speech2 and attended the ,wadsworth ,academy from its beginning1 in #ahcj4 ,one of its most successful teachers was a shrewd ,scotchman named ,john ,mc,gregor4 ,father and several young men from a distance1 who boarded at grandfather's and attended this school1 spent their evenings studying their lessons1 or reading and discussing some good book4 ,dick's scientific works were among the books thus read4 ,there were many ,lutherans1 ,dutch ,reformers1 and ,mennonites near ,wadsworth1 and there was a perfect ferment of religious discussion4 ,during father's boyhood1 ,alexander ,campbell and ,walter ,scott had been preaching the union of ,christians on the ,bible alone1 and there was great enthusiasm4 ,eld4 ,newcomb1 an honored ,baptist preacher1 together with my grandfather1 and ,samuel ,green--the father of ,almon ,b4 ,green and ,philander ,green--had been reading the writings of ,a4 ,campbell for several years4 ,almon ,b4 ,green had been made skeptical by the unintelligible orthodox preaching4 ,but one day1 after reading the first four books of the ,new ,testament1 he exclaimed1 ,no uninspired man ever wrote that book4 ,he read on until he came to ,acts ii4 #ch1 which he took to ,eld4 ,newcomb1 asking him its meaning4 ,it means what it says1 was his reply4 ,in a few days ,almon was baptized by ,eld4 ,newcomb1 simply on his confession of faith in ,christ1 without telling any experience1 as usually required by the ,baptists4 ,soon afterwards four families1 the ,new-combs1 ,greens1 ,butlers and ,bonnels1 all ,baptists1 united to form a church on the apostolic pattern4 ,then ,william ,hayden came with his fiery eloquence and wondrous songs2 the people were stirred up1 opposition aroused1 the various creeds were discussed with renewed energy1 and the church grew and multiplied4 ,but father and his uncle ,aaron1 who was eight years older than himself1 had been made skeptical by orthodox mysticism and the disputes of so many wrangling churches4 ,in ,september1 #ahcc1 ,a4 ,campbell came to ,wadsworth to attend a great yearly meeting held in ,william ,eyle's barn4 ,the following account of an incident that occurred at that time1 ,i quote from ,history of the ,disciples on the ,western ,reserve4 ,an incident occurred at this time which displays ,mr ,campbell's character for discernment and candor4 ,aaron ,pardee1 a gentleman residing in the vicinity1 an unbeliever in the gospel1 attracted by ,campbell's abilities as a reasoner1 and won by his fairness in argument1 resolved to obtain an interview and propose freely his difficulties4 ,mr4 ,campbell received him with such frankness that he opened his case at once1 saying1 ',i discover1 ,mr4 ,campbell1 you are well prepared in the argument and defenses of the ,christian religion4 ,i confess to you frankly there are some difficulties in my mind which prevent my believing the ,bible1 particularly the ,old ,testament4' ,mr4 ,campbell replied1 ',i acknowledge freely1 ,mr4 ,pardee1 there are difficulties in the ,bible--difficulties not easy to explain1 and some1 perhaps1 which in our present state of information can not be cleared up4 ,but1 my dear sir1 when ,i consider the overwhelming testimony in its favor1 so ample1 complete and satisfactory1 ,i can not resist the conviction of its divine origin4 ,the field of prophetic inspiration is so varied and full1 and the internal evidence so conclusive1 that1 with all the difficulties1 the preponderance of evidence is overwhelming in its favor4' ,this reply1 so fair and manly1 and so different from the pulpit denunciations of 'skeptics1' 'infidels1' etc41 to which he had been accustomed1 quite disarmed him1 and led him to hear the truth and its evidence in a much more rational state of mind4 ,within a year he became fully satisfied of the truthfulness of the ,holy ,scriptures1 and apprehending clearly their testimony to the claims of ,jesus of ,nazareth as the anointed ,son of ,god1 he was prepared to yield to him the obedience of his life4 ,my father was present with his uncle ,aaron at that interview with ,mr4 ,campbell1 and he too was led by it to listen favorably to ,mr4 ,campbell's clear and powerful presentation of divine truth4 ,he followed ,mr4 ,campbell to other meetings1 and listened1 read1 and investigated until he1 too1 became convinced of the truth of the ,bible4 ,his uncle ,aaron1 who is still living1 said in a recent letter3 ,i remember going to meeting with ,pardee sometime about a year before ,i was immersed1 when he put some questions to me on the subject of religion1 which were very difficult to answer4 ,in ,june1 #ahce1 at a meeting held in ,mr4 ,clark's new barn1 my father and his uncle1 ,aaron ,pardee1 confessed their ,saviour1 and were baptized by ,elder ,newcomb in a stream on ,elder ,newcomb's farm4 ,a brother and sister of ,a4 ,b4 ,green1 and a sister of ,holland ,brown1 were baptized at the same time4 ,holland ,brown had been baptized the previous week4 ,he walked down to the water with father1 and remembers hearing him exclaim1 on the way to the water1 ,lord1 ,i believe6 ,help thou mine unbelief4 ,he also remembers hearing ,elder ,newcomb remark1 ,now we can take everything2 we have ,bro4 ,butler and ,bro4 ,pardee to fight the infidels1 and the ,browns to fight the ,universalists4 ,holland ,brown's brother1 ,leonard1 and his wife--he had married my father's eldest sister1 ,ann ,butler--had been baptized not far from that time4 ,holland ,brown relates the following incident1 which occurred some time afterward3 ,bro4 ,butler was away from home1 and driving a horse1 which1 though of fine appearance1 was badly wind-broken4 ,at times the horse appeared perfectly sound1 and at one of those times ,bro4 ,butler was offered a handsome sum for him4 ,no1 said ,bro4 ,butler1 ,i can not take that sum for the horse1 he is badly wind-broken4 ,why didn't you take it8 the man was a jockey1 anyhow2 asked some one in my hearing4 ',because1' was the ringing answer1 ',i think less of the price of a horse than of my own soul4' ,about that time father began teaching school in neighboring districts1 which he followed for several years4 ,but all of his spare time was spent in studying the ,bible1 church history1 the writings of ,a4 ,campbell1 and other religious books4 ,it was at that time that he began committing the ,new ,testament to memory4 ,grandfather ,butler and ,samuel ,green were the leaders of the new organization1 as they had been of the ,baptist ,church1 in ,eld4 ,newcomb's absence--for he was away evangelizing much of the time4 ,they called on the young people to take part in their social meetings on the ,lord's day1 at first only asking them to read a passage of ,scripture1 afterward to talk and pray1 and1 as they gained confidence in themselves1 they were asked to lead the meetings4 ,thus there grew1 in that church1 one after the other1 within a few years1 eight preachers3 ,a4 ,b4 ,green1 ,wm4 ,moody1 ,holland ,brown1 ,leonard ,brown1 ,philander ,green1 ,b4 ,f4 ,perky1 ,pardee ,butler and ,l4 ,l4 ,carpenter4 ,a4 ,b4 ,green had been preaching a year or more before father was baptized1 but ,i do not know which of the others began first1 nor do ,i know the exact time when father began to preach1 but it was about #ahcg or #ahch4 ,he was not ordained at ,wadsworth1 for the church at that time doubted whether there was any ,scriptural authority for ordination4 ,he was ordained some six or seven years afterward1 in #ahdd1 at ,sullivan4 ,in such times of religious excitement it was not necessary for a man to have a college education1 to become an acceptable preacher4 ,but father saw the advantages of a good education1 and resolved to attend ,a4 ,campbell's school1 then known as ,buffalo ,academy1 but which was soon changed to ,bethany ,college4 ,but the means to acquire an education must be obtained by his own exertions4 ,about the year #ahci grandfather sold his place in ,wadsworth1 and moved to the ,sandusky ,plains1 a level1 marshy prairie1 in northwestern ,ohio4 ,part of the ,plains belonged to the ,wyandotte ,indian ,reservation1 and was opened to settlement1 a few years afterward1 by the removal of the ,indians to ,wyandotte1 ,kansas4 ,father and grandfather made sheep-raising their business while there4 ,father herded sheep in summer and taught school in winter4 ,and1 while herding sheep1 he finished committing the ,new ,testament to memory4 ,he could repeat it from beginning to end1 and even in his later years he remembered it so well that he could repeat whole chapters at once4 ,i never saw the time that any one could repeat a verse in the ,new ,testament to him1 but that he could tell the book1 and nearly always the chapter in which it was found4 ,he and his father's family put their membership into the church at ,letimberville1 some miles distant2 and there he occasionally preached4 ,he sometimes went back to ,wadsworth1 and on the way back and forth stopped and preached for the little church at ,sullivan1 ,ashland ,co4 ,there he made the acquaintance of ,sibjl ,s4 ,carleton1 the daughter of ,joseph ,carleton1 one of the leading members of the church4 ,they were married ,august #ag1 #ahdc2 and he never had cause to regret his choice1 for she proved to him a helpmeet indeed4 ,while living there1 at the solicitation of his neighbors1 he held a debate with a ,universalist preacher1 to the satisfaction of his friends and the discomfiture of his opponent4 ,many parts of the ,plains were covered with water1 and were musical with frogs in the spring1 but in hot weather they dried up1 leaving here and there a stagnant pond4 ,i have heard father tell how one of his neighbors tried to break a field by beginning on the outside1 and plowing farther in as the land dried up4 ,but the snakes and frogs grew thicker and thicker1 as he neared the center4 ,at length the grass seemed almost alive with snakes1 and his big ox-team became wild with fright1 and ran away1 and he could not get them back there again4 ,of course1 such a country was unhealthful1 and father's family was much troubled with sickness4 ,his parents both died2 my mother was nearly worn out with the ague2 and he not only suffered from poor general health1 but from a sore throat1 and had to quit preaching4 ,he moved to ,sullivan1 but without any permanent benefit to his health4 ,he did not at that time attribute his sore throat entirely to the climate1 but thought it a chronic derangement that would utterly unfit him for a preacher4 ,many years afterward he wrote of that disappointment as follows3 ,for five years ,i saw myself sitting idly by the wayside1 hopeless and discouraged4 ,i felt somewhat like a traveler1 parched with thirst1 on a wide and weary desert1 who sees the mirage of green trees and springs of cool water that has mocked his vision1 slowly fade away out of his sight4 ,so seemed to perish my castles in the air4 ,at that time making proclamation of the ancient gospel was too vigorous a work1 and too full of hardship and exposure to be undertaken by any except those possessing stalwart good health4 ,if ,i had been predestinated to the life ,i have actually lived1 and if it were necessary that ,i should be chastened to bear with patience all its disabilities1 then1 ,i suppose1 this discipline ,i actually got might be considered good and useful4 ,if ,i have been able to bear provocation with patience1 and to labor cheerfully without wages1 and at every personal sacrifice1 this lesson was learned when ,i saw all my hope dashed in pieces4 ,in the spring of #ahej father sold his property and decided to go to ,iowa4 ,shortly before the time of starting1 my little sister and baby brother took the scarlet fever and1 ere long1 they were both laid in the old graveyard4 ,heart-broken as my parents were1 they did not give up the long1 lonely journey4 ,father bought a farm in ,iowa1 and built a log house on it1 intending to become a farmer4 ,he and mother united with the nearest church1 at ,long ,grove1 sixteen miles distant4 ,father did not tell them at first that he had been a preacher1 but they questioned him and learned the facts4 ,as his health improved he occasionally preached for them4 ,eld4 ,n4 ,a4 ,mc,connell gives the following account of his preaching in ,iowa3 ,i first met him at his temporary home in ,posten's ,grove1 in the fall of #ahej4 ,during that winter he taught a school in ,dewitt1 ,clinton ,co41 and preached occasionally at ,long ,grove4 ,the next spring he attended a co-operation meeting at ,walnut ,grove1 ,jones ,co41 at which he was employed to labor with me in what was called ,district ,no4 #b4 ,his district included the counties of ,scott1 ,clinton1 ,jackson1 ,jones1 ,cedar1 ,johnson1 a part of ,muscatine1 ,linn and ,benton1 and west to the ,missouri river4 ,he preached at ,le,claire1 ,long ,grove1 ,allen's ,grove1 ,simpson's1 ,big ,rock1 ,green's ,school-house1 ,walnut ,grove1 ,marion1 ,dry ,creek1 ,pleasant ,grove1 ,burlison's1 ,maquoketa and ,posten's ,grove1 as well as at numerous school-houses scattered over a large district of the country4 ,he did excellent work in preaching the word4 ,he was not a revivalist1 nor was his co-laborer1 yet there were a goodly number added to the ,lord during the year4 ,i think not less than one hundred4 ,the next year1 #aheb1 the annual meeting of the co-operation was held at ,dewitt1 ,clinton ,co4 ,at that meeting the district was divided into ,east and ,west ,no4 #b4 ,your father was assigned to the eastern division and ,i took the western4 ,his field included ,davenport1 ,long ,grove and ,allen's ,grove1 in ,scott ,co42 ,maquoketa and ,burlison's in ,jackson ,co41 and ,dewitt in ,clinton ,co4 ,he labored also in ,cedar ,co41 and did a grand work1 not so much in the numbers added as in the sowing the good seed of the ,kingdom1 and recommending our plea to the more intelligent and better informed of the various communities where he labored4 ,you will remember that he held in mind nearly the entire ,new ,testament1 so that he could quote it most accurately4 ,i think he had also the clearest and most minute details of the ,old ,testament history1 of any man ,i ever knew4 ,nor was his reading and recollection limited to ,bible details2 for he was very familiar ,with other history1 both sacred and profane4 ,i call to mind two sermons that he delivered4 ,one was based on the language of ,christ addressed to the ,woman of ,samaria1 at ,jacob's well--,john iv43 ',ye worship ye know not what4 ,we know what we worship2 for salvation is of the ,jews4' ,in this sermon he detailed the history of ,israel to the revolt under ,jereboam1 the history of ,jereboam and his successors until the overthrow of the ten tribes1 and the formation of the mongrel nation called ,samaritans4 ,in this he showed that ,god's promise--,ex4 xx41 ',in all places where ,i record my name1 ,i will meet with you and bless you1' was fully realized by the people of ,god1 and that a disregard of the law in harmony with this promise was followed by most disastrous results4 ,and that the same is true under the ,gospel--where his name is recorded1 and only there1 he now meets and blesses his people4 ,the second sermon was on the subject of ,justification by faith4' ,this was doubtless one of the very best efforts of his life4 ,i will not trouble you with the details of this grand effort1 since it was published in full in the ,evangelist in #aheb4 ,the sermon was published1 not by his request1 but by the unanimous voice of the ,state ,meeting held in ,davenport that year4 ,i am sorry that ,i can not give more of the details of his grand work in ,iowa4 ,the winter of #ahea-b was very cold1 but father did not stop for bad weather4 ,i remember that when he started to his appointment one cold morning mother cried for fear he would freeze to death4 ,the mail-carrier did freeze to death that day1 but father kept from freezing by walking4 ,the next summer was very rainy1 and mother was always anxious when there were high waters1 for there were no bridges1 and father always swam his horse across streams1 although he could not swim a stroke4 ,then he preached for several years in ,illinois1 and was gone for months at a time4 ,in ,july1 #ahed1 my little sister--for by that time ,i had another brother and sister--after a brief illness1 closed her eyes in death4 ,fortunately father was at home1 to mingle his tears with mother's1 over the little coffin4 ,the next spring father sold his ,iowa farm4 ,before leaving there an incident occurred that ,i distinctly remember4 ,the ,iowa ,legislature had passed some kind of temperance law1 and the people were to vote on it at the spring election4 ,our country lyceum formed itself into a mock court1 and tried ,king ,alcohol for various crimes and misdemeanors4 ,father was appointed prosecuting attorney1 and he went at it in earnest1 as he always did at anything he undertook4 ,he sent for every man in the vicinity who ever drank1 or who had good opportunities to observe the effect of drink on others1 to appear as a witness against ,king ,alcohol4 ,the trial lasted three evenings1 with ,increasing crowds4 ,father's adroitness in drawing facts from witnesses--often against their will--kept the ,audience laughing and applauding4 ,i remember hearing people say that he had mistaken his calling2 that he ought to have been a lawyer4 ,on the last evening1 ,when he addressed the jury1 he became eloquent4 ,he pictured the terrible effects of intemperance1 the ruined homes1 the weeping wives1 the ragged children4 ,he denounced ,king ,alcohol as guilty of every known crime--of stealing the bread from the mouths of children1 of robbing helpless women of everything they valued most1 of brutally shedding the blood of thousands1 and of filling the whole earth with violence1 until the cries of widows and orphans reached to high heaven4 ,when he finished1 the house rang with applause4 ,the attorney for the defense tried to reply1 but the boys said ,mr4 ,butler had spoiled his speech4 ,the jury brought in a verdict of guilty4 ,the election came off soon afterwards1 and people said that it was strongly influenced1 in that township1 by father's speech4 ,the next ,may1 mother1 my little brother1 and ,i1 went to my uncle ,gorham's1 near ,canton1 ,illinois2 while father went to ,kansas to buy land1 intending1 however1 to live several years at ,mt4 ,sterling1 ,illinois1 before moving to ,kansas4 ,,mrs4 ,,rosetta ,b4 ,,hastings4 ,,personal ,,recollections ,,chapter ,i4 ,i came to ,kansas in the spring of #ahee1 having been preaching in that part of ,illinois known as the ,military ,tract1 during the three preceding years2 but my residence was in ,cedar ,county1 ,iowa1 one hundred and fifty miles from my field of labor1 and twenty-six miles to the northwest of the city of ,davenport4 ,i had been employed for one year in ,iowa as a co-laborer with ,bro4 ,n4 ,a4 ,mc,connell2 but the church at ,davenport1 which was the strongest and richest church in the ,cooperation1 determined to sustain a settled pastor1 and this left the churches too poor to support two preachers1 and ,i was left to find another field of labor4 ,when ,i first came to ,cedar ,county ,i came simply as a farmer2 and there were but nine families in the township in which we settled4 ,but when the country came to be settled up the result was not favorable to the expectation that we should have prosperous churches in that region4 ,those who have watched the progress of the temperance reform in ,iowa have noticed that1 while the prohibitory law is enforced almost throughout the ,state1 there are yet exceptions in the cities of ,davenport and ,muscatine and the adjacent counties4 ,here the law is set at defiance4 ,this is owing to the presence of a ,german1 lager-beer-drinking1 law-defying population1 ,godless and ,christless1 and that turn the ,lord's day into a holiday4 ,this tendency had begun to be apparent before ,i left ,iowa4 ,when it became manifest that ,i could not any longer find a field of labor in ,southeastern ,iowa1 ,i was recommended to the churches in the counties of ,schuyler and ,brown1 in the ,military ,tract1 ,illinois4 ,my first introduction among them was dramatic1 if1 indeed1 we could give to an incident almost frivolous and laughable1 the dignity of a dramatic incident2 and yet the matter had a serious side to it4 ,i had been commended by ,bro4 ,bates1 editor of the ,iowa ,christian ,evangelist1 to the church at ,rushville1 where ,i held a meeting of days4 ,the meetings grew in interest1 there were some important additions1 and the church was greatly revived4 ,twelve miles from ,rushville was the town of ,ripley1 a small village1 where the people were engaged in the business of manufacturing pottery ware4 ,here two ,second ,adventist preachers1 a ,mr4 ,chapman and his wife1 were holding forth4 ,this ,mr4 ,chapman was a devout1 pious1 and earnest man1 and a good exhorter1 and had an unfaltering faith that the ,lord was immediately to appear4 ,but his wife was the smartest one in the family4 ,she was fluent and voluble4 ,she had an unabashed forehead and a bitter and defiant tongue4 ,it was her hobby to declaim against the popular idea of the existence of the human spirit apart from the body4 ,with her this was equivalent to a witch riding on a broomstick or going to heaven on a moonbeam4 ,spirit is breath--so she dogmatically affirmed--and when a man breathes out his last breath his spirit leaves his body4 ,but it was her especial delight to declaim against the ,pagan notion of the immortality of the soul1 and to affirm that the ,bible says nothing of the immortality of the soul4 ,a ,bro4 ,mc,pherson undertook to contest the matter with her1 but1 not finding the scripture he was looking for1 she exclaimed with bitter and vixenish speech1 ,ah6 ,you can't find it6 ,you can't find it6 ,it isn't there6 ,i told you so6 ,and thus this couple were fast demoralizing the church1 ,billy ,greenwell1 the richest man in the church1 being wholly carried away with this fanaticism4 ,john ,brown lived half way between ,ripley and ,rushville1 but was a member of the church at ,rushville4 ,bro4 ,brown was a man of good sense1 excellent character1 and had been a member of the ,legislature4 ,he attended our meeting at ,rushville1 and1 in the intervals of the meeting1 was full of questions concerning this heresy that had been sprung on them at ,ripley4 ,our meeting at ,rushville came to a close4 ,it had been a good meeting2 the church had been revived1 and there had been important additions4 ,i took dinner with ,bro4 ,brown1 and in the afternoon we rode toward ,ripley4 ,on crossing the ferry at ,crooked ,creek1 ,old ,rob ,burton1 the ferryman1 a tall1 stalwart ,kentuckian1 looking down on me1 asked1 ,are you the man that's goin' to preach at ,ripley to-night8 ,yes4 ,wall1 don't you know thar's a woman thar that's goin' to skin you8 ,well1 ,i don't know4 ,we shall see how it will be8 ,at ,rushville ,i had done my best1 and now1 being withdrawn from the excitement of the meeting1 felt exhausted2 and determined not to touch any debatable question that night4 ,the house was crowded with eager and expectant listeners4 ,my fame had gone before me1 and the woman preacher was present1 ready for a fight4 ,but1 alas6 ,my sermon was a bucket of cold water poured on the heads of my brethren4 ,at any other time it would have been accepted as a good and edifying exhortation2 but now1 how untimely6 ,the meeting was dismissed and the buzzing was as if a hive of bees had just been ready to swarm4 ,the woman's disciples were jubilant2 and1 above the din and hurly-burly1 ,i heard a thin1 squeaking voice say1 ,give that woman a ,bible1 and she would say more in five minutes than that man has said in his whole dis-c-o-u-rse4 ,this was ,billy ,greenwell4 ,brother ,brown said nothing that night2 but the next morning he said to me3 ,bro4 ,b41 the people were disappointed with you last night4 ,why1 ,bro4 ,b41 was it not a good sermon8 ,yes2 but it was not what the people expected4 ,bro4 ,b41 did the people expect me1 uninvited1 to pitch into a quarrel with which ,i have nothing whatever to do8 ,oh1 is that it8 ,well1 wait a little and you shall have an invitation4 ,bro4 ,brown went out1 and soon returned with a request that ,i should discuss the question that ,mr4 ,chapman and his wife had been debating4 ,i sat down and wrote out a statement of the subjects on which ,i proposed to speak in all the evenings of the coming week4 ,the first commanded universal attention3 ,does the spirit die when the body dies8 ,they had never thought of that4 ,they had been thunderstruck when this woman told them that the ,bible says nothing about the immortality of the soul1 but beyond this they had never gone4 ,there was probably more ,bible reading that day in ,ripley than any day before or since4 ,at night the house was jammed1 and the woman was there1 ,bible in hand4 ,i began3 ,the ,bible speaks of a man as composed of body1 soul and spirit4 ,the body is that material tabernacle in which a man dwells1 and which ,paul hoped to put off that he might be clothed with a house not made with hands1 eternal in the heavens4 ,the soul is that animal life we have in common with all living and material things4 ,thus ,jesus is said to have poured out his soul unto death4 ,but what of the spirit8 ,god is spirit1 and ,god can not die4 ,the angels are spirits1 and the angels can not die2 ,jesus says so4 ,man has a spirit1 and can man's spirit die8 ,but spirit sometimes means breath4 ,yes1 and heaven sometimes means the firmament above our heads1 where the birds fly4 ,but does it never mean more than this8 ,paradise sometimes means the happy garden where ,adam and ,eve dwelt2 but does it never mean more than that8 ,so1 granting that spirit sometimes means breath1 may it not also mean more than that8 ,when ,jesus said1 ',into thy hands ,i commend my spirit1' did he mean1 ',into thy hands ,i commend my breath'8 ,so1 when the disciples saw ,jesus walking on the water and cried out1 ',it is a spirit1' did ,jesus say to them1 ',this is an old wives' fable2 there is no such thing as a spirit'8 ,did he not rather say to them1--',it is ,i2 be not afraid4' ,so1 also1 when he appeared to them in a room1 the doors being shut1 and they cried out1 ',it is a spirit1' he said to them1 ',handle me and see2 for a spirit hath not flesh and bones1 as ye see me have4' ,in all this ,jesus encouraged the disciples to hold the idea which was then popular among the ,jews1 that the spirit may exist apart from the body1 and after the body is dead4 ,i thus discoursed to them for one hour in development of the ,bible teachings concerning human spirits2 and in my turn ridiculed the persons that had ridiculed the ideas that had evidently been held by ,jesus and the apostles4 ,mrs4 ,chapman had always invited objections2 but she was sure to make an endless talk over them4 ,i said1 ,we will not have an endless confabulation to-night2 but ,i will quote one passage of ,scripture1 and on that ,i will rest my case4 ,any other person may then quote one passage of ,scripture and on that rest the case4 ,i have preached one sermon2 the other party has preached twenty4 ,so far we will count ourselves even1 and it only remains that ,i should quote my ,scripture1 and let the other party quote the one ,scripture on the opposite side1 and then we will be dismissed4 ,i gave the views of the ,pharisees and of the ,sadducees as detailed by ,josephus1 and then quoted ,luke in the ,acts of ,apostles3 ,the ,sadducees say there is no resurrection1 neither angel nor spirit2 but the ,pharisees confess both4 ,and ,paul says1 ,men and brethren1 ,i am a ,pharisee1 the son of a ,pharisee4 ,so ,i also say1 ,i am a ,pharisee1 the son of a ,pharisee1 and hold to the existence of human and angelic spirits4 ,when ,i announced that ,i should call for objections1 ,i saw ,mrs4 ,chapman take up her ,bible in a flutter and nervously turn over its leaves4 ,when ,i sat down all eyes were turned on her1 and there was a death-like stillness in the house4 ,then she rose up1 and in a moment was out of the house4 ,she left the town the next morning and never came back4 ,then it was ,old ,bob ,burton's turn to speak4 ,he said to ,billy ,green1 ,your chest is locked1 and the key is lost in the bottom of the sea4 ,the brethren were gratified that the power of this soul-sleeping delusion was broken4 ,billy ,green never recovered from his infatuation4 ,he afterwards built a house that1 in the number of rooms it contained1 was wholly beyond his necessities4 ,but he thought that when the ,lord should come1 and he should own all the land that joined him1 and should have children to his heart's desire1 then he would need all the room4 ,,chapter ,,ii4 ,from ,ripley ,i went to ,mt4 ,sterling1 the county-seat of ,brown ,county4 ,this church had fallen into decay for want of the care of a competent evangelist4 ,here ,i remained some weeks2 and the church was very much revived1 and there was a large ingathering4 ,this was originally the home of ,bro4 ,archie ,glenn1 now conspicuous in building up the ,university at ,wichita4 ,from the first ,bro4 ,glenn1 though modest and unobtrusive1 was known as a solid and helpful member of the church4 ,he always had the confidence of the people of ,brown ,county1 and was by them elected to various public offices1 at last becoming ,lieutenant-,governor of the ,state4 ,but his business not prospering to suit him1 he removed to ,wichita1 which was at that time a straggling village of uncertain fortunes1 situated on a river of doubtful reputation1 and located in a country concerning which the public were debating whether it should be called ,the ,great ,american ,desert1 or a decent place1 where civilized men could live and thrive4 ,but ,bro4 ,glenn did not lose faith in the ,lord nor in his country4 ,he went to his new home to be a live man4 ,wichita has decided to be a city1 and not a straggling village of doubtful and cow-boy reputation2 the ,arkansas ,river has agreed to behave itself and to co-operate with human hands in giving fertility to its valley1 and the geographers have unanimously agreed to strike the ,great ,american ,desert from the map of the ,united ,states4 ,sister ,shields has grown up since these old days to be a woman1 then a widow1 and now a true yoke-fellow with her father in these great undertakings4 ,bro4 ,lewis ,brockman was pointed out to me1 when first ,i came to ,mt4 ,sterling1 as a disaffected member2 but1 on a better acquaintance1 it became apparent that his disaffection was that the church members had made a solemn vow to keep the ordinances of the ,lord's house1 and did not do it4 ,when better order was obtained1 he was once more in harmony with the church2 came to ,atchison ,county1 ,kansas1 and died1 a pattern of fidelity to his conscience and to every known duty4 ,during the period of three years in which ,i remained preaching in the ,military ,tract1 ,i visited almost all its churches4 ,the number of disciples was large4 ,they had a large amount of wealth at their disposal1 and were not averse to using it to promote the advancement of the cause4 ,but the children of this world are1 in their generation1 wiser than the children of light1 and there is a certain practical wisdom that has been abundantly learned by other religious communities that has only come to our churches through a sore and bitter experience2 and it was through the fire of this experience they were passing at the time of which we write4 ,billy ,brown had been a notable evangelist among them4 ,indeed1 he had been the father in the gospel of the churches in ,brown and ,schuyler ,counties4 ,he was popularly described as having a head as big as a half bushel1 surmounted by a great shock of hair4 ,he was an iconoclast1 and devoted his life to the business of image-breaking1 and1 of course1 the breaking in pieces of the idols of the people created a great tumult4 ,there was this difference1 and only this difference1 between the work of ,billy ,brown and ,sam ,jones2 ,sam ,jones declaims against sins already condemned by the popular conscience1 but ,billy ,brown assailed convictions enshrined in the innermost sanctuary of the hearts of the people4 ,he did so because these popular superstitions stood in the way of the acceptance by the people of the apostolic gospel4 ,of course1 the work of such a man carried with it an inconceivable excitement4 ,at ,mt4 ,sterling a man in the audience made some objection4 ,what is your name8 said ,billy ,brown4 ,my name1 sir1 is ,trotter4 ,well1 come forward1 and ,i will knock your trotters out from under you4 ,but ,billy himself sometimes found his match4 ,at ,ripley he had been preaching after his accustomed style1 and riding away from the place of meeting--it was in the spring of the year when the mud was deep--he saw an old man painfully and with difficulty making his way through the mud4 ,knowing that he was a preacher from his white cravat1 his broad-brimmed hat and single-breasted coat1 he said to him3 ,well1 old ,daddy1 how did you like the preaching8 ,haven't heard any1 stiffly replied the old gentleman4 ,but when the tumult and excitement of this conflict had passed away1 and his converts were brought face to face with the grave duties of a religious life1 and with the serious work of keeping the ordinances of the ,lord's house1 they did not know how2 they had been born in a whirlwind and could only live in a tempest4 ,notwithstanding1 they loved the ,lord's cause1 and they trembled for themselves and their children1 if they should not be found faithful4 ,if these churches are not able at the present time to exhibit a growth adequate to their opportunities1 it must be remembered1 on their behalf1 that they have sent to the ,west an incredibly large number of disciples to serve as the nuclei for other churches throughout that mighty empire that within the past thirty years has grown up between the ,missouri ,river and the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,the days ,i spent in these churches are the golden days of my life4 ,there has been no field in which my labor as an evangelist has yielded a richer harvest2 none in which there have been bestowed on me more flattering or more kindly attentions4 ,it was the bright and joyous sunshine of a spring morning1 before the bursting of the storm4 ,though each year increased my attachment to the people1 and apparently added their good-will to myself1 there had been coming to the front a difficulty that could not any longer be thrust aside or disregarded4 ,i was one hundred and fifty miles away from home1 and from my wife and children4 ,on holding a council of war to consider our future tactics1 in which ,mrs4 ,butler1 was commander-in-chief1 and myself1 second in command1 she said to me1 ,pardee1 ,i am willing to go wherever you say1 only when we go there we must go to stay4 ,we must not put our house on wheels4 ,we must not leave our children without settled employment1 exposed to all the hazards of a city life1 or a life without a permanent habitation4 ,under such circumstances the settling on a home in reference to which it could be said1 ,here we are to stay1 was not an easy matter4 ,the people of the ,military ,tract were1 almost all of them1 ,kentuckians4 ,there were evidently impending storms in the political horizon4 ,i could not bend my sails to suit every favoring gale2 and if1 in the future1 there should come a time that my conscience should lie in one direction1 and my popularity and pecuniary interest in the other1 ,i did not like to invite such a temptation4 ,at any rate1 ,i did not like to place myself in such a position that to bring down on my head popular odium would be to invite pecuniary ruin4 ,these counties in the ,military ,tract were old settled counties1 and land was high2 and ,i was not rich4 ,at this time the ,kansas-,nebraska bill had been adopted by ,congress1 and ,kansas had been opened for settlement4 ,it was certain that ,eastern ,kansas1 in the matter of fertility of soil1 and all the elements of agricultural wealth1 would be a desirable location4 ,but there might be a political and social conflict4 ,yes1 and there might be a political and social conflict in ,illinois2 or1 for the matter of that1 it might cover the ,west as with a blanket4 ,it was certain that ,eastern ,kansas would be early settled from ,missouri2 and in no ,state was there a larger percentage of the people known as ,disciples4 ,i would1 therefore1 be among my brethren2 and1 if ,i had kept the peace for three years with ,kentuckians in ,illinois1 could ,i not do the same thing with ,missourians in ,kansas8 ,in any case1 there was a fair prospect of gaining in ,kansas a position of pecuniary independence2 and any man can see that such a position was worth all the world to ,alexander ,campbell1 when he was constrained by his conscience to bring down on his own head the utmost wrath of his ,baptist brethren4 ,i started in the spring of #ahee to ride on horseback through ,missouri2 but was soon made to feel that there were more things in this world than were known in my philosophy4 ,i had determined to remain over ,sunday in ,linnville1 ,linn ,county1 ,missouri1 the county-seat of the county1 as here was a congregation of ,disciples2 and called on a merchant of the place1 who had been mentioned as one of the leading members4 ,he remarked that he had become acquainted with me through the ,christian ,evangelist1 published by ,bro4 ,bates1 in ,iowa2 but1 on learning my destination1 seemed strangely oblivious that anything more should be due from him to me4 ,and so1 having waited patiently about for a goodly time1 ,i mounted my horse and rode on till dark2 then seeing a light1 and having called at the house1 ,i found an old man who kindly received and lodged me4 ,in the morning it appeared that his house was surrounded by negro cabins4 ,having inquired my destination1 he began to talk to me concerning the subject that seemed to be in every man's heart4 ,i replied1 submitting to him such views as were held by a majority of ,northern men4 ,to my surprise he flared up in anger1 and said3 ,if you talk that way when you get to ,kansas you will never come back again2 they will hang you4 ,the thing was so absurd ,i only laughed in the old man's face1 and said to him3 ,well1 you can not teach an old dog new tricks4 ,i have spoken my mind so long that ,i shall continue to do it if they do hang me1 and so bade him good-bye4 ,it was ,sunday morning1 and it was eighteen miles to ,chillicothe4 ,arriving at the hotel1 the people were getting ready for meeting4 ,on questioning them where they were going1 the landlord replied3 ,to the ,christian ,church4 ,will you not go along with us8 ,on asking my name he said3 ,o yes2 ,i have seen your name in the ,christian ,evangelist4 ,you have been preaching in ,illinois4 ,i will introduce you to our preacher1 and we will make an appointment for you this afternoon4 ,this landlord was a brother to that ,congressman ,graves that shot ,cilley1 a member of ,congress from ,maine1 in a duel with rifles1 at ,washington4 ,the people described mine host as one of fighting stock 2 and spoke of him as being as thoughtful of the comfort1 health and welfare of his slaves as of his own children4 ,to me he seemed simply a genial1 jovial1 friendly and traditional ,boniface1 chiefly intent on furnishing comfortable fare and an enjoyable place for his guest4 ,by the members of the ,christian ,church ,i was kindly received1 and was invited to take dinner with the preacher4 ,after dinner two brethren came in1 to whom ,i had been introduced at the meeting-house4 ,after some desultory talk1 they asked me3 ,are you an abolitionist8 ,i was both angry and confounded4 ,i had never in my life made myself conspicuous in this controversy that was going on between ,north and ,south1 and why should ,i be insulted with such a question4 ,i did not answer yes or no1 but proceeded to give my views on the subject in general4 ,they listened and remarked that they did not see anything offensive in such views2 then made this apology for their seeming rudeness3 ,an old man1 a preacher1 whom they called ,father ,clark1 had come from ,pennsylvania to ,chillicothe to live with a married daughter1 and had said something concerning slavery offensive to the people1 and they had called a meeting of the citizens1 and he had been driven out of town and ordered never to return4 ,they had1 furthermore1 resolved that no abolitionist should thereafter be allowed to preach in the city4 ,these brethren explained that1 as ,i would be called on and interrogated by a committee1 they thought it would be better that this should be done by friends1 than that ,i should be questioned by strangers4 ,are ,you an ,abolitionist8 ,i was angry with myself for having consented to preach a sermon after being met with such a question4 ,but by mine host1 ,bro4 ,graves1 ,i was treated with the most frank and manly courtesy1 albeit that he was brother to the man that shot a brother congressman in a duel with rifles4 ,he seemed to feel like the town clerk at ,ephesus3 ,what man is there that knoweth not that the city of the ,ephesians is a worshiper of the great goddess ,diana1 and of the image that fell down from ,jupiter8 ,seeing then that these things can not be spoken against1 ye ought to be quiet and do nothing rashly4 ,the ,hannibal ,st4 ,joseph ,railroad was just being located through the city1 yet the town was a dead town1 though it was surrounded by a fertile and prosperous country4 ,bro4 ,graves seemed awake to all its advantages1 and pressed me to remain1 pointing out the rapid advance that must take place in the value of its property4 ,but ,i kept thinking of the question3 ,are you an abolitionist8 and bade him farewell4 ,at nightfall ,i found myself beyond ,gallatin1 on the road to ,st4 ,joseph4 ,as there were no hotels ,i called at a private house and was hospitably received4 ,this man1 on whom ,i had called1 had come from the ,state of ,pennsylvania1 and had grown to a prosperous farmer4 ,there seemed to be no books or newspapers about the house2 but he was shrewd and sagacious to a proverb1 and was eager to hear from the land of his fathers1 and of what was the cause of all this din and clamor and excitement of the people about him4 ,what was the meaning of the ,kansas-,nebraska bill8 ,what were the intentions of the ,black ,republicans8 ,what was the ,new ,york ,tribune doing1 that it should raise such a tumult8 ,and what were the purposes of the ,emigrant ,aid ,society that it should be such an offense to the people in ,missouri8 ,on my own part1 ,i also had much to learn from this man1 so shrewd and well-informed1 and yet so ignorant4 ,what did it mean that citizens of ,missouri should go over in force and vote in the ,territory of ,kansas8 ,we had heard something of this in ,illinois1 but supposed it was something done by that turbulent and somewhat lawless element that gathers along the borders of civilization2 but now it was apparent that this movement was under control of leading citizens of ,missouri1 and had been participated in by conscientious men1 members of the various churches of ,missouri1 who would in no wise knowingly do anything wrong4 ,what did it mean8 ,the reader will not be surprised that we should sit up to a late hour of the night1 nor that we should renew the subject again in the morning4 ,when ,i had got ready to leave this man1 who had so hospitably entertained me1 he explained that he had business on the road on which ,i was traveling1 and that he would accompany me a number of miles4 ,this emigrant from ,pennsylvania1 now a citizen of ,missouri1 who carried his library in his brain and read his books when he conversed with men1 and kept his own counsel and lived in peace with his neighbors1 was now about to say farewell4 ,with some hesitation he said3 ,mr4 ,butler1 ,i thank you for all you have told me4 ,i feel just as you do2 but ,i must advise you to be careful how you talk to other men as you have talked to me4 ,there are many in this country that would shoot such a man as you are4 ,good-bye4 ,,chapter ,,iii4 ,it is said1 ,there are two sides to every question4 ,in my association with men in the free ,states ,i had learned one side of this question2 now ,i was learning the other side1 and began to be able to put in intelligible shape to myself those reasonings by which these men justified their action4 ,they reasoned thus3 ,war is a state of violence and always involves a trenching upon what we call natural rights2 and its decisions depend not so much on who is right or wrong1 as on who wields the longest sword and commands the heaviest battalions4 ,and if in carrying on a war some evil comes to innocent parties1 this is only one of its necessary consequences1 and is justified by the final result2 provided always that the war1 as a whole1 is right and just4 ,and in such a strained and unnatural condition of affairs men can not be governed by the same scrupulous regard for others' rights by which they are governed in time of peace4 ,but the ,north and ,south are already practically in a state of war4 ,this comes of the mistakes made at the formation of our government4 ,thomas ,jefferson and the fathers of the ,revolution were mistaken in holding slavery wrong4 ,it is a rightful and natural relation1 as between an inferior and superior race4 ,the black race is far better off here in ,america1 in slavery1 than they would be in ,africa1 in freedom and in paganism2 and if there is something of hardship in their lot1 it is only because there is hardship in the lot of every human being4 ,these men also said3 ,consequent on these erroneous views held by ,thomas ,jefferson and others1 the settlement made as between the ,north and ,south has been wrong1 from the beginning1 ,it was wrong to close the ,northwest ,territory1 embracing ,indiana1 ,illinois1 ,michigan1 and ,wisconsin1 against slavery4 ,so also it was wrong to close ,kansas against this institution by what was called the ,missouri ,compromise ,line1 agreed upon on the admission of ,missouri into the ,union4 ,so these men reasoned1 and they said3 ,now we propose to go and take by the strong hand those rights of which we have been wrongfully deprived since the beginning of the ,american ,government4 ,a little severity now--a resolute seizing on our rights now1 in this golden opportunity--will be worth more than the shedding of rivers of blood by and by4 ,therefore the primary and rudimental legislation of this infant ,territory will be worth everything to us in the final settlement of this question4 ,it is certain that the law is against us2 but the law itself is wrong1 and has been wrong from the beginning4 ,the right that belongs to us is the material and inalienable right of revolution4 ,we have no right to assume that a majority of the people of ,missouri held the sentiments we have here indicated3 probably they did not4 ,but the dissent was generally unspoken4 ,the men of this stamp commonly adopted the policy of the man with whom ,i had just parted4 ,but there was dissent in some cases1 bitter and vehement1 followed sometimes by bloodshed4 ,before ,i had gone to ,iowa1 and while ,i yet lived in ,ohio1 ,i had visited ,kentucky4 ,an ,ohio colony had gone down into ,kentucky and located in the counties of ,wayne and ,pulaski1 on the ,cumberland ,river4 ,a brother of mine had gone with them1 and ,i had made him a visit4 ,i thought then1 and think now1 that there is no region on which the sun shines1 more desirable to live in than the region of the ,cumberland ,mountains4 ,at ,crab ,orchard ,i found a man that was born in the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,he had been a soldier at ,hull's surrender1 at ,detroit1 in the war of #ahab1 with ,great ,britain4 ,from ,detroit he had made his way into ,kentucky1 had married a rich wife with many slaves1 and had become a vehement partisan for slavery4 ,but because he was born in the same ,state with myself1 and because ,i could tell him much about that people that were once his people1 he was glad to have me stop with him4 ,being old and choleric1 he would go off into a fierce passion against the abolitionists4 ,he would say3 ,these men are thieves6 ,our niggers are our property1 and they steal our property4 ,they might as well steal our horses4 ,after awhile he would begin to talk about his children4 ,he would say3 ,these niggers are ruining my children6 ,my girls are good for nothing6 ,they can not help themselves6 ,they are so helpless they can not even pick up a needle4 ,and my boys6 ,these niggers are ruining my boys6 ,my boys won't work6 ,and then he would go on to tell the nameless vices the young men of the city were drawn into through their intimacy with the blacks4 ,i thought1 but did not say1 ,my dear sir1 if slavery is working such a ruin on your own children1 would not the abolitionists be doing you a kindness if they would steal every nigger you have got8 ,but there was a still graver aspect that this question was beginning to assume3 ,a woman that is a slave has neither the motive nor the power to protect her own virtue2 and the land was threatened to be filled with a nation of mulattoes4 ,but this mixed race would possess all the pride1 ambition and talent of the superior race2 at the same time they would feel all that undying hatred that a subject people feel toward the men by whom they are subjugated4 ,we would then be sleeping on a volcano1 such as may at any hour engulf the empire of ,russia4 ,all this ,i pondered in my heart as ,i slowly made my way toward ,st4 ,joseph1 on the ,missouri ,river1 which flows along the western border of ,kansas4 ,and now this question was coming to the front and forcing a settlement1 and in ,kansas would be the first real conflict4 ,in ,congress they had only paltried with1 it2 now the people were to try their hand4 ,and what should ,i do8 ,had ,i any right as a ,christian and as an ,american citizen1 when providentially called to this work1 to withdraw myself from aiding in its settlement8 ,and should ,i turn my horse in the opposite direction1 go back to my ,bro4 ,graves at ,chillicothe1 and say to him3 ,you are a man of undoubted courage1 but ,i am a paltroon and a coward1 and ,i am going to hunt a hole and hide myself1 where ,i will be out of danger when this battle is fought between freedom and slavery4 ,i did not turn back1 but revolving all these matters in my mind1 reached the city of ,st4 ,joseph4 ,here ,i had been commended by a friend to a merchant in the city1 a member of the ,christian ,church4 ,he received me kindly and treated me courteously1 but his partner in business did not seem to be of that mind4 ,he was all out of sorts1 and gruffly said1 ,kansas is a humbug4 ,it will not be settled in thirty years4 ,in revolutions men live fast4 ,i had been ten days on my journey1 and the man that now crossed the ,missouri ,river at ,st4 ,joseph was not just the man that ten days before crossed the ,mississippi at ,quincy4 ,he was a wiser and a sadder man4 ,on the ,kansas side the first company ,i met was a two-horse wagon load of men that had been exploring the ,territory and were returning4 ,they seemed thoroughly disgusted1 and said3 ,the wind blows so hard in ,kansas1 it would blow a chicken up against the side of a barn and hold it there for twenty-four hours4 ,kansas will not be settled in thirty years4 ,so said my not very amiable friend in ,st4 ,joseph4 ,it is now somewhat more than thirty years1 and ,kansas has more than a million of inhabitants4 ,but the ,state has a higher boast to make than that it has so increased in wealth and population4 ,it has been the first ,state in the ,union--indeed1 it has been the first government in the world--to incorporate prohibition into its fundamental law2 and this is the best possible criticism by which to mark its comparative progress in a ,christian civilization4 ,,chapter ,,iv4 ,after crossing the ,missouri ,river ,i visited some of the principal settlements in the ,territory1 such as ,atchison1 ,leaven worth1 ,lawrence and ,topeka4 ,lawrence1 ,topeka and ,manhattan were settlements made by men from free ,states1 and with an eye single to making ,kansas a free ,state4 ,there was no town located on the ,missouri ,river1 and no settlement made in the counties bordering on the ,missouri ,river1 that were properly free ,state settlements4 ,i thought this was a mistake4 ,these counties had by far the largest population1 and as these counties would go1 the ,territory would go2 and ,i thought that no considerations of personal danger ought to hinder1 that these counties should have respectable settlements of avowed ,free ,state men among them4 ,what is now the city of ,atchison was then a small village that was being built among--the cottonwood trees on the banks of the ,missouri ,river1 about twenty miles below ,st4 ,joseph1 and the same distance above ,fort ,leavenworth4 ,it had been named after the notable ,david ,r4 ,atchison1 who had been a ,senator from ,missouri1 and acting ,vice-,president of the ,united ,states4 ,d4 ,r4 ,atchison and ,gen4 ,b4 ,f4 ,stringfellow had at this time won a national notoriety in this struggle now going on in ,kansas2 and both were leading members in the ,atchison town company4 ,dr4 ,stringfellow was deputed to act as editor-in-chief of the ,squatter ,sovereign1 a paper at that time started in ,atchison2 but the editor was ,robert ,s4 ,kelly4 ,bob ,kelly1 as he was popularly called1 was a born leader among such a population as at that time filled ,western ,missouri4 ,the towns along the ,missouri ,river were the outfitting points for that immense overland freighting business1 that was at that time carried on across the western plains1 to ,santa ,fe in ,mexico and to ,salt ,lake1 ,oregon and ,california2 and here congregated a multitude of that wild1 lawless1 law-defying and law-breaking mob of men1 that accompanied these expeditions1 and were the habitues of these western plains1 or were among the gold seekers of ,california4 ,bob ,kelly was left an orphan at an early age1 and was from his youth surrounded with such a population4 ,in person he was handsome as an ,apollo1 broad-shouldered and muscular1 with fair complexion and blue eyes1 and was the natural chief of the dangerous men that were drawn to him by his personal magnetism4 ,moreover1 he possessed so much native eloquence1 and such an ability to make passionate appeals1 as made him a fit person to fire the hearts of these men to deeds of violence1 ,i obtained a claim to #afj acres of land1 twelve miles from ,atchison1 and on the banks of the ,stranger ,creek4 ,this claim ,i would be at liberty to buy1 at government price1 if ,i should continue to live on it until it should come into market4 ,my nearest neighbor was ,caleb ,may1 a ,disciple1 and a squatter1 from the other side of the river4 ,bro4 ,may was in his way as much a character as ,bob ,kelly4 ,he gloried1 like ,john ,randolph1 of ,roanoke1 in being descended from4 ,pocahontas1 and that he therefore had ,indian blood in his veins4 ,born and reared on the frontier1 tall1 muscular1 and raw-boned1 an utter stranger to fear1 a dead shot with pistol or rifle1 cool and self-possessed in danger1 he had become known far and near as a desperate and dangerous man when meddled with4 ,but he had been converted1 and had become a member of the ,christian ,church1 and according to the light that was in him he did his best to conform his life to the maxims of the ,new ,testament1 and conscientiously sought to confine all exhibition of physical force to such occasions as those in which he might be compelled to defend himself4 ,then it was not likely to be a healthy business for his antagonist4 ,after securing my claim1 and commencing to build a cabin1 ,i began to look around me4 ,fully three-fourths of the squatters of this whole region were from the border counties of ,missouri4 ,but in ,western ,missouri the percentage of ,disciples was perhaps larger than in any other portion of the ,united ,states1 consequently ,i had brethren on every side of me4 ,these men certainly were not refined and educated men1 as the phrase goes1 still they had the qualities that our ,lord found in the fisherman of ,galilee4 ,one thought was in every man's heart1 and on every man's tongue4 ,the name ,squatter ,sovereign1 that had been given to the ,atchison newspaper1 indicated the trend of public opinion4 ,they had been flattered with the idea that if they would come to ,kansas they should be ,squatter ,sovereigns1 that the domestic institutions of the infant ,territory should be determined not by the nation1 nor by ,congress1 but by themselves4 ,and yet1 when the election day came1 every election precinct in the ,territory1 except one1 was taken possession of by bodies of men from ,missouri1 and the elections had been carried1 not by bona side citizens1 but by an outside invasion4 ,with pain and shame1 and bitter resentment1 my neighbors told me how they had driven their wagons to the place of voting1 on the prairie1 and hitched their horses to their wagons1 and were quietly going about their business1 when with a great whoop and hurrah1 which frightened their horses and made them break loose from their wagons1 a company of men came in sight1 and with swagger and bluster1 took possession of the polls1 and proceeded to do the voting4 ,meantime whisky flowed like water1 and the men1 far gone in liquor1 turned the place into a bedlam4 ,in utter humiliation and disgust many of the squatters went home4 ,caleb ,may did not get into the neighborhood till afternoon4 ,before he got to the place of voting1 he met ,joseph ,potter1 and on hearing what was done he threw his hat on the ground1 and in a towering rage protested he would no longer vote with a party that would treat the people of the ,territory in such a way as that4 ,this was done in ,march1 but so far as any public expression of sentiment was concerned1 the people seemed dumb4 ,no public meeting was called in the way of protest till the next ,september1 and that meeting was held at ,big ,springs1 sixty miles from ,atchison4 ,but if there was no public protest1 there was plenty of it in private4 ,the men from the ,state of ,missouri grew sick at heart4 ,it was a deep1 unspoken1 bitter and shame-faced feeling1 for it was their old neighbors that had done this4 ,i often asked myself1 ,can it be hoped that an election can be held that shall fairly express the real sentiment of the people1 if they allow themselves to be held down under such a reign of terror8 ,the prevalent sentiment of the squatters from ,missouri was1 ,we will make ,kansas a free white ,state2 we will admit no negroes into it4 ,these men regarded the negro as an enemy to themselves4 ,they said3 ,we were born to the lowly lot of toil1 and the negro has made labor a disgrace4 ,neither ourselves nor our children have had opportunity for education1 and the negro is the cause of it4 ,moreover1 an aristocracy at the ,south has assumed control of public affairs1 and the negro is the cause of that4 ,now we propose to make ,kansas a free white ,state1 and shut out the negro1 who has been the cause of all our calamities4 ,there was1 however1 a class of men among them that had pity for the negro4 ,i will repeat one story1 as it was told me by ,bro4 ,silas ,kirkham4 ,bro4 ,kirkham belongs to that family of ,kirkhams so well known to our brethren in ,southeastern ,iowa4 ,bro4 ,kirkham was raised in a slave ,state4 ,he said3 ,when ,i was a boy ,i had never thought of slavery as being wrong4 ,there was a black boy in the settlement named ,jim4 ,jim was so good-natured1 faithful and well-behaved that we all liked him4 ,jim married a black girl and they had twins--boys--bright1 likely little fellows1 and ,jim's wife and twin babies were all the treasure he had in the world4 ,bro4 ,kirkham said3 ,one day ,i found ,jim in the woods1 where he had been sent to split rails4 ,he was sitting down with his face buried in his hands1 apparently asleep4 ,i thought ,i would crawl slyly up to him1 and spring suddenly on him1 and frighten him4 ,i did so1 but ,jim was not asleep at all1 but lifted up his head with such a look of unutterable woe that ,i was frightened myself1 and said3 ',why1 ,jim1 what is the matter8' ,jim cried out3 ',o1 my boys6 my boys6 ,massa sold my boys6' ,bro4 ,kirkham said3 ,i have vowed everlasting enmity to an institution that will legalize such treatment of a human being4 ,but while these ominous mutterings were heard in so many of the ,kansas squatter cabins1 little did the high and mighty ,atchison ,town ,company1 or the editorial staff of the ,squatter ,sovereign1 or the puissant ,territorial ,legislature1 reck that so soon they must take up the sad refrain of ,cardinal ,woolsey3 ,farewell1 a long farewell1 to all my greatness6 ,this is the state of man3 ,to-day he puts forth ,the tender leaves of hope1 to-morrow blossoms1 ,and bears his blushing honors thick upon him2 ,the third day comes a frost1 a killing frost1 ,and--when he thinks1 good easy man1 full surely ,his greatness is a-ripening--nips his root2 ,and then he falls1 as ,i do4 ,the following extract1 from an editorial that appeared at this time in the ,squatter ,sovereign1 will show what a rose-colored view these gentlemen took of the situation3 ,,slavery ,,in ,,kansas4 ,we receive letters1 by nearly every mail1 asking our opinion as regards the security of slave property in ,kansas ,territory4 ,we can truly say that no ,territory in ,uncle ,sam's dominion can be found where the slave' can be made more secure1 or his work command a higher price4 ,our slave population is gradually increasing by the arrival of emigrants and settlers from the slave ,states1 who1 having an eye to making a fortune1 have wisely concluded to secure a farm in ,kansas1 and stock it well with valuable slaves4 ,situated as ,missouri is1 being surrounded by free ,states1 we would advise the removal of negroes from the frontier counties to ,kansas1 where they will be comparatively safe4 ,abolitionists too well know the character of the ,kansas squatter to attempt to carry out the nefarious schemes of the underground railroad companies4 ,,chapter ,v4 ,immediately on obtaining my claim1 brethren had sought me out and made my acquaintance1 and soon it appeared that there were enough ,disciples in the settlement to constitute a church4 ,but the times were stormy1 and we delayed making any movement in that direction4 ,it had now come to be the month of ,june4 ,there had been refreshing showers4 ,the singing birds had come1 and the bright sunshine4 ,the prairie had put on its royal robes1 the forest its richest garments1 and the people had become impatient with their long isolation from religious meetings4 ,the ,lord's day was almost ceasing to be the ,lord's day to them1 and they demanded a sermon4 ,we1 therefore1 came together in the timbered bottoms of ,caleb ,may's claim1 on the banks of the ,stranger ,creek4 ,the gathering was primitive and peculiar1 like the gathering at a ,western camp-meeting--footmen1 and men and women on horseback1 and whole families in two-horse lumber wagons4 ,some were dressed in ,kentucky-jeans1 and some in broadcloth2 there were smooth-shaven men and bearded men2 there were hats and bonnets of every form and fashion2 all were dressed in such ways as best suited their convenience or necessities4 ,in this crowd were those that1 as the years should go by1 were destined to grow in wealth1 in understanding1 in popularity and high position1 and they should be known as the first in the land4 ,the singing was not in the highest style of the musical art1 but it was hearty and sincere4 ,looking up at the thick branches of the spreading elms above our heads ,i said3 ,,my ,,friends ,,and ,,fellow ,,citizens3--,i have never seen trees clothed with leaves of so rich a green as the trees above our heads1 ,i have never seen prairies robed in richer verdure than the prairies around us4 ,since the year of #ahcb1 it has been known that what is called the ,platte ,purchase1 in ,missouri1 is the garden spot of the ,west2 and now it is apparent that we have here on the west side of the ,missouri ,river what is the exact counterpart of the ,platte ,purchase on the east side4 ,it is the same in genial suns1 refreshing rains1 and unequalled fertility of soil4 ,it is1 moreover1 true that1 owing to the peculiar circumstances under which this ,territory will be settled we shall have a population inferior to no population on the face of the earth4 ,after the deluge was past1 ,god promised enlargement to the sons of ,japheth4 ,god shall enlarge ,japheth1 and he shall dwell in the tents of ,shem2 and more than #c1jjj years the sons of ,japheth have been fulfilling their destiny4 ,they came originally from the mountain regions around ,mount ,ararat1 and moving westward1 they have filled all ,europe2 and these tribes coming from the east have created the modern ,european nations4 ,the last and westernmost settlement was made on the island of ,great ,britain1 and here they were stopped from further progress by the ,atlantic ,ocean2 and here1 after many generations of war1 they coalesced and mingled their blood together1 and thus became the ,british nation2 and thus out of the commingling of the blood of the most enterprising races that came out of the loins of ,japheth has grown that nation1 that in all lands has vindicated its right to be known as the foremost nation of the world4 ,christopher ,columbus discovered ,america1 and now new causes began to operate that called for the planting of new colonies here in ,america4 ,martin ,luther asserted the right of a man to stand immediately in the presence of the ,lord1 to be answerable directly to the ,lord1 and to confess his sins to the ,lord alone1 and from the ,lord to receive pardon1 without the intervention of any pope1 priest1 or ghostly mediator4 ,this was counted by the ,catholic ,church a horrible blasphemy1 and the ,diet of ,worms was called1 and ,luther was commanded to appear before it and recant4 ,presiding over this ,diet was ,charles ,v41 ,emperor of ,germany2 here were ,electors1 ,princes and crowned heads1 popish priests1 bishops and cardinals1 together with the principal nobility of ,catholic ,europe--these all came together to compel the recantation of ,friar ,martin ,luther4 ,but ,luther said2 ,unless ,i be convinced by ,scripture and reason1 ,i neither can nor dare retract anything for my conscience is a captive to ,god's ,word1 and it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience1 and a great multitude of men in ,germany1 ,france1 ,switzerland1 and ,great ,britain stood beside ,luther and protested that they were amenable to the ,lord alone1 and that they could do nothing against conscience4 ,but these ,protestant governments stopped midway between popery and ,protestantism2 for each of these nations1 while renouncing the ,pope of ,rome1 assumed that it was the business of the king to instruct the people what to believe2 and so instead of having one pope they had many popes1 consequently many ,protestant sects2 and these took the place of that one apostolic church originally established by the apostles4 ,notwithstanding1 there were some1 in all lands that remained steadfast to the principle enunciated by ,martin ,luther3 ,unless ,i be convinced by ,scripture and reason1 ,i neither can nor dare retract2 and so it came to pass that there were ,protestant persecutions as well as ,catholic persecutions2 and so also it came to pass that men became wearied with this intolerance1 and determined to seek beyond the ,atlantic ,ocean a place where they could worship ,god according to the dictates of their own consciences1 with none to molest them or make them afraid4 ,it was for such cause that the ,puritans settled in ,new ,england1 the ,quakers in ,new ,jersey and ,pennsylvania1 the ,scotch and ,irish ,presbyterians in ,north ,carolina2 and it was for this cause that the ,french ,huguenots1 driven out of ,france by the ,french king1 came to ,south ,carolina4 ,the most notable cause that induced the planting of the thirteen original colonies here in ,north ,america was religious persecution in the ,old ,world4 ,and as the oak grows out of the acorn1 so out of these colonies has grown this nation of which we are so proud4 ,great ,britain became more ,lutheran than ,germany1 the native land of ,luther1 and ,god lifted the ,british nation up to become the chiefest nation of the world2 the ,united ,states of ,north ,america became more ,lutheran than ,great ,britain1 and the eyes of the world are fixed on us in admiration and astonishment4 ,god blessed the house of ,obededom1 and all that he had1 because the ark of ,god was in it4 ,but there are spots on the sun1 and there are exceeding blemishes in our ,protestantism1 notwithstanding the fact that the glory of the ,american people has grown out of it4 ,the image that ,nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream had feet and toes1 part of iron and part of potter's clay1 partly strong and partly broken4 ,so it is with our ,protestant sectarianism1 and because of it we are partly strong and partly broken4 ,compare the ,protestant ,united ,states with ,catholic ,mexico1 or compare ,protestant ,great ,britain with ,catholic ,spain1 and compared with these nations we have the strength of iron1 but judged by our sectarianism we have the weakness of miry clay4 ,my friends and fellow citizens1 ,i have the honor to represent to you a people that have said we will go back to that order of things originally established by ,jesus and the apostles--we will make no vow of loyalty to any but ,jesus1 and we will have no bond of union save the testimonies and commandments of the ,lord as given to us by the ,lord himself and the holy apostles4 ,out of this we hope may grow such a union of ,god's people as ,jesus prayed for when he prayed that all ,christians might be one4 ,we are striving for such an order of things that ,protestants may present a united front against the world1 the flesh and the devil1 and against all disloyalty to ,jesus4 ,to this appeal men often make reply3 ,we can not break loose from our religious surroundings1 dear to us through life-long and most tender associations4 ,but1 my friends1 this objection can have no weight with this audience1 assembled here on this glorious ,lord's day1 and on this our first religious meeting4 ,here we have already broken loose from these associations4 ,these ties1 how dear so ever to us1 we have already sundered4 ,the people with whom we once met1 and with whom we once took sweet counsel1 the churches in which we once worshiped1 shall know us no more forever4 ,here we are free to act1 and to correct the mistakes that have been unwittingly made by the churches with which we have formerly been connected1 just as our ,american fathers were free to frame a better government than the government of the nations out of which they came4 ,may ,i not appeal to you1 my friends1 and say you owe it to yourselves1 you owe it to ,christians in every land1 you owe it to your ,lord1 you owe it to the future ,state of ,kansas1 to so act as to free the ,christian profession from the trammels that have hindered its progress and glory ever since the days when our divisions began4 ,if ,protestantism seas done so much in spite of all its divisions1 what will it not do if these hindrances are taken out of the way8 ,kansas is certainly predestinated to be a great ,state4 ,the fertility of its soil1 the healthfulness of its atmosphere1 and the fact that its population is to be made up from the bravest1 most daring and most enterprising men in the nation1 all look in this direction2 you ought1 then1 my friends1 to see to it that as far as your influence may go its religion shall be nothing less than primitive and apostolic ,christianity4 ,in ascertaining what is primitive and apostolic ,christianity1 we shall pay supreme respect to the time when the old or ,jewish dispensation came to an end1 and when the new or ,christian dispensation began4 ,the first1 or ,jewish dispensation1 ,jesus took out of the way1 nailing it to the cross4 ,the second1 or ,christian dispensation1 began after ,jesus arose from the dead and ascended up on high1 far above the thrones1 dominions1 principalities and powers of the world of light1 and became the ,head over all things to the church4 ,this was the proposition with which ,peter closed his sermon on the day of ,pentecost3 ,therefore let all the house of ,israel know assuredly1 that ,god hath made that same ,jesus1 whom ye have crucified1 both ,lord and ,christ4 ,to this agree the words of ,jesus after his resurrection1 as recorded in the close of ,matthew's gospel3 ,all authority is given to me in heaven and in earth4 ,go ye1 therefore1 and disciple all nations1 baptizing them into the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,luke records some things which ,matthew does not record3 ,thus it is written1 and thus it behooved the ,messiah to suffer1 and to rise from the dead the third day3 and that repentance and remission of sins might be preached in his name among all nations1 beginning at ,jerusalem2 and ye are witnesses of these things4 ,but ,mark records some things that neither ,matthew nor ,luke have recorded3 ,go ye into all the1 world and preach the gospel to every creature4 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved2 but he that believeth not shall be damned4 ,in carrying out this commission1 thus recorded by these three evangelists1 if we find an ignorant pagan that knows nothing of ,jesus we shall say to him1 as ,paul said to the ,philippian jailer1 ignorant pagan that he was3 ,believe on the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house4 ,but if we find men who already believe1 as did the three thousand who were pierced in the heart on the day of ,pentecost1 we shall say to them1 as ,peter did3 ,repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of ,jesus ,christ for remission of sins1 and you shall receive the gift of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,if1 however1 we find a man that not only believes1 but is a penitent believer1 such as ,saul of ,tarsus was when ,ananias found him1 we shall say1 as ,ananias said3 ,and now why tarriest thou8 ,arise and be baptized1 and wash away thy sins1 calling on the name of the ,lord4 ,in all this there is nothing human1 nothing schismatical4 ,all can accept it who are willing to accept the ,word of the ,lord4 ,in the baptism we administer1 we will give no cause for schism3 it shall be a burial1 and this1 so far as the action of baptism is concerned1 will meet the conscience of the ,greek ,church1 the ,roman ,catholic ,church1 and of all ,protestant churches4 ,do not1 my friends1 attempt to turn aside this appeal which ,i now make to you with a laugh or a sneer4 ,this is the ,lord's word1 and the word of the ,lord is not to be put aside with a sneer4 ,do not scoff at this as a water of salvation4 ,you certainly will not scoff at the word of the ,lord4 ,and now1 my friends1 will you not demean yourselves worthy of the high place that ,god has given you8 ,adam and ,eve carried in their hands the weal or woe of the unnumbered millions of their children that should come after them4 ,abraham1 because of his great faith and because of his high integrity1 sent down a blessing upon his fleshly seed for fifty generations2 and for the same cause was constituted the spiritual father of a spiritual seed as numerous as the stars of heaven or as the sand upon the seashore4 ,a few ,galileean fishermen have filled the world with the glory of the ,lord4 ,luther drove back the darkness of the dark ages and has filled the world with the light of ,god's ,word4 ,and now1 my friends1 you are laying the foundations of many generations1 and will you not take heed how these foundations are laid8 ,can you repent if you take ,god at his word and do as did the apostles and the primitive ,christians8 ,,chapter ,,vi4 ,that sermon was preached almost thirty-three years ago4 ,it was an extemporaneous discourse1 and no notes were preserved4 ,nevertheless1 there were circumstances attending its delivery1 that have indelibly impressed its leading points on the memory of the writer4 ,s4 ,j4 ,h4 ,snyder was a ,lutheran from ,pennsylvania1 and at that time was a resident of ,atchison county4 ,he had traveled to see the world1 and was a writer of books4 ,he heard the sermon1 and was greatly taken with it4 ,he wrote out a report of it1 and handed his report to me for criticism and correction4 ,he intended to send it for publication to a paper in ,pennsylvania4 ,i said to him that his report left out the most essential and vital part of the sermon1 and proposed myself to write out an abstract of it for his use4 ,this ,i did1 but my friend ,mr4 ,snyder concluded3 ,this is a hard saying1 who can hear it8 ,he was not willing to be counted unsound in the faith by his brethren in ,pennsylvania1 and forwarded the original manuscript4 ,there were also in the audience two young gentlemen1 recently come from the ,new ,england ,states to seek their fortune4 ,they were just of that age to think that what they did not know1 or at least what the people of ,new ,england did not know1 was not worth knowing4 ,such a meeting in the open air2 such an audience1 in which the dress of every man and woman was got up according to their own notions1 and that1 too1 without consulting ,mrs4 ,grundy2 such a preacher6 and such a sermon6 ,certainly these all were new to them1 and did not command their highest admiration4 ,these young gentlemen kept up a sort of running commentary between themselves1 on what they saw going on1 until1 becoming tired of their misbehavior1 ,i turned and said to them in effect3 ,young gentlemen1 you profess to be men of good breeding1 and it is understood that well-bred people will behave themselves in meeting4 ,they were very angry1 and one of them wrote me a saucy letter about it4 ,but finding little sympathy in the settlement1 they went to ,atchison1 and there they found abundant sympathy and open ears to hear4 ,a man who was a preacher1 and a pronounced free ,state man1 had come from ,illinois and had settled on the ,stranger ,creek2 and who could tell the mischief he might do to his brethren who were squatters from ,missouri8 ,when these same ,new ,england gentlemen were in their turn stripped of all they were worth by the ,border ,ruffians it changed their feelings toward their free ,state brethren mightily4 ,and now that feeling of dissatisfaction that had been all along festering in the hearts of the people1 began to come to the surface4 ,an inside view would have revealed a perpetual murmur of discontent4 ,the ,territorial ,legislature was now in session1 and doing its work1 and copies of the laws they had enacted were coming into circulation4 ,no legislature in ,america had ever been elected as they had been1 and we have already learned what a thrill of horror and pain this caused in the hearts of the squatters4 ,it would have been a dictate of the most obvious common sense that a body of men whose claim to be a ,territorial ,legislature rested on such a basis should proceed with the utmost moderation4 ,but they were intoxicated with success4 ,it is an old and a wise saw1 that whom the gods wish to destroy they first deprive of their reason1 and these men were smitten with judicial blindness4 ,no slave ,state had ever enacted such savage and bloody laws--laws of such barbarous and inhuman severity1 for the protection of slave property4 ,and now the people were reading copies of these laws1 and nothing could long suppress the evidences of discontent4 ,the following editorial is also copied from the ,squatter ,sovereign3 ,,watch ,,the ,,abolitionists4 ,circumstances have transpired within a few weeks past1 in this neighborhood1 which place beyond a doubt the existence of an organized band of ,abolitionists in our midst4 ,we counsel our friends who have slave property to keep a sharp lookout1 lest their valuable slaves may be induced to commit acts which might1 jeopardize their lives4 ,mr4 ,grafton ,thomasson lost a valuable negro a week ago1 and we have not the least doubt that she was persuaded by one of this lawless gang to destroy herself rather than remain in slavery4 ,in fact1 one of this gang was heard to remark that she did perfectly right in drowning herself1 and just what he would have done1 or what every negro who is held in bondage should do4 ,we ask1 ,shall a man expressing such sentiments be permitted to reside in our midst8 ,be permitted to run at large among our slaves1 sowing the seeds of discord and discontent1 jeopardizing our lives and property8 ,in another instance we hear of a servant being tampered with1 and induced to believe that she was illegally held in bondage2 since which time she has been unruly1 and shows evidence of discontent4 ,such is the effect produced by permitting the convicts and criminals of the ,eastern cities shipped out here by the aid societies to reside in our midst4 ,the depredations of this fanatical sect do not stop here4 ,their crimes are more numerous and their acts more bold4 ,it is well known that on ,independence and ,walnut ,creeks1 within a few miles of this place1 a great number of free slaves and ,abolitionists are settled whose thieving propensities are well known4 ,we honestly believe that an organized band of these outlaws exists1 whose objects are pecuniary gain and spite1 to rob us of our property1 drive off our cattle and horses1 incite our slaves to rebellion1 and1 when opportunity afford them facilities for escaping1 to aid them4 ,within a short time about one hundred and fifty head of cattle have been stolen from this neighborhood1 driven off1 and sold4 ,eight or nine horses and several mules have been taken out of the emigrants' camp1 driven to parts unknown1 and the money is now jingling in the pockets of the ,abolitionists4 ,occurrences of this kind were never before known in this neighborhood1 and prior to the shipment of the filth and scum of the ,eastern cities our property was secure and our slaves were contented and happy4 ,the enormity of these offenses1 and the great loss of property1 should open the eyes of our citizens to their true situation4 ,we can not feel safe while the air of ,kansas is polluted with the breath of a single ,free-soiler4 ,we are not safe1 and self-preservation requires the total extermination of this set4 ,let us act immediately1 and with such decision as will convince these desperadoes that it is our fixed determination to keep their feet from polluting the soil of ,kansas4 ,we published in a former chapter the letter of recommendation this same ,robert ,s4 ,kelley had written1 certifying to the good behavior of the people of the county1 and the facts of the case were not altered now2 save and only this1 that a black woman1 the slave of ,grafton ,thomasson1 had drowned herself4 ,this said ,thomasson was a drinking man1 and when in drink was desperate and dangerous4 ,what passed between this man1 when intoxicated1 and this slave woman the public have never been informed4 ,an altercation grew out of this between ,thomasson and ,j4 ,w4 ,b4 ,kelly1 ,esq41 a young lawyer from ,cincinnati1 in which ,thomasson1 a great big bully1 flogged ,kelly1 who was a small man1 of slender build1 and weak in body4 ,a public meeting was called1 in which resolutions were adopted praising this big bully for flogging this weak and helpless man2 and then this ,kelly was ordered to leave1 and was not seen in ,kansas afterwards4 ,beyond this1 if there was any of this high-handed stealing and robbery we never heard anything of it afterwards4 ,during the month of ,july1 an event occurred destined to have lasting influence on the ,christian cause in ,northeastern ,kansas4 ,a church was organized at ,mt4 ,pleasant4 ,it is now known as the ,round ,prairie ,church4 ,this church1 after passing through varied fortunes1 has finally issued in being one of the best and most active churches in ,kansas4 ,the last act in his public ministry was the organizing of this church by ,elder ,duke ,young1 father of ,judge ,william ,young4 ,duke ,young was one of the pioneer preachers of ,western ,missouri4 ,when in his manhood's prime he was abundant in labors1 and though he was without any scholastic attainments he had a keen mother wit1 good sense1 and good natural gifts as a public speaker2 and1 working in poverty1 exposure1 hardship1 misrepresentation1 and implacable opposition1 he was one of the men that laid the foundations of the cause in ,western ,missouri4 ,becoming old1 he came with his son1 ,william ,young1 to ,kansas1 and after organizing the church at ,mt4 ,pleasant1 he failed in health1 and ceased his work in the ministry4 ,connected with this church was ,numeris ,humber4 ,bro4 ,humber and his wife were among the excellent of the earth4 ,sister ,humber was a matronly woman1 comely in person1 greatly beloved1 and a queen of song4 ,when ,d4 ,s4 ,burnett afterwards held a protracted meeting at this place1 it was the songs of ,sister ,humber and ,stephen ,sales1 as much as the preaching of ,d4 ,s4 ,burnett1 that made the meeting a wonderful success1 and one long to be remembered4 ,bro4 ,humber and ,bro4 ,young were slave-holders4 ,bro4 ,humber was also an emancipationist in his views of slave-holding1 and often said that if a position could be secured suitable for emancipated slaves he would gladly set his slaves free4 ,when at last they were made free by the results of the war1 and went to ,leavenworth to live1 it was always a burden on ,bro4 ,humber's heart to watch over them1 and try and save them from the temptations that were laid for their feet in that wicked city4 ,it will be readily seen that no scandal would be created in ,atchison by organizing a church at ,mt4 ,pleasant with such men to take the lead in it4 ,,chapter ,,vii4 ,it was now the middle of ,august4 ,my cabin was completed1 and ,i was ready to go back and bring ,mrs4 ,butler and the children to ,kansas4 ,bro4 ,elliott accompanied me to ,atchison1 where ,i intended to take a steamboat to ,st4 ,louis1 thence going up the ,illinois ,river to ,fulton county1 ,illinois1 where ,mrs4 ,butler had been stopping with her sister4 ,the things that had been happening in the ,territory had been so strange and unheard of1 and the threats of the ,squatter ,sovereign had been so savage and barbarous1 that ,i wanted to carry back to my friends in ,illinois some evidence of what was going on4 ,i went1 therefore1 with ,bro4 ,elliott to the ,squatter ,sovereign printing office to purchase extra copies of that paper4 ,i was waited on by ,robert ,s4 ,kelley4 ,after paying for my papers ,i said to him3 ,i should have become a subscriber to your paper some time ago only there is one thing ,i do not like about it4 ,mr4 ,kelley did not know me1 and asked3 ,what is it8 ,i replied3 ,i do not like the spirit of violence that characterizes it4 ,he said3 ,i consider all ,free-soilers rogues1 and they are to be treated as such4 ,i looked him for a moment steadily in the face1 and then said to him3 ,well1 sir1 ,i am a ,free-soiler2 and ,i intend to vote for ,kansas to be a free ,state4 ,he fiercely replied3 ,you will not be allowed to vote4 ,when ,bro4 ,elliott and myself had left the house1 and were in the open air1 he clutched me nervously by the arm and said3 ,bro4 ,butler6 ,bro4 ,butler6 ,you must not do such things2 they will kill you6 ,i replied3 ,if they do ,i can not help it4 ,bro4 ,e4 was now to go home4 ,but before going he besought me with earnest entreaty not to bring down on my own head the vengeance of these men4 ,i thanked him for his regard for me1 and we bade each other good-by4 ,bro4 ,e4 had come to feel that my life was precious to the ,christian brethren in ,atchison county4 ,except myself they had no preacher1 and they needed a preacher4 ,the steamboat bound for ,st4 ,louis that day had been detained1 and would not arrive until the next day4 ,i must1 therefore1 stay over night in ,atchison4 ,i conversed freely with the people that afternoon1 and said to them3 ,under the ,kansas-,nebraska bill1 we that are free ,state men have as good a right to come to ,kansas as you have2 and we have as good a right to speak our sentiments as you have4 ,a public meeting was called that night to consider my case1 but ,i did not know it4 ,the steamboat was expected about noon the next day4 ,i had been sitting writing letters at the head of the stairs1 in the chamber of the boarding-house where ,i had slept1 and heard some one call my name1 and rose up to go down stairs2 but was met by six men1 bristling with revolvers and bowie-knives1 who came up stairs and into my room4 ,the leader was ,robert ,s4 ,kelley4 ,they presented me a string of resolutions1 denouncing free ,state men in unmeasured terms1 and demanded that ,i should sign them4 ,i felt my heart flutter1 and knew if ,i should undertake to speak my voice would tremble1 and determined to gain time4 ,sitting down ,i pretended to read the resolutions--they were familiar to me1 having been already printed in the ,squatter ,sovereign--and finally ,i began to read them aloud4 ,but these men were impatient1 and said3 ,we just want to know will you sign these resolutions8 ,i had taken my seat by a window1 and looking out and down into the street1 had seen a great crowd assembled1 and determined to get among them4 ,whatever should be done-would better be done in the presence of witnesses4 ,i said not a word1 but going to the head of the stairs1 where was my writing-stand and pen and ink1 ,i laid the paper down and quickly walked down stairs and into the street4 ,here they caught me by the wrists1 from behind1 and demanded1 ,will you sign8 ,i answered1 ,no1 with emphasis4 ,i had got my voice by that time4 ,they dragged me down to the ,missouri ,river1 cursing me1 and telling me they were going to drown me4 ,but when we had got to the river they seemed to have got to the end of their programme1 and there we stood4 ,then some little boys1 anxious to see the fun go on1 told me to get on a large cotton-wood stump close by and defend myself4 ,i told the little fellows ,i did not know what ,i was accused of yet4 ,this broke the silence1 and the men that had me in charge asked3 ,did the ,emigrant ,aid ,society send you here8 ,no2 ,i have no connection with the ,emigrant ,aid ,society4 ,well1 what did you come for8 ,i came because ,i had a mind to come4 ,what did you come for8 ,did you come to make ,kansas a free ,state8 ,no1 not primarily2 but ,i shall vote to make ,kansas a free ,state4 ,are you a correspondent of the ,new ,york ,tribune8 ,no2 ,i have not written a line to the ,tribune since ,i came to ,kansas4 ,by this time a great crowd had gathered around1 and each man took his turn in cross-questioning me1 while ,i replied1 as best ,i could1 to this storm of questions1 accusations and invectives4 ,we went over the whole ground4 ,we debated every issue that had been debated in ,congress4 ,they alleged the joint ownership the ,south had with the ,north in the common ,territories of the nation2 that slaves are property1 and that they had a natural and inalienable right to take their property into any part of the national ,territory1 and there to protect it by the strong right arm of power1 while ,i urged the terms of the ,kansas-,nebraska bill1 and that under it free ,state men have a right to come into the ,territory1 and by their votes to make it a free ,state1 if their votes will make it so4 ,at length an old man came near to me1 and dropping his voice to a half-whisper1 said in a confidential tone3 ,n-e-ow1 ,mr4 ,butler1 ,i want to advise you as a friend1 and for your own good1 when you get away1 just keep away4 ,i knew this man was a ,yankee1 for ,i am a ,yankee myself4 ,his name was ,ira ,norris4 ,he had been given an office in ,platte county1 ,mo41 and must needs be a partisan for the peculiar institution4 ,i gave my friend ,norris to understand that ,i would try to attend to my own business4 ,others sought to persuade me to promise to leave the country and not come back4 ,then when no good result seemed to come from our talk1 ,i said to them3 ,gentlemen1 there is no use in keeping up this debate any longer2 if ,i live anywhere1 ,i shall live in ,kansas4 ,now do your duty as you understand it1 and ,i will do mine as ,i understand it4 ,i ask no favors of you4 ,then the leaders of this business went away by themselves and held a consultation4 ,of course ,i did not know what passed among them1 but ,dr4 ,stringfellow afterwards made the following statement to a gentleman who was getting up a history of ,kansas3 ,a vote was taken upon the mode of punishment which ought to be accorded to him1 and to this day it is probably known but to few persons that a decided verdict of death by hanging was rendered2 and furthermore1 that ,mr4 ,kelley1 the teller1 by making false returns to the excited mob1 saved ,mr4 ,butler's life4 ,mr4 ,kelley is now a resident of ,montana1 and volunteered this information several years ago1 while stopping at ,st4 ,joe with the former senior editor of the ,squatter ,sovereign1 ,dr4 ,j4 ,h4 ,stringfellow4 ,at the time the pro-slavery party decided to send ,mr4 ,butler down the ,missouri ,river on a raft1 ,dr4 ,stringfellow was absent as a member of the ,territorial ,legislature4 ,the crowd had now to be pacified and won over to an arrangement that should give me a chance for my life4 ,a ,mr4 ,peebles1 a dentist from ,lexington1 ,mo41 who was working at the business of dentistry in ,atchison1 and himself a slave-holder1 was put forward to do this work4 ,he said3 ,my friends1 we must not hang this man2 he is not an ,abolitionist1 he is what they call a ,free-soiler4 ,the ,abolitionists steal our niggers1 but the ,free-soilers do not do this4 ,they intend to make ,kansas a free ,state by legal methods4 ,but in the outcome of the business1 there is not the value of a picayune of difference between a ,free-soiler and an ,abolitionist2 for if the ,free-soilers succeed in making ,kansas a free ,state1 and thus surround ,missouri with a cordon of free ,states1 our slaves in ,missouri will not be worth a dime apiece4 ,still we must not hang this man2 and ,i propose that we make a raft and send him down the river as an example4 ,and so to him they all agreed4 ,then the question came up1 ,what kind of a raft shall it be8 #a ,some said1 ,one log2 but the crowd decided it should be two logs fastened together4 ,when the raft was completed ,i was ordered to take my place on it1 after they had painted the letter ,r4 on my forehead with black paint4 ,this letter stood for ,rogue4 ,i had in my pocket a purse of gold1 which ,i proffered to a merchant of the place1 an upright business man1 with the request that he would send it to my wife2 but he declined to take it4 ,he afterwards explained to me that he himself was afraid of the mob4 ,they took a skiff and towed the raft out into the middle of the ,missouri ,river4 ,as we swung away from the bank1 ,i rose up and said3 ,gentlemen1 if ,i am drowned ,i forgive you2 but ,i have this to say to you3 ,if you are not ashamed of your part in this transaction1 ,i am not ashamed of mine4 ,good-by4 ,floating down the river1 alone and helpless1 ,i had opportunity to look about me4 ,i had noticed that they had put up a flag on my raft1 but had paid no attention to it2 now ,i looked at it and it charged me with stealing negroes2 and it was thought by many to be no sin to shoot a nigger thief4 ,down that flag must come2 and then ,i remembered that they had said they would follow me down the river and shoot me if ,i did pull it down4 ,the picture on the flag was that of a white man riding at full gallop1 on horseback1 with a negro behind him4 ,the flag bore this inscription3 ,,greeley ,,to ,,the ,,rescue3 ,i ,,have ,a ,,nigger4 ,,the ,,rev4 ,,mr4 ,,butler1 ,,agent ,,for ,,the ,,underground ,,railroad4 ,this flag ,i pulled down1 cut off the flag with my pen-knife1 and made a paddle of the flag staff1 which was a small sapling which they had cut out of the brush1 and was forked at the upper end4 ,between these forks they had carefully sewed this flag with twine1 and this part of the canvas ,i left and made it serve as the blade of my paddle2 and so in due time ,i paddled to the ,kansas shore4 ,the river was rapid1 and there were in the river heaps of drift-wood1 called rack-heaps1 dangerous places into which the water rushed with great violence2 but from these ,i was mercifully saved1 and though ,i could not swim1 ,i landed a few miles below ,atchison without harm or accident1 and made my way to ,port ,william1 a small town about twelve miles down the river4 ,illustration3 ,the flag placed on ,pardee ,butler's raft4 ,,chapter ,,viii4 ,at ,port ,william ,i had already become acquainted with a ,bro4 ,hartman4 ,he had leased a saw-mill1 and was running it1 and ,i had bought lumber of him4 ,having reached ,port ,william1 ,i went to ,bro4 ,h4 and said1 ,i want to obtain lodging of you to-night2 but as ,i do not want to betray any man into trouble1 ,i must first tell you what has befallen me4 ,i then told him my mishap at ,atchison1 and said3 ,now if you do not want to lodge such a man1 please say so1 and ,i will go somewhere else4 ,he replied3 ,you shall lodge with me if it cost me every cent ,i am worth4 ,he then went on to say that he had leased that mill of men who were very bitter1 and very ultra in their views1 and that they might be angry with him1 and turn him out of the mill4 ,but at last he said3 ,there is ,bro4 ,oliphant living in the bluffs2 he is under no such embarrassment1 and ,bro4 ,hartman took me there4 ,the next day was the ,lord's day1 and ,oliver ,steele was to preach the first sermon in that little village on that day4 ,oliver ,steele was a notable citizen of ,platte county1 ,missouri4 ,his name appears in the early days of the ,millennial ,harbinger as a citizen of ,madison county1 ,kentucky4 ,bro4 ,steele complains of the ,reformers of ,kentucky1 that they are too much wedded to ,old ,baptist usages to be true to the primitive and apostolic order of things4 ,then ,bro4 ,steele came to ,platte county1 ,missouri1 and had become one of its most wealthy and influential citizens4 ,he was an eminent example of a courtly and courteous ,old ,virginia gentleman1 and was loved by the rich and loved by the poor1 he was loved by white folks and black2 loved by the mothers and their babies2 and the people patronized his preaching1 not because he was a great preacher1 for he certainly was not1 but because they loved the man4 ,he was an old ,henry ,clay ,whig1 and like that great ,kentucky statesman was an ,emancipationist4 ,bro4 ,s4 was to come over the river and preach the first sermon in this new town1 and it was a great event to the people4 ,on returning to ,port ,william in the morning ,bro4 ,hartman said that ,i must take dinner with him1 and he would introduce me to ,bro4 ,steele4 ,it was not until twenty-five years afterwards1 and only after ,sister ,hartman had died1 that ,bro4 ,hartman told me what so much altered his feelings4 ,she was a sweet ,christian woman1 and when ,bro4 ,h4 went to her she said to him3 ,husband1 don't you know that in the last great day the ,lord will say1 ',i was a stranger and ye took me in'2 and don't you remember how the good ,samaritan showed mercy to the man that fell among thieves8 ,now we believe that this man is an innocent man2 and what will the ,lord say to us if we turn him out of doors8 ,at dinner1 at the house of ,bro4 ,hartman1 was also ,dr4 ,oliphant1 father of the ,bro4 ,oliphant with whom ,i had lodged4 ,he was a brusque1 blunt-spoken1 honest1 anti-slavery ,northern ,methodist preacher4 ,he said bluntly at the table3 ,well1 ,mr4 ,butler1 they treated you rather roughly at ,at-,atchison1 did they not8 ,i said1 ,yes-- attempted to say more1 broke down and left the table1 and went out of the house4 ,my heart was not as hard here1 among sympathizing friends1 as it had been the day before1 when ,i had to face a raging mob4 ,when ,i returned no mother could be more tender seeking out the hurt of her boy bruised in a rough encounter with his fellows1 than was ,oliver ,steele4 ,he would hear the whole story1 sighed over these evil days1 and listened with approval to the vindication ,i made of the purposes of the free ,state men4 ,how many men that1 through a sense of bitter wrong1 are in danger to become desperate1 could be won to a better temper the world has never fully tried4 ,the news of what had been done at ,atchison flew like wild-fire through the country4 ,this proved the last feather that broke the camel's back4 ,it became apparent that the country was full of men that were ready to fight4 ,as for my friend ,caleb ,may1 he went into ,atchison and said3 ,i am a free ,state man3 now raft me6 ,as no one seemed inclined to undertake that job1 he faithfully promised them that if there was any more of that business done he would go over into ,missouri and raise a company of men and clean out the town4 ,meantime my friends at ,port ,william provided means to send me down to ,weston1 there to take the steamboat ,polar ,star1 bound for ,st4 ,louis4 ,boycotting was a word unknown to the ,english language at that time2 and yet ,i was boycotted on board the steamboat4 ,i heard nothing--not a word2 and yet ,i could feel it4 ,i had hoped to be a total stranger1 but it was evident ,i was not1 and the most comfort ,i could find was to keep my state-room1 and employ my time writ ing out the appeal ,i intended to make to the people1 through the ,missouri ,democrat1 published in ,st4 ,louis4 ,at length my work was done1 and yet we were only half way to ,st4 ,louis4 ,the reader will believe that my reflections were not cheerful4 ,what would become of myself8 ,what would become of my wife and children8 ,what would become of ,kansas1 or of the ,united ,states8 ,at ,jefferson ,city a man had come aboard of the boat who seemed almost as much alone as myself4 ,still the captain and officers of the boat paid him marked attention4 ,one thing ,i noticed1 he abounded in newspapers1 and ,i wanted something to read that should save me from my own reflections4 ,i ventured to ask him for the loan of some of his papers2 then when ,i returned them he went to his trunk and took out a book of travels and gave it to me1 saying3 ,take that1 please4 ,it will amuse you4 ,at length we could see the smoke of the city of ,st4 ,louis1 and ,i gave back to this stranger the book he had loaned me4 ,he said3 ,no1 thank you4 ,i was startled1 and said with some surprise3 ,i do not know why you should do this to a stranger4 ,he laughed and said3 ,you are not so much a stranger as you think4 ,your name is ,butler1 is it not8 ,yes4 ,and they mobbed you at ,atchison8 ,yes4 ,well1 please call on me at the office of the ,missouri ,democrat4 ,and what is your name8 ,they call me ,b4 ,gratz ,brown4 ,and so ,providence had prepared the way for making my appeal to the people4 ,b4 ,gratz ,brown had the preceding winter1 at ,jefferson ,city1 either given or accepted a challenge to fight a duel2 but the public authorities had interfered1 and some business connected with this matter had called him to ,jefferson ,city4 ,but whence had he his knowledge of the mobbing at ,atchison8 ,the ,squatter ,sovereign had been issued immediately after they had put me on the raft1 and had contained the following editorial3 ,on ,thursday last it was ,friday1 one ,pardee ,butler arrived in town with a view of starting for the ,east1 probably with the purpose of getting a fresh supply of ,free-soilers from the penitentiaries and pestholes in the ,northern ,states4 ,finding it inconvenient to depart before the morning1 he took lodgings at the hotel and proceeded to visit numerous portions of our town1 everywhere avowing himself a ,free-soiler1 and preaching ,abolition heresies4 ,he declared the recent action of our citizens in regard to ,j4 ,w4 ,b4 ,kelley the infamous proceedings of a mob1 at the same time stating that many persons in ,atchison who were ,free-soilers at heart had been intimidated thereby1 and prevented from avowing their true sentiments2 but that he 7,butler7 would express his views in defiance of the whole community4 ,on the ensuing morning our townsmen assembled en masse1 and1 deeming the presence of such a person highly prejudicial to the safety of our slave population1 appointed a committee to wait on ,mr4 ,butler and request his signature to the resolutions passed at the late pro-slavery meeting4 ,after perusing the resolutions1 ,mr4 ,b4 positively declined signing them1 and was instantly arrested by the committee4 ,after various plans for his disposal had been considered1 it was finally decided to place him on a raft composed of two logs firmly lashed together1 that his baggage and a loaf of bread be given him1 and having attached a flag to his primitive bark1 ,mr4 ,butler was set adrift in the great ,missouri1 with the letter ,r legibly painted on his forehead4 ,he was escorted some distance down the river by several of our citizens1 who1 seeing him pass several rock-heaps in quite a skillful manner1 bade him adieu and returned to ,atchison4 ,such treatment may be expected by all scoundrels visiting our town for the purpose of interfering with our time-honored institutions1 and the same punishment we will be happy to award to all ,free-soilers and ,abolitionists4 ,the ,missouri ,democrat was what was known as the ,tom ,ben ton paper of ,missouri1 and was not ostensibly a ,free-soil paper1 yet it vehemently inveighed against the ruffianism with which free ,state men had been treated4 ,of course there was sympathy in the office of the ,missouri ,democrat1 that made some amends for the rough treatment ,i had got at the hands of citizens of ,missouri4 ,having completed my business in ,st4 ,louis ,i turned my face toward my old field of labor in the ,military ,tract1 via the ,illinois ,river4 ,the reader will believe that my reflections were full of anxieties4 ,what would the brethren say of me8 ,were my prospects blighted from this time forward8 ,,chapter ,,ix4 ,the brethren in ,illinois were at the first amazed at what they heard1 and did not know what to think or say4 ,before they could make up their minds1 the following editorial appeared in the ,schuyler ,county ,democrat1 published at ,rushville3 ,,elder ,,pardee ,,butler1 ,the gentleman who was placed on a raft in the ,missouri ,river1 with a proper uniform for a ,northern fanatic1 is in ,rushville4 ,we saw handbills posted around town stating that he would hold a meeting in the ,christian ,church4 ,we are informed he will deliver a series of lectures1 in which1 of course1 he will give vent to his indignation toward the people of ,kansas1 ,judge ,douglas and the ,administration4 ,we thought ,schuyler county was the last place which a ,northern fanatic would visit for sympathy4 ,we hope that those that go to hear his lectures1 which differ with him in their sentiments1 will not interrupt him or give him any pretext by which he could denounce our citizens4 ,to the above notice of myself ,i made the following reply3 ,for the ,prairie ,telegraph4 ,,messrs4 ,,editors3 ,sirs--,i find the above notice of myself in the last issue of the ,schuyler ,democrat4 ,while in ,kansas ,i diligently worked six days of the week1 and on ,lord's day spoke to my neighbors1 not in reference to affairs in ,kansas1 but in reference to our common interest in a better and heavenly country4 ,i do not know that ,i indicated my political proclivities1 in any word or allusion1 on any such occasion1 ,but ,i did1 in private conversations with my neighbors1 avow my intention to vote for ,kansas to be a free ,state1 and gave my reasons for so doing4 ,this was my only offence4 ,what must you think of yourself1 sir1 in this notice you take of this transaction8 ,and you pretend to be a conservator of public morals6 ,if there is in town a clergyman that will consent to teach you a few lessons upon the items of justice and gentlemanly behavior1 ,i suggest it may be to your advantage to put yourself under his tuition4 ,you may perhaps learn that it is neither just nor gentlemanly gratuitously to insult a man1 because you have surmised that he will show some resentment at the ruffianism of a ,kansas mob1 with which you seem to sympathize4 ,since ,i came into ,illinois ,i have steadily declined to make any statement of this affair in any public address4 ,still it is perhaps due to the world to know some additional facts4 ,how the mob deliberated among themselves 4 4 4 ,i have never yet made war on ,judge ,douglas4 ,it is true that the ,missouri ,compromise1 being a time-honored covenant of peace between ,north and ,south1 ,i would much rather it had been suffered to remain2 but now ,i am rather indignant at the clear and palpable violation of the principles of the ,kansas-,nebraska bill1 in the attempt made by border ruffians to drive out peaceable citizens from the free ,states4 ,i am still more indignant that a ,northern editor can be found to wink at such flagrant and unquestionable wrong4 ,judge ,douglas may well exclaim1 ,save me from my friends6 ,perhaps1 upon reflection1 you may be convinced of three things3 ,first1 that ,i am not a fanatic1 and have not deserved the treatment ,i have received2 second1 that your friends may be trusted not to create any disturbance at my meetings2 and1 third1 that instead of seeking to stir up against me the prejudices of ignorant partisans1 you may safely devote yourselves to the more honorable employment of seeking to restore in our unhappy country the supremacy of law4 ,very faithfully1 ,,pardee ,,butler4 ,,rushville1 ,sept4 #aa1 #ahee4 ,the final result was much more favorable than could have been expected1 and the brethren gave me an invitation to remain with them through the winter4 ,i tarried six weeks in ,illinois1 and then returned to ,kansas with ,mrs4 ,butler and our two children1 of whom the eldest is now ,mrs4 ,rosetta ,b4 ,hastings4 ,milo ,carleton had already reached the ,territory1 direct from the ,western ,reserve1 ,ohio4 ,he was ,mrs4 ,butler's brother1 and it was determined that the two families should spend the winter together1 while ,i should return to ,illinois4 ,we will now pause in our personal narrative and tell what had been going on the preceding summer in other parts of the ,territory4 ,a delegate convention had been called by the free ,state men to meet during the preceding ,september at a place called ,big ,springs1 on the ,santa ,fe trail1 midway between ,lawrence and ,topeka4 ,here the free ,state men agreed on a plan1 to which they steadily adhered through all the sickening horrors that gave to bleeding ,kansas a world-wide and thankless notoriety4 ,they resolved that they would not in any way1 shape or manner1 recognize the legality of this so-called ,territorial ,legislature1 nor the machinery it should call into being for the government of the ,territory4 ,they would bring no suits in its courts2 they would attend no elections called by its authority2 they would pay no attention to its county organizations2 and yet1 as far as in them lay1 they would do no act that might make them liable to the penalty of its laws4 ,in short1 they would be like the ,quaker1 who1 when drafted into the army1 replies3 ,thee-must not expect me to fight with carnal weapons2 and when amerced in a fine for non-compliance with the laws1 makes the reply1 ,thee must not expect me to pay money for such carnal uses1 but thee can take my property4 ,nevertheless1 there was superadded to these peaceful resolutions an un-,quaker-like intimation that under certain contingencies they would fight4 ,beyond the ,wakarusa1 and about eight miles from ,lawrence1 was a placed called ,hickory point4 ,here were some timber claims1 and here resided ,jacob ,branson1 a peaceful and harmless free ,state man4 ,beside him lay a vacant timber claim1 and he invited a young man named ,dow to take it1 ,dow boarded with ,branson4 ,when the ,missourians came into ,kansas the preceding ,march1 many of them staked out a claim which they pretended to hold4 ,one ,william ,white1 of ,westport1 ,mo41 pretended1 in his way1 to hold this claim4 ,there was not a particle of legality in his proceeding4 ,notwithstanding1 certain pro-slavery men1 among whom were ,coleman1 ,hargis and ,buckley1 determined to drive off ,branson and ,dow4 ,they sent threatening letters to ,branson1 and cut timber on ,dow's claim2 and this made bad blood4 ,one day an altercation took place between ,dow and the above-named pro-slavery men at a blacksmith shop1 and ,coleman followed ,dow and shot him4 ,dow was unarmed1 and held up his hands and cried1 ,don't shoot1 but ,coleman lodged a load of buckshot in his breast1 and he fell dead1 and his body lay in the road till sundown4 ,then ,branson came and took up the body and buried it4 ,this murder created a prodigious sensation2 and a public meeting was called1 at which there was violent and threatening talk by the free ,state men4 ,the three above-named pro-slavery men were all present when the murder was committed4 ,they fled1 and their dwellings were burned4 ,coleman went to ,westport and gave himself up to ,sheriff ,jones4 ,this introduces us to the man that was able to achieve an infamous pre-eminence among that band of conspirators that put in motion a train of causes that issued in the death of half a million of ,american citizens1 and which covered the land with mourning from ,maine to ,florida1 and from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,this ,jones is described by the free ,state men as a bully and a braggart1 as only brave when he was not in danger1 and as one of the most noisy and obstreperous of the pro-slavery leaders4 ,though living in ,westport1 ,mo41 he was made sheriff of ,douglas county1 fifty miles from his place of residence4 ,buckley swore out a peace warrant against ,branson--he swore that his life was in danger4 ,sheriff ,jones took with him these three men1 who were parties in the murder of ,dow1 and arrested ,branson1 dragging him out of his bed at night4 ,he had also associated with himself eleven other men4 ,the news spread like wild-fire among the free ,state men4 ,this ,jones was supposed to be capable of any atrocity1 however horrible1 and a company of sixteen men was gathered up for the rescue of ,branson4 ,of this company ,sam ,wood1 of ,lawrence1 was the leader4 ,they met ,jones and his company at ,blanton's ,bridge1 on the ,wakarusa ,river1 where ,jones was crossing to go to ,lecompte1 and called a halt4 ,jones demanded3 ,what's up8 ,sam ,wood replied3 ,that's what we want to know4 ,wood asked3 ,is ,jacob ,branson in this crowd8 ,branson replied3 ,yes1 ,i am here and a prisoner4 ,wood replied3 ,well1 come out here among your friends4 ,jones threatened with oaths and imprecations to shoot4 ,the rescuing party leveled their guns and said3 ,well1 we can shoot1 too4 ,nobody was hurt1 no gun was fired1 and ,jacob ,branson1 coming out from among his captors1 walked away4 ,it will be seen that this was a clear and palpable violation of the plan of procedure which the free ,state men had agreed upon among themselves1 and this act made ,kansas for three years a dark and bloody ground1 and concentrated on this ,territory the eyes of the whole nation4 ,of the rescuing party only three were citizens of ,lawrence4 ,sam ,wood was in his element4 ,he was a man overflowing with patriotism1 yet succeeded in doing more harm to his friends than to his enemies4 ,he possessed unmistakable talent2 he was a clown and a born actor1 and as a public speaker was sure to bring down the house2 he was a pronounced free ,state man2 yet in this act he made himself the marplot of his party4 ,,chapter ,x4 ,sheriff ,jones went away1 vowing that he would have revenge1 and sent the following dispatch to ,gov4 ,shannon3 ,,douglas ,,co41 ,k4 ,t41 ,,nov4 #bg1 #ahee4 ,,sir3--,last night ,i1 with a posse of ten men1 arrested one ,jacob ,branson1 by virtue of a peace warrant regularly issued1 who1 on our return1 was rescued by a party of forty men who rushed upon us suddenly from behind a house by the roadside1 all armed to the teeth with ,sharpe's rifles4 ,you may consider an open rebellion as already having commenced1 and ,i call upon you for ,,three ,,thousand ,,men to carry out the laws4 ,mr4 ,hargis1 the bearer of this letter1 will give you more particularly the circumstances4 ,most respectfully1 ,,samuel ,j4 ,,jones1 ,sheriff ,douglas ,county4 ,to ,his ,,excellency1 ,,wilson ,,shannon1 ,,governor ,,kansas ,,territory4 ,on receipt of the above dispatch1 ,gov4 ,shannon wrote to ,major-,general ,william ,p4 ,richardson1 reciting the story told him by ,sheriff ,jones1 together with additional stories 7equally false71 told him by ,hargis1 and closed his letter with the following order3 ,you are therefore hereby commanded to collect together as large a force as you can in your division1 and repair1 without delay1 to ,lecompton1 and report to ,s4 ,j4 ,jones1 ,sheriff of ,douglas ,county1 together with the number of your forces1 and render him all the aid and assistance in your power in the execution of any legal process in his hands4 ,the forces under your command are to be used for the sole purpose of aiding the ,sheriff in executing the law1 and for no other purpose4 ,i have the honor to be ,your obedient servant1 ,,wilson ,,shannon4 ,gov4 ,shannon knew1 as well as he knew his name was ,wilson ,shannon1 that this meant another invasion of ,kansas ,territory4 ,there was no organized militia in ,kansas4 ,gen4 ,richardson did not live in ,kansas2 he lived in ,missouri1 and it meant ,missouri militia and not ,kansas militia4 ,moreover1 the ,governor knew1 or at least ought to have known1 what an unreliable man this ,sheriff ,jones was4 ,jones was ,postmaster at ,westport1 and ,shannon was living at ,shawnee ,mission1 in the neighborhood of ,westport4 ,and yet1 without one moment's inquiry1 he placed the issues of life and death of this infant ,territory in the hands of this lying scoundrel4 ,there was a rallying of the clans of the blue lodges of ,missouri4 ,the following appeal1 sent by ,brig4 ,gen4 ,eastin1 editor of the ,leavenworth ,herald1 and commander of the second brigade1 ,kansas militia1 must serve as a sample of the dispatches that were scattered broadcast through the border ,missouri counties3 ,,to ,,arms6 ,,to ,,arms6 ,it is expected that every lover of law and order will rally at ,leavenworth on ,saturday1 ,december #a1 #ahee1 prepared to march at once to the scene of rebellion to put down the outlaws of ,douglas county1 who are committing depredations upon persons and property1 burning down houses and declaring open hostility to the laws1 and have forcibly rescued a prisoner from the ,sheriff4 ,come one1 come all6 ,the outlaws are armed to the teeth1 and number #a1jjj men4 ,everyman should bring his rifle and ammunition1 and it would be well to bring two or three days' provisions4 ,every man to his post and do his duty4 ,,many ,,citizens4 ,in answer to the above appeal #a1ejj men1 mostly from ,missouri1 encamped around ,lawrence1 under such notabilities as ,maj4 ,gens4 ,strickler and ,richardson1 ,brig4 ,gen4 ,eastin1 ,col4 ,atchison1 ,col4 ,peter ,t4 ,abell1 ,robert ,s4 ,kelley1 ,stringfellow and ,sheriff ,jones4 ,they had broken into the ,united ,states ,arsenal at ,liberty1 ,clay ,county1 ,mo41 and stolen guns1 cutlasses and such munitions of war as they required4 ,but when this was known the free ,state men turned out from all the settlements of ,kansas with equal alacrity1 to defend ,lawrence4 ,they came singly1 and in squads and in companies4 ,they came by night and by day4 ,sam ,wood1 ,tappin and ,smith1 the rescuers of ,branson1 and who were residents of ,lawrence1 left the city1 and there were none there against whom ,sheriff ,jones had any writs to execute4 ,dr4 ,robinson was appointed ,commander-in-,chief for the defense of the city1 and ,james ,h4 ,lane was appointed second in command4 ,but ,lane was the principal figure in the enterprise4 ,he alone had military experience1 and he alone had the daring1 the genius and the personal magnetism of a real leader4 ,the free ,state men1 for the last year1 had been passing through the furnace-fires of a vigorous discipline1 and they would have fought as the ,tennessee and ,kentucky backwoodsmen of ,andrew ,jackson fought behind their cotton bales at the battle of ,new ,orleans4 ,they had seen their rights wrested out of their hands by a mob of ruffians1 and now they were proposing to settle the matter in that court of last resort that is the final and ultimate appeal of the nations4 ,except ,gen4 ,lane1 they had small knowledge of military tactics1 but they knew how to look along the barrel of a rifle2 moreover1 they would fight behind breastworks1 and this to raw troops would have been an immense advantage4 ,it is probable that the first intimation that ,gov4 ,shannon got of the real state of affairs at ,lawrence was conveyed to him in the following letter1 written by ,brig4 ,gen4 ,eastin3 ,,governor ,,shannon3--,information has been received direct from ,lawrence1 which ,i consider reliable1 that the outlaws are well fortified with cannon and ,sharpe' rifles1 and number at least #a1jjj men4 ,it will1 therefore1 be difficult to dispossess them4 ,the militia in this portion of the ,state are entirely unorganized1 and mostly without arms4 ,i suggest the propriety of calling upon the military of ,fort ,leavenworth4 ,if you have the power to call out the government troops1 ,i think it would be best to do so at once4 ,it might overawe these outlaws and prevent bloodshed4 ,s4 ,j4 ,,eastin1 ,brig4 ,gen4 ,northern ,brigade1 ,k4 ,m4 ,gen4 ,eastin is mistaken in putting their number at #a1jjj1 but whether many or few they certainly would have fought a hard battle4 ,they were picked men from all the ,kansas settlements4 ,our old friend1 ,caleb ,may1 was there1 as grim and as self-possessed as ,andrew ,jackson4 ,so also ,old ,john ,brown was there with his four sons1 though they did not arrive until ,gov4 ,shannon had made overtures for peace4 ,the ,governor telegraphed to ,washington to obtain authority to call out ,col4 ,sumner with the ,united ,states troops at ,fort ,leavenworth4 ,he also wrote to ,col4 ,sumner to hold himself ready to march at a moment's notice4 ,and now this simple-minded ,gov4 ,shannon1 ,ex-,governor of ,ohio1 who had come to ,kansas to waste in a few short months the ripe honors he had been so carefully hoarding up for a life-time1 bethought himself that it was time for him to go and look with his own eyes after this rebellion he had so foolishly and recklessly stirred up4 ,we have already remarked that ,gen4 ,james ,h4 ,lane was the most conspicuous figure in the defense of ,lawrence4 ,it is proper to pause and consider the character of this man1 who shone for a time like a brilliant meteor1 and then had his light quenched in the blackness of darkness4 ,he had now been eight months in ,kansas4 ,he came out of the ,mexican war with a good reputation as a brilliant and dashing officer1 and a man of approved courage4 ,as a politician he had been highly favored by the people of ,indiana4 ,he was in the convention that nominated ,president ,pierce4 ,he was in ,congress at the time of the passage of the ,kansas-,nebraska bill1 and aided in its enactment4 ,he was the friend of ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas4 ,yet he came to ,kansas a man of broken fortunes4 ,he was bankrupt in reputation1 bankrupt in property1 and bankrupt in morals1 and he came away from unhappy family relations4 ,notwithstanding1 he brought with him boundless ambition1 and a consciousness in his own heart that he possessed genius that might lift him up to the highest pinnacle of honor4 ,his first effort was to reorganize that political party that was in control of the ,government at ,washington1 and that he had so faithfully served in ,indiana4 ,as respects slavery1 he probably would have said with ,mr4 ,douglas that he did not care whether it was voted up or voted down4 ,but his effort fell stillborn and dead4 ,dr4 ,john ,h4 ,stringfellow was an old ,whig1 and so also were many of the ,pro-slavery leaders1 and they would not hear to it that there should be any parties known save the ,pro-slavery and ,free ,state parties4 ,the ,free ,state men were equally averse to making any division in their own ranks4 ,mr4 ,lane was to choose1 and he did choose with a vengeance4 ,bad men usually pay this compliment to a righteous life1 that they seek to conceal their wicked deeds and wear the outside seeming of virtue4 ,but this strange man never pretended to be anything else than just what he was4 ,he displayed such audacious boldness as gave an air of respectability even to his wickedness4 ,his public speaking did not belong to any school of oratory known among men2 yet1 if to sway the people as a tempest bends to its will a field of waving grain1 be oratory1 then was ,mr4 ,lane1 in the highest sense of the word1 an orator4 ,he spoke once in ,chicago when the people were most excited over the ,kansas troubles4 ,a great crowd came to hear1 and he swayed them to his will1 as only such men as ,henry ,ward ,beecher and ,patrick ,henry have been able to do4 ,but this gospel was the gospel of hate4 ,implacable1 unforgiving hate was his only gospel4 ,at last this man1 at once both great and wicked1 having attained the highest honors the people had to bestow1 died by his own hand4 ,the people believed that he had gone wrong and betrayed them1 and they withdrew from him their favor4 ,mr4 ,lane loved popularity more than he loved heaven1 and he shot himself through the brain4 ,the writer1 unwilling alone to take the responsibility of expressing such a judgment as the above1 appealed to a gentlemen whose high position in public life and kindly and conservative temper eminently qualify him to speak1 and this is what he says3 ,no one can question the fact that ,mr4 ,lane's career in ,kansas exerted a great influence in shaping the affairs and controlling the destiny of the young ,state4 ,during his life ,i was alternately swayed by feelings of admiration and distrust4 ,i recognized fully the marvelous energy and equally marvelous influence of the man1 but ,i distrusted his sincerity and lacked confidence in his integrity4 ,when ,i met him1 or listened to one of his impassioned speeches1 ne swept me away with the contagion of his seeming enthusiasm1 but when ,i went out from the influence of his personal magnetism ,i felt that something was lacking in the man to justify a well-grounded confidence4 ,this man that had in him such a commingling of good and evil was now the leading spirit in the defense of ,lawrence4 #b ,,chapter ,,xi ,when ,sheriff ,jones saw that the control of this business was being taken out of the hands of himself and his fellow-conspirators he wrote the following letter to ,gov4 ,shannon3 ,,camp ,,at ,,wakarusa1 ,dec4 #f1 #ahee4 ,to ,his ,,excellency1 ,,gov4 ,,shannon3 ,sir3 ,in reply to yours of yesterday ,i have to inform you that the volunteer forces now at this place and ,lecompton are getting weary of inaction4 ,they will not1 ,i presume1 remain but a short time longer1 unless a demand for the prisoner is made4 ,i think ,i shall have sufficient force to protect me by to-morrow morning4 ,the force at ,lawrence is not half so strong as reported4 ,if ,i am to wait for ,government troops1 more than two-thirds of the men that are here will go away very much dissatisfied4 ,they are leaving hourly as it is4 ,it is reported that the people of ,lawrence have run off those offenders from town1 and1 indeed1 it is said they are now all out of the way4 ,i have writs for sixteen persons who were with the party that rescued my prisoner4 ,s4 ,n4 ,wood1 ,p4 ,r4 ,brooks and ,samuel ,tappan are of ,lawrence1 the balance from the country around4 ,warrants will be put into my hands to-day for the arrest of ,g4 ,w4 ,brown1 and probably others in ,lecompton4 ,they say that they are willing to obey the laws1 but no confidence can be placed in any statements they may make4 ,most respectfully yours1 ,,samuel ,j4 ,,jones1 ,sheriff of ,douglas ,county4 ,from the above1 three facts are apparent3 #a4 ,sheriff ,jones is not willing that the militia shall go home1 and ,col4 ,sumner and the ,united ,states troops take their places4 #b4 ,he has writs against the sixteen rescuers of ,branson4 ,but of these he has ascertained that thirteen live in the country1 and he does not need to go to ,lawrence to find them4 ,the three that belong in ,lawrence are gone to parts unknown1 and he does not need to go to ,lawrence to find them4 ,at this writing ,sheriff ,jones has not a single writ against any person in ,lawrence4 #c4 ,if he has such a warrant the ,lawrence people profess themselves willing that he should serve it1 but he does not believe them4 ,no confidence can be placed in any statements that they may make4 ,so far as ,sheriff ,jones is concerned1 it is now manifest that this was a devilish conspiracy against the people of ,lawrence1 to cut their throats and burn up the town4 ,how far the men that were with him were conscious partners in his guilt1 or how far they were ignorant dupes of a man that had murder in his heart1 does not appear4 ,the people of ,lawrence now thought it was time for them to open communication with ,gov4 ,shannon1 and ,messrs4 ,g4 ,p4 ,lowery and ,c4 ,w4 ,babcock1 after running the gauntlet of the patrols1 robbers and guerillas that infested the road to ,shawnee ,mission1 succeeded in putting in the hands of the ,governor the following letter3 ,to ,his ,,excellency1 ,,wilson ,,shannon1 ,,governor ,,kansas ,,territory3 ,sir3 ,as citizens of ,kansas ,territory1 we desire to call your attention to the fact that a large force of armed men from a foreign ,state have assembled in the vicinity of ,lawrence1 are now committing depredations upon our citizens1 stopping them1 opening and appropriating their loadings1 arresting1 detaining and threatening travelers upon the public road1 and that they claim to do this by your authority4 ,we desire to know if they do appear by your authority1 and if you will secure the peace and quiet of the community by ordering their instant removal1 or compel us to resort to some other means or a higher authority4 ,,signed ,,by ,,committee4 ,the ,governor began to think it was time for him to go to the camp of ,sheriff ,jones' army on the ,wakarusa2 and when he came he was frightened at his own work1 and became just as eager to get out of the scrape as he had been forward to get into it4 ,he wrote to ,col4 ,sumner1 frantically begging him to come to the rescue2 but he had got no orders1 and would not move without orders4 ,sheriff ,jones and the rank and file of his camp were furious that they were held back from pitching into the ,lawrence people2 but the officers had become cognizant of the bloody job they would have on hands1 and were willing to be let off4 ,and so the ,governor patched up a peace1 and sent his militia home again1 with their curses diverted from the ,lawrence ,abolitionists to ,gov4 ,shannon4 ,cowardly1 weak-minded and infirm in purpose as this unhappy man was1 he was not wholly a fool2 and we may justly believe that he had in his heart a foreboding of that awful day of reckoning that would surely come1 when inquisition would be made for the blood of these citizens1 and the ,governor himself would be called to answer1 ,why were these men slain8 ,and now that peace--angelic peace--sat brooding over ,lawrence with her dove-like pinions1 they made a love-feast and invited the ,governor to partake of it2 and what with the ravishing music1 and the blandishment of flattering tongues1 and the intoxication of fair women's eyes and sweet voices1 the ,governor was made to forget1 for the time being1 that he was the property1 body1 soul1 and spirit1 of the ,law and ,order party2 and his soft and plastic nature was beguiled into signing a document constituting the army of defense of ,lawrence a part of the ,territorial ,militia1 and giving them authority1 under his own hand and seal1 to fight with teeth and toe-nails against the outside barbarians that he himself had invoked to cut their throats4 ,when1 however1 he had come to himself1 and had to front the frowns and ungrammatical curses of the ,border ,ruffians1 he was fain to lay the blame on the sparkling wine of the feast1 and the more sparkling eyes and sparkling wit of beautiful women4 ,these felicitations of the people of ,lawrence with ,governor ,shannon did1 however1 have a somber and awful background4 ,while this had been going on a boy had been murdered in the vicinity of ,lawrence4 ,some young men rode out to see about it1 and one of them was shot and killed4 ,but a still more ghastly crime threw its baleful shadow over the people4 ,it was perpetrated two days before the ,governor concluded his treaty of peace4 ,thomas ,w4 ,barber and ,robert ,f4 ,barber were farmers1 living about seven miles from ,lawrence2 and on ,december #fth started with a ,mr4 ,pierson to go home to their families4 ,these were two brothers and a brother-in-law4 ,they were intercepted on their way by ,j4 ,n4 ,burns1 of ,weston1 ,mo41 and ,major ,george ,w4 ,clarke1 ,united ,states ,agent for the ,pottawatomie ,indians4 ,these two men shot ,thomas ,w4 ,barber4 ,it is hard to find an explanation of their act1 unless it were that they came to ,lawrence to shoot down ,abolitionists as they would have shot wolves on the prairie4 ,they had no provocation4 ,they rode apart from their companions to intercept the ,barbers1 and called on them to halt4 ,thomas ,w4 ,barber was unarmed1 and gave mild and truthful answers to their questions4 ,after the shooting the brothers started to ride away1 when the murdered man said1 ,that fellow hit me2 began to sway in his saddle1 was supported for a little time by his brother1 then fell to the ground dead4 ,his horse also had been shot1 and died the same night4 ,familiar as ,kansas had become with cruel and devilish deeds1 there were circumstances connected with this act that made it exceptionally a blood-curdling horror4 ,thomas ,w4 ,barber was a somewhat notable farmer1 and had married a young wife1 that loved her husband with a love so passionate that she was sometimes rallied about it by her sister-in-law4 ,it had been with misgivings and forebodings she had consented for ,barber to go to ,lawrence4 ,the news of her husband's death had been kept from her2 they dared not tell her4 ,a young man was sent to bring her into the city1 whither her husband's body had been already carried1 and he blurted out1 ,thomas ,barber is killed6 and she shrieked1 ,o1 my husband6 my husband6 ,have they killed my husband8 ,it has been said that so frantic were her struggles1 that it was with main force they had to hold her in the carriage which conveyed her into the city4 ,much has been written of the pathetic and voiceless woe of this wretched and sorrow-stricken woman1 but we will spare the reader the recital4 ,this question1 however1 we did often ask ourselves3 ,what had we done that we should be made to suffer thus8 ,but now there was peace1 and ,sheriff ,jones1 breathing out curses against the ,governor who had balked him of his anticipated revenge1 disbanded his army and went back to his post-office at ,westport4 ,it was past the middle of ,december1 but some lingered on their way1 robbing and stealing4 ,the cold grew intense4 ,a driving snow came down from the ,north4 ,it was one of the coldest winters ,kansas had ever known1 and there fell one of the deepest snows4 ,and now1 winding through the deep snow1 benumbed with cold1 and all unprovided with clothing suitable for such inclement weather1 the rear guard of the ring-streaked1 speckled and spotted regiment of ,kansas and ,missouri ,militia passed out of the ,territory4 ,thirteen leaders of the ,law and ,order party had met with ,lane and ,robinson1 acting on behalf of the people of ,lawrence1 and had agreed to the terms of the treaty4 ,but ,sheriff ,jones is reported to have said3 ,had not ,shannon been a fool ,i would have wiped out ,lawrence4 ,it is reported that ,stringfellow said that ,shannon had sold himself and disgraced himself and the whole ,pro-slavery party4 ,atchison accepted the terms1 saying to his followers3 ,boys1 we can not fight now4 ,the position that ,lawrence has taken is such that it would not do to make an attack on them4 ,but boys1 we will fight some time6 ,the peace was to be broken at the earliest opportunity4 ,,chapter ,,xii4 ,the winter of #ahee-f that ,i spent in ,illinois was uneventful4 ,my success was not such as to discourage an evangelist that desires to be useful1 neither was it such as to fill him with vanity4 ,the weather was intensely cold1 and the snow was deep4 ,it is said that before the coming of an earthquake1 the sea gives forth deep moanings1 as if it felt the approaching convulsion2 so at that time there seemed premonitions in the hearts of the people that the whole nation1 ,north1 ,south1 ,east and ,west1 would be swept by a political cyclone that should leave behind it the desolation that is sometimes1 in the ,west ,india ,islands1 left in the track of a tropical hurricane4 ,we had heard of the murder of ,dow1 the rescue of ,branson1 and the invasion of ,lawrence1 and these certainly did not give promise that ,kansas would be a favorable field for evangelical work1 at least for a time4 ,the writer had not hitherto spent much of his time in ,adams county2 he now spent a considerable part of the winter there1 and visited the churches of ,quincy1 ,chambersburg1 ,camp ,point1 and many others4 ,the brethren at ,quincy were making that experiment of monthly preaching that has been found so hazardous1 especially to city churches4 ,they have since changed the plan with wonderfully good results4 ,it was at the church at ,chambersburg that ,bro4 ,cottingham who has now won a national reputation1 achieved some of his earliest successes4 ,the majority of the leading members of these churches had been men and women of full age when they left ,kentucky4 ,some had tarried a little time in ,indiana4 ,the memory of some went back to the time when the ,mississippi ,valley was almost an unbroken wilderness1 with here and there a scattered settlement1 made up of a frontier and uneducated people4 ,what are now its great cities were then insignificant hamlets1 and its means of commerce were rude flat boats on its rivers1 and pack-horses1 or clumsy1 heavy lumber wagons on its rough and often impassable roads4 ,there were few schools1 fewer churches and still fewer educated men4 ,the country was perambulated by itinerant preachers4 ,these were guided by visions and revelations4 ,signs1 omens and impressions directed them to their field of labor and controlled their lives4 ,ecstatic joy1 vivid impressions1 voices in the air1 or seeing the ,lord in the tree-tops1 were their evidences of pardon4 ,once every year the people came together to a great camp-meeting4 ,there was intense excitement and enthusiasm1 and many got religion2 and this was followed by spiritual lethargy1 coldness and apostasy4 ,it was a short1 hot summer1 followed by a long1 cold winter of moral and spiritual death4 ,among the ,old ,baptists there was preaching once a month4 ,this was all4 ,there were no prayer-meetings1 no meeting together every first day of the week to break break and read the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,christian morality was at a low ebb1 and ,christian liberality down to zero4 ,at length there came a change4 ,the fountains of the great deep were broken up1 and men broke loose from the dominion of these old and man-made systems4 ,john ,smith took the lead1 and was followed by old ,jacob ,creath1 ,samuel ,rogers1 ,john ,rogers1 ,john ,allen ,gano1 ,p4 ,s4 ,fall1 and many others4 ,alex4 ,campbell once said3 ,if any man can read the ,acts of ,apostles through three times1 chapter by chapter1 pondering each chapter as he reads1 and then can remain an advocate of these old systems of conversion1 may the ,lord have mercy on him6 ,but the old ,baptists fiercely resisted the ,reformers1 and cast them out as heathen men and publicans4 ,and now the ,bible was a new revelation to the men that came into this movement4 ,the veil was taken off their eyes1 and they could read the ,scriptures as they had never read them before4 ,they could now see that the ,bible was a simple and intelligible volume1 written to be understood by the common people1 and they were only amazed at their former blindness4 ,but they were made to know what persecution means4 ,all the denominations combined against them1 and they were compelled to read the ,scriptures to defend themselves2 and thus pressed by their enemies on every hand1 they were made to feel how near they were to each other1 and how much they loved each other1 and it became an easy thing to meet together every first day of the week to sing1 to pray1 to exhort1 and to commemorate the death of their risen ,lord4 ,but many of them were poor1 and had growing families1 and they had heard that there was a large and good land in the ,military ,tract in ,illinois1 and with many a tearful adieu1 and bidding farewell to the they loved so well1 like ,abraham going out into the land that ,god had given him1 into this land flowing with milk and honey they came--and prospered4 ,and here the writer of these ,personal ,recollections found them1 growing strong1 and rich1 and influential1 and more prosperous than any other religious body in ,adams county4 ,it is now after the lapse of thirty years1 to be mentioned to their honor--and to the honor of the churches of the ,state--that they have made commendable progress in the direction of a ,christian liberality1 and of moral1 intellectual1 and religious growth2 still they are not yet up to the mark4 ,for the purpose of the moral1 intellectual and religious education of his people1 the ,lord has given us one day in seven1 and in one year he has given us fifty such days4 ,this in seven years is one whole year1 and in seventy-five years it is ten years1 leaving out five years as the period of babyhood2 and this as fitting men for the highest style of religious life1 and of ,american citizenship is1 if well employed1 the best school on the face of the earth4 ,needs it to be said1 that to do this work well1 the teachers in this school of the prophets have need to be well qualified8 ,there are certain ,scriptures bearing on this point we will do well to ponder3 ,meditate on these things2 give thyself wholly to them1 that thy profitting may appear unto all4 ,no man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life1 that he may please him who hath called him to be a soldier4 ,the ,lord give thee understanding in all things4 ,we have no churches in this nation to whom these admonitions apply with greater weight of impressive authority than to the churches of ,illinois4 ,where much is given1 there much is required1 and to no ,state in the ,union has more been given in the way of worldly wealth than to the ,disciples of that commonwealth4 ,there is not such another body of rich land in this great nation1 perhaps not in the world4 ,water is an element essential to the highest productiveness1 even of fertile soil1 and the vapors rising on the ,gulf of ,mexico have not a hillock three hundred feet high to obstruct their flow up the ,mississippi eastward and northward1 until they reach the ,state of ,illinois4 ,and the men that do business in the cities of this prosperous ,state1 or till its fertile and alluvial soil1 that was lifted up1 not many geologic ages ago1 from beneath the bottom of the sea1 are so rich they do not know how rich they are4 ,but it is a peril to be rich4 ,jesus1 ,paul and ,solomon unite in saying so1 and it is especially a peril when wealth comes suddenly4 ,when a man starts poor1 and has felt the sting of contempt because of his poverty1 and then finds himself rich and prosperous and flattered1 and tempted to indulge in every luxury1 then this man is in great peril2 and there is no security against this danger like using the wealth that ,god has given him for the glory of ,god and the good of men4 ,but there were brethren thirty years ago that needed no admonition as touching the disposition they should make of their world goods4 ,i could give a goodly number of examples1 but the reader will pardon me if1 because of the narrow limits of these ,recollections1 ,i confine myself to one4 ,peter ,b4 ,garrett1 of ,camp ,point1 ,adams county1 had set himself1 with honest purpose1 to bring his ,kentucky brethren up to the level of the demands of primitive and apostolic ,christianity4 ,every man has his hobby1 and ,bro4 ,g4 had his hobby4 ,when the writer first visited ,camp ,point1 he was demanded of to know if it was not a fixed part of the apostolic order that each disciple should1 on the first day of the week1 lay by him in store1 of money or goods1 as the ,lord had prospered him1 putting it into the ,lord's treasury8 ,i could not quite affirm this1 but ,bro4 ,g4 stuck to his hobby4 ,bro4 ,garrett knew the value of a full treasury1 and was ready to do his part towards settling a preacher in the church1 and paying him4 ,but he could not bring his brethren up to the level of his own aspirations4 ,bro4 ,g4 came from ,kentucky a poor man1 but he got hold of a considerable body of good land1 when it was cheap1 and cultivated it skillfully4 ,then the ,quincy1 ,galesburg and ,chicago ,railroad was build in front of his farm1 and the town of ,camp ,point grew up adjoining his premises4 ,he also built a flouring mill1 and this added to his gains2 and thus he grew rich and influential1 but he never thought of himself only as plain ,peter ,garrett4 ,the writer in fifty years has known many excellent ,christian families1 but he has never known one family that1 with saint and sinner1 among persons outside and inside of the church1 have had a more honorable fame than this ,christian family4 ,his wife was a motherly woman4 ,she did not assume to know much1 but what she did know she knew well1 and translated her little store of knowledge into an abundance of good deeds4 ,she knew how to guide the house1 take good care of her children1 live in peace with her neighbors1 love the church and attend its meetings1 fear ,god and entertain strangers2 and so this house1 like the house of the ,vicar of ,wakefield1 became a resort for ,all the vagrant train1 whether of tramps or preachers4 ,his children1 from the time they were able to toddle1 were taught to do something useful4 ,his little boys were made to bring in wood1 and run on errands1 and his girls to wash the dishes2 and thus this house became a hive of industry1 and it came to pass that in process of time1 when our beloved ,bro4 ,garrison1 of the ,christian-,evangelist1 went out to seek a woman to take care of his house1 he very properly sought this favor at the hands of ,peter ,garrett's daughter4 ,it is a good thing to follow a good example1 and our devoted ,bro4 ,smart1 hitherto of the ,witness1 now co-editor of the ,evangelist1 went and did likewise4 #c ,bro4 ,garret loaned the writer a light spring wagon for the purpose of bringing his family back from ,kansas1 and thus equipped1 he started a second time on the journey he had made one year before4 ,one thought filled his heart3 ,will this tumult pass away1 and will the ,american people go forward and fulfill that glorious destiny to which ,god in his providence has called them8 ,,chapter ,,xiii4 ,the news of the coming of the ,south ,carolinians had not reached ,illinois when ,i started for ,kansas1 but when ,i had reached ,western ,missouri the country was alive with excitement4 ,maj4 ,jefferson ,buford had arrived with #cej soldiers1 and a part of them were quartered in ,atchison4 ,some persons whose acquaintance ,i had made1 and who were my friends1 besought me not to go on4 ,the last night ,i stayed in ,missouri was at ,de ,kalb4 ,a gentleman who had come from ,st4 ,joseph stayed over night at the hotel where ,i put up4 ,he was tall of stature1 with a flowing beard sprinkled with gray1 and was of a remarkably dignified and impressive presence4 ,we conversed during the evening on general topics1 but no allusion was made to the one exciting topic1 on which almost all seemed ready to talk instanter4 ,the next morning he overtook me4 ,he was on horseback1 and mentioned that he was going to ,atchison1 and for some distance rode beside my buggy1 continuing the conversation4 ,then1 as he could travel faster than myself1 he rode on4 ,the reader will recognize this gentleman again in ,atchison4 ,an account of my adventures #d on the other side of the river will be found in a letter addressed by myself to the ,herald of ,freedom3 ,for the ,herald of ,freedom4 ,,stranger ,,creek1 ,ocena ,p4 ,o41 ,may #f1 #ahef4 ,,mr4 ,,editor--,dear ,sir3 ,the bar of public opinion seems to be the only tribunal to which the free ,state men of ,kansas can appeal for redress4 ,i must1 therefore1 ask your indulgence while ,i make a statement of facts4 ,one year ago ,i came to ,kansas and bought a claim on ,stranger ,creek1 ,atchison county4 ,on the #agth of ,august1 the ,border ,ruffians of the town of ,atchison sent me down the ,missouri ,river on a raft4 ,we parted under a mutual pledge3 ,i pledged myself that if my life was spared ,i would come back to ,atchison1 and they pledged themselves that if ,i did come back they would hang me4 ,faithful to my promise1 in ,november last ,i returned to ,kansas1 and visited ,atchison in open day1 announced myself on hand1 and returned without molestation4 ,kansas being sparsely settled1 without churches or meeting-houses1 it was determined that ,mrs4 ,butler should live on our claim with her brother and her brother's wife1 while ,i should return to ,illinois1 and resume my labors as a preacher4 ,april #cjth ,i returned to ,kansas1 crossing the ,missouri ,river into ,atchison4 ,i spoke with no one in the town1 save with two merchants of the place1 with whom ,i have had business transactions since my first arrival in the ,territory4 ,having remained only a few moments1 ,i went to my buggy to resume my journey1 when ,i was assaulted by ,robert ,s4 ,kelley1 co-editor of the ,squatter ,sovereign1 and others1 was dragged into a saloon1 and there surrounded by a company of ,south ,carolinians1 who are reported to have been sent out by a ,southern ,emigrant ,aid ,society4 ,in this last mob ,i recognized only two that were citizens of ,atchison or engaged in the former mob4 ,it is not reported that these emigrants from the ,palmetto ,state seek out a claim1 and make for themselves a home1 neither do they enter into any legitimate business4 ,they very expressively describe themselves as having come out to see ,kansas through4 ,they yelled1 ,kill him6 ,kill him6 ,hang the ,abolitionist4 ,one of their number bristled up to me and said1 ,have you got a revolver8 ,i answered1 ,no4 ,he handed me a pistol and said1 ,there1 take that1 and stand off ten steps2 and ,i will blow you through in an instant4 ,i replied1 ,i have no use for your weapon4 ,i afterwards heard them congratulating themselves in reference to this1 that they had acted in an honorable manner with me4 ,the fellow was furious2 but his companions dissuaded him from shooting me1 saying they were going to hang me4 ,they pinioned my arms behind my back1 obtained a rope1 but were interrupted by the entrance of a stranger--a gentleman from ,missouri1 since ascertained to be ,judge ,tutt1 a lawyer from ,st4 ,joseph4 ,he said3 ,my friends1 hear me4 ,i am an old man1 and it is right you should hear me4 ,i was born in ,virginia1 and have lived many years in ,missouri4 ,i am a slaveholder1 and desire ,kansas to be made a slave ,state1 if it can be done by honorable means4 ,but you will destroy the cause you are seeking to build up4 ,you have taken this man1 who was peaceably passing through your streets and along the public highway1 and doing no person any harm4 ,we profess to be ',law and ,order' men1 and ought to be the last to commit violence4 ,if this man has broken the law1 let him be judged according to law2 but for the sake of ,missouri1 for the sake of ,kansas1 for the sake of the pro-slavery cause1 do not act in this way4 ,they dragged me into another building1 and appointed a moderator1 and got up a kind of lynch law trial4 ,kelley told his story4 ,i rose to my feet1 and calmly and in respectful language began to tell mine2 but ,i was jerked to my seat and so roughly handled that ,i was compelled to desist4 ,my friend from ,missouri again earnestly besought them to set me at liberty4 ,kelley turned short on him and said3 ,do you belong to ,kansas8 ,judge ,tutt replied3 ,no2 but ,i expect to live here in ,atchison next fall1 and in this matter the interests of ,kansas and ,missouri are identical4 ,chester ,lamb1 a lawyer in ,atchison1 and ,samuel ,dickson1 a merchant of the place1 both pro slavery men1 also united with ,judge ,tutt in pleading that ,i might be set at liberty4 ,while these gentlemen were speaking1 ,i heard my keepers mutter1 ,if you don't hush up1 we will tar and feather you4 ,but when ,kelley saw how matters stood1 he came forward and said he did not take ,butler to have him hung1 but only tarred and feathered1 ,yet in the saloon he had sad to the mob3 ,you shall do as you please4 ,he dared not take the responsibility of taking my life1 but when these unfortunate men1 whose one-idea-ism on the subject of slavery and ,southern rights has become insanity--when these irresponsible ,south ,carolinians1 sent out to be bull dogs and blood hounds for ,atchison and ,stringfellow--when they could be used as tools to take my life1 he was ready to do it4 ,our gunpowder moderator cut the matter short by saying1 ,it is moved that ,butler be tarred and feathered and receive thirty-nine lashes4 ,a majority said ,aye1 though a number of voices said ,no4 ,the moderator said1 ,the affirmative has it2 ,butler has to be tarred and feathered and whipped4 ,i began to speculate how that sort of thing would work as far north as the latitude of ,kansas4 ,there was a good deal of whispering about the house4 ,i saw dark1 threatening and ominous looks in the crowd4 ,the moderator again came forward1 and1 in an altered voice1 said3 ,it is moved that the last part of the sentence be rescinded4 ,it was rescinded1 and ,i was given into the hands of my ,south ,carolina overseers to be tarred and feathered4 ,they muttered and growled at this issue of the matter4 ,they said1 ,if we had known it would come out in this way1 we would have let shoot ,butler at the first4 ,he would have done it quicker than a flash4 ,one little1 sharp-visaged1 dark-featured ,south ,carolinian1 who seemed to be the leader of the gang1 was particularly displeased4 ,with bitter curses he said1 ,i am not come all the way from ,south ,carolina1 spending so much money to do things up in such milk-and-water style as this4 ,they stripped me naked to my waist1 covered my body with tar1 and for the want of feathers applied cotton4 ,having appointed a committee of seven to certainly hang me the next time ,i should come into ,atchison1 they tossed my clothes into my buggy1 put me therein1 accompanied me to the outskirts of the town1 and sent me naked out upon the prairie4 ,it was a cold1 bleak day4 ,i adjusted my attire about me as best ,i could1 and hastened to rejoin my wife and little ones on the banks of the ,stranger ,creek4 ,it was a sorrowful meeting after so long a parting1 still we were very thankful that1 under the favor of a good ,providence1 it had fared no worse with us all4 ,many will ask now1 as they have asked already1 what is the true and proper cause of all these troubles ,i have had in ,atchison8 ,i have told the world already2 ,i can only repeat my own words4 ,i have said1 ,the head and front of my offending hath this extent1 no more3 ,i had spoken among my neighbors favorably to making ,kansas a free ,state1 and said in the office of the ,squatter ,sovereign1 ,i am a ,free-soiler1 and intend to vote for ,kansas to be a free ,state4 ,still it will be regarded as incredible that a man should receive such treatment for uttering such words as ,i report myself to have uttered4 ,the matter is plain enough when the facts are understood4 ,prior to ,august #ag1 #ahee1 there was no ,free-soil party organized in ,atchison county--perhaps not in the whole ,territory of ,kansas4 ,free-soilers did not know their own strength1 and were disposed to be prudent2 some were timid4 ,here in ,atchison county we determined that if the ,border ,ruffians were resolved to drive matters to a bloody issue1 the responsibility of doing so should rest wholly with themselves4 ,there are many ,free-soilers in this county--brave men--who have no conscientious scruples to hinder them from arming themselves1 and preparing to repel force with force4 ,the ,border ,ruffians sought by a system of terrorism so to intimidate the ,free-soilers as to prevent them from organizing a ,free-soil party1 or even discussing the subject of freedom and slavery in ,kansas4 ,they carried this to such an extent of outrageous violence that it came to be currently reported that it was as much as a man's life was worth to say in the town of ,atchison1 ,i am a ,free-soiler4 ,we deprecated violence1 and wished a peaceful discussion of the subject4 ,it was therefore most fitting that a man whose profession forbade him to go armed should put to the test of actual experiment whether an ,american citizen of blameless life could be permitted to enjoy the right of free speech--the privilege of expressing views favorable to making ,kansas a free ,state--such views being uttered without anything of angry1 abusive or insulting language4 ,it was for this purpose the above words were spoken1 and which have been the cause of all my troubles in ,atchison4 ,if there is any class of men who stand behind the curtain and pull the wires1 we would respectfully represent to them that it will do no good to urge these understrappers on to these deeds of violence and ruffianism4 ,we are not a class of men to utter childish complaints at any wrongs we may suffer1 but we know our rights and intend to have them4 ,subscribing myself the friend of all good and civil men1 whether ,north or ,south1 ,i am very truly1 ,,pardee ,,butler4 ,,chapter ,,xiv4 ,we have already told how ,sheriff ,jones failed to wipe out ,lawrence2 how ,gov4 ,shannon patched up a peace1 and how that1 in no good temper1 the ,law and ,order party returned to the border4 ,but immediately the ,free ,state party gave evidence that its spirit had not been broken4 ,a convention had been called to meet at ,topeka1 in ,november1 #ahee1 to frame a free ,state ,constitution1 and this was ratified at an election called ,december #ae following1 #a1gca votes being cast in its favor1 the election having been held only one week after the treaty of peace had been made4 ,then in less than two weeks a second convention was called to meet at ,lawrence1 at which a full board of ,state officers was nominated1 the election having been set to be held on the #aeth of ,january4 ,at ,leavenworth1 the attempt to hold the election resulted in such mobs and tumult that it was forbidden to be held by a faint-hearted ,free ,state mayor1 and was consequently adjourned to ,easton4 ,the ,free ,state printing press of ,mark ,delahay was1 during these troubles1 destroyed4 ,at ,easton1 a mob undertook to break up the election1 but was driven off1 and in the affray one of the attacking party named ,cook was mortally wounded4 ,then the ,kansas ,pioneer1 published at ,kickapoo1 made an inflammatory appeal to the ,law and ,order party to rally and avenge ,cook's death1 and in an answer to this appeal the ,kickapoo ,rangers and ,captain ,dunn's company1 from ,leavenworth1 in all about fifty men1 turned out to go to ,easton on this errand4 ,a number of gentlemen had gone from ,leavenworth to ,easton to attend the election1 and had stayed over night1 among whom were ,captain ,r4 ,p4 ,brown1 a resident of ,salt ,creek ,valley1 near ,leavenworth4 ,captain ,b4 was a man well esteemed in his neighborhood1 and was a member-elect of the ,legislature4 ,captain ,dunn and his company met these men returning to ,leavenworth1 and took them prisoners1 carrying them back to ,easton4 ,here they got up a sort of ,lynch-law trial for ,captain ,brown1 but the rabble composing ,dunn's company1 having maddened themselves with drink1 broke into the room where the trial was going on1 seized ,captain ,brown1 who was unarmed and helpless1 and tortured him with barbarity that has been supposed to be only possible among savages1 and then threw the wounded and dying man into an open lumber wagon1 in which they hauled him home to his wife1 over the rough1 frozen roads1 in one of the coldest nights of that bitter cold ,january2 stopping meantime at the drinking-houses by the way1 they consumed seven hours in making the journey4 ,his wife became insane at the sight of her butchered and dying husband1 thrown into the door by these brutal wretches1 and was1 in that condition1 taken to her brother in ,michigan4 ,all this was testified to1 with every minutia of detail1 before the ,investigating ,committee4 ,the border papers were aflame with appeals to the ,law and ,order party to go over into ,kansas and wipe out the pestiferous ,free ,state men1 who set at naught the ,territorial ,legislature4 ,the following sample of these appeals we extract from a speech made by ,david ,r4 ,atchison1 at ,platte ,city3 ,they held an election on the #aeth of last month1 and they intend to put the machinery of a ,state in motion on the #dth of ,march1 ,i say1 prepare yourselves2 go over there4 ,and if they attempt to drive you out1 then drive them out4 ,fifty of you with your shot-guns are worth two hundred and fifty of them with their ,sharpe's rifles4 ,meanwhile a great cry of wrongs and outrages against the ,free ,state men had filled the whole ,north1 and ,congress could not choose1 but had to pay attention to it4 ,ex-,governor ,reeder came forward and contested the seat of ,mr4 ,whitfield as ,territorial delegate to ,congress1 alleging that ,mr4 ,w4 owed his election to the votes of men not residents of the ,territory4 ,as a result1 a ,committee of ,investigation was appointed to go to ,kansas to take testimony1 this committee being composed of ,sherman of ,ohio1 ,howard1 of ,michigan1 and ,oliver1 of ,missouri4 ,these took an immense number of depositions1 which were published in a volume of more than #a1bjj octavo pages1 and of which #bj1jjj were ordered to be printed4 ,this investigating committee made a majority report signed by ,howard and ,sherman1 in which they summed up their conclusions under eight heads4 ,of these we shall copy four3 ,,majority ,,report4 #a4 ,that each election held in the ,territory under the organic or ,territorial law has been carried by organized invasion from the ,state of ,missouri1 by which the people of the ,territory have been prevented from exercising the rights secured to them by the organic law4 #b4 ,that the alleged ,territorial ,legislature was an illegally constituted body1 and had no power to pass valid laws1 and their enactments are therefore null and void4 #c4 ,that ,andrew ,h4 ,reeder received a greater number of votes of resident citizens than ,john ,w4 ,whitfield for delegate4 #d4 ,that in the present condition of the ,territory a fair election can not be held without a new census1 a stringent and well-guarded election law1 the selection of impartial judges1 and the presence of ,united ,states troops at every election4 7,signed7 ,,wm4 ,a4 ,,howard1 ,,john ,,sherman4 ,mr4 ,oliver made a minority report1 summing up his conclusions under seven heads4 ,from this we shall copy three3 ,,minority ,,report4 #a4 ,that the ,territorial ,legislature was a legally constituted body1 and had power to pass valid laws1 and their enactments were therefore valid4 #b4 ,that the election under which the sitting delegate1 ,john ,w4 ,whitfield1 holds his seat was held in pursuance of valid law1 and should be regarded as a valid election4 #c4 ,that the election under which the contesting delegate1 ,andrew ,h4 ,reeder1 claims his seat1 was not held under any law1 and should be wholly disregarded by the ,house4 7,signed7 ,m4 ,,oliver4 ,as a result1 ,congress permanently unseated ,mr4 ,whitfield1 and ordered a new election1 thus affirming the conclusions of ,howard and ,sherman4 ,this committee began its work in ,april and ended in ,june4 ,the ,law and ,order party did not1 however1 wait for the conclusion of these proceedings at ,washington4 ,col4 ,buford1 as we have told in a former chapter1 arrived early in the spring with his company of ,south ,carolinians1 and ,gen4 ,david ,r4 ,atchison had gathered1 along the borders1 several hundred men to make a second raid on ,lawrence4 ,these all marched to ,lecompton1 where they held themselves in readiness to act1 as soon as a pretext could be found invoking their help4 ,and now the inevitable ,samuel ,j4 ,jones1 ,sheriff of ,douglas ,county1 again put in an appearance4 ,this time it was to arrest ,sam ,wood for the rescue of ,branson4 ,jones arrested ,wood on the streets of ,lawrence4 ,a crowd gathered around1 and in the jostling and pushing ,jones and ,wood were separated1 and ,wood walked away4 ,no threats were made1 and no violence used4 ,the next day was ,sunday1 and ,jones again appeared1 but ,sam ,wood was missing4 ,he had stayed that night at the house of the writer1 in ,atchison ,county1 being then on his way to the free ,states4 ,jones1 however1 had writs for the arrest of those who had been the occasion of ,wood's escape1 and the ,sheriff called on some of the church-going people to act as his posse in making his arrests4 ,but these were of the most straitest sect of the ,puritans1 and it was contrary to their consciences to do any manner of carnal work on the ,sabbath day1 and in their estimation this was exceedingly carnal work1 and they kept their faces set as if they would go to the synagogue4 ,samuel ,f4 ,tappan was one of the ,branson rescuers1 and ,jones seized ,tappan by the collar1 and ,tappan struck ,jones in the face4 ,this was enough2 ,jones had been resisted1 and he went to the ,governor and demanded a posse of ,united ,states soldiers to aid him in making his arrest4 ,thus reinforced with a detachment of ,united ,states troops1 our valorous ,sheriff ,jones went a third time and arrested without resistance six respectable citizens of ,lawrence1 on a charge of contempt of court1 because they had declined to break the ,sabbath in aiding him to make arrests on the ,lord's day4 ,in due course of law1 it should have been his duty to take his prisoners before a magistrate1 and allowed them to give bail to appear at a given time to answer for this alleged contempt4 ,but ,jones elected to keep his prisoners without bail1 and to act as his own jailer1 and so he encamped in a tent on the prairie1 using these ,united ,states soldiers as his guard4 ,this was a manifest bait to the people of ,lawrence to attempt a rescue1 but they did not walk into the trap1 and so these prisoners slept on the prairie1 and their wives slept at home bereaved of their husbands4 ,somebody shot ,jones4 ,it is presumed that somebody thought he ought to be shot1 but it was as great a calamity to ,lawrence as was the rescue of ,branson4 ,the people of ,lawrence removed ,jones to the ,free ,state hotel1 showed every sympathy they could show1 and offered a reward of #ejj for the apprehension of the assassin4 ,notwithstanding1 all ,western ,missouri was immediately aflame with appeals to the people to come to the rescue1 and avenge the death of the murdered ,jones4 ,but the papers making these appeals did not publish the proceedings of the indignation meeting held at ,lawrence1 nor did they tell that a reward had been offered for the apprehension of the assassin1 nor did they tell that ,jones' wound was so slight that he was able to be removed the next day to ,franklin4 ,meanwhile a conspiracy was hatched at ,lecompton1 in which ,chief ,justice ,lecompte was the chief conspirator1 to arrest the leading ,free ,state men on a charge of treason1 and keep them prisoners without bail1 and thus smother out the ,free ,state movement4 ,james ,f4 ,legati was one of the ,united ,states grand jurors1 and violated his oath of secrecy and made a night journey to give warning to the men that were to be made victims to this conspiracy4 ,gov4 ,charles ,robinson fled down the ,missouri ,river1 but was detained at ,lexington1 was brought back under charge of treason1 and placed in confinement at ,lecompton2 others fled the ,territory1 and ,lawrence was left to fight its battles with its old leaders gone4 ,according to the purpose of this conspiracy a large number of ,free ,state men were indicted for high treason2 and the ,free ,state hotel and the two printing presses were returned by the ,grand ,jury as nuisances1 and as such were by ,judge ,lecompte ordered to be destroyed4 ,immediately following ,legati's nocturnal visit1 ,ex-,governor ,reeder received a summons at the hands of ,deputy ,marshal ,fain to appear at ,lecompton as a witness4 ,mr4 ,reeder declined to obey the summons4 ,the next day a writ was served on him to appear on a charge of contempt of court for not having appeared as a witness4 ,mr4 ,reeder refused to submit to the arrest for two reasons--first1 that his life would be in danger2 second1 he plead his privilege of exemption from arrest because he was a member-elect of ,congress4 ,then ,united ,states ,marshal ,donaldson issued the following ,,proclamation4 ,,whereas1 ,certain judicial arrests have been directed to me by the ,first ,district ,court of the ,united ,states1 etc41 to be executed within the county of ,douglas1 and ,,whereas1 ,the attempt to execute them by the ,united ,states ,deputy ,marshal was evidently resisted by a large number of people of ,lawrence1 and as there is every reason to believe that any attempt to execute these writs will be resisted by a large body of armed men2 now1 therefore1 the law-abiding citizens of the ,territory are commanded to be and appear at ,lecompton as soon as practicable1 and in numbers sufficient to execute the law4 ,given under my hand this #aath day of ,may1 #ahef4 ,j4 ,b4 ,,donaldson1 ,u4 ,s4 ,marshal of the ,territory of ,kansas4 ,on receipt of this proclamation the citizens of ,lawrence called a public meeting and adopted the following preamble and resolution3 ,,whereas1 ,by a proclamation to the people of ,kansas ,territory1 by ,t ,b4 ,donaldson1 it is alleged that certain judicial writs of arrest have been directed to him by the ,first ,district ,court of the ,united ,states1 etc4 to be executed within the county of ,douglas1 and that an attempt to execute them was evidently resisted by a large number of the citizens of ,lawrence1 and that there is every reason to believe that an attempt to execute said writs will be resisted by a large body of armed men2 therefore1 ,resolved1 ,by this public meeting of the citizens of ,lawrence1 that the allegations and charges against us1 contained in the aforesaid proclamation1 are wholly untrue in fact and in the conclusion which is drawn from them4 ,the aforesaid ,marshal was resisted in no manner whatever1 nor by any person whatever1 in the execution of said writs1 except by him whose arrest the ,deputy ,marshal was seeking to make4 ,and that we now1 as we have done heretofore1 declare our willingness and determination1 without resistance1 to acquiesce in the service upon us of any judicial writs against us by the ,united ,states ,deputy ,marshal1 and will furnish him with a posse for that purpose1 if so requested2 but that we are ready to resist1 if need be1 unto death1 the ravages and desolation of an invading mob4 ,,chapter ,,xv4 ,before ,marshal ,donaldson had issued the proclamation copied in our last chapter1 the citizens of ,lawrence had forwarded to ,gov4 ,shannon the following3 ,,whereas1 ,we have most reliable information of the organization of guerrilla bands1 who threaten the destruction of our town and its citizens2 therefore ,resolved1 ,that ,messrs4 ,topliff1 ,hutchingson and ,roberts constitute a committee to inform ,his ,excellency of these facts1 and to call upon him1 in the name of the people of ,lawrence1 for protection against such bands by the ,united ,states troops at his disposal4 ,to this the ,governor made the following reply3 ,,executive ,,office1 ,may #ab1 #ahef4 ,,gentlemen3 ,your note of the #aath inst4 is received1 and in reply ,i have to state that there is no force around or approaching ,lawrence1 except the largely constituted posse of the ,united ,states ,marshal and ,sheriff of ,douglas county1 each of whom1 ,i am informed1 has a number of writs in his hands for execution against persons in ,lawrence4 ,i shall in no way interfere with these officers in the discharge of their official duties4 ,if the citizens of ,lawrence submit themselves to the ,territorial laws1 and aid and assist the ,marshal and the ,sheriff in the execution of processes in their hands1 as all good citizens are bound to do when called upon1 they will entitle themselves to the protection of the law4 ,but so long as they keep up a military or armed organization to resist the ,territorial laws and the officers charged with their execution1 ,i shall not interpose to save them from the legitimate consequences of their illegal acts4 ,the following is a list of the notabilities that were in command of the army that was to serve as the posse of ,marshal ,donaldson1 ,david ,r4 ,atchison in command of the ,platte county riflemen of ,missouri2 ,capt4 ,dunn1 of the ,kickapoo ,rangers2 ,gen4 ,b4 ,f4 ,string fellow1 ,robert ,s4 ,kelley and ,peter ,t4 ,abell having charge of the recruits from ,atchison2 ,col4 ,wilkes1 of ,south ,carolina2 ,col4 ,titus1 of ,florida2 ,col4 ,boone1 of ,westport1 ,mo41 and ,col4 ,buford1 of ,south ,carolina4 ,more than three-fourths of this army was composed of non-residents of ,kansas4 ,a third time the citizens of ,lawrence called a public meeting1 and this time they appeal to ,marshal ,donaldson4 ,they say1 ,we beg leave to ask respectfully1 what are the demands against us8 ,they repeat their oft-repeated assurance that they will submit to arrests1 and demand protection against the gathering mob from the men representing the authority of the ,general ,government4 ,marshal ,donaldson only replied with jeers and insults4 ,the people of ,lawrence were indeed in evil case4 ,the beleagured citizens saw themselves shut in by armed bands1 engaged in murder1 robbery1 and plunder2 and this time they appealed to the ,investigating ,committee1 now gone to ,leavenworth2 but that committee had no power to help them4 ,col4 ,sumner could not help them1 unless the ,governor should speak the word2 and ,shannon was dumb4 ,lane had gone ,east2 ,robinson was a prisoner2 ,ex-,gov4 ,reeder had fled1 disguised as a common laborer2 and others were in hiding2 and perforce the management of affairs had to be given into the hands of new men4 ,a ,committee of ,public ,safety was chosen1 and this committee determined on a policy of abject submission and non-resistance4 ,a committee of volunteers from ,topeka offered their assistance1 but were told3 ,we do not want you4 ,pusillanimous as ,gov4 ,shannon was1 he found he had a man to deal with more pusillanimous than himself1 in the person of ,s4 ,c4 ,pomeroy1 chairman of the ,committee of ,public ,safety4 ,citizens of ,lawrence left in unspeakable disgust4 ,the people of the ,territory looked on in amazement4 ,the boys jeeringly called the ,committee of ,public ,safety ,the ,committee of the ,public ,safety ,valve4 ,the writer had given his testimony before the ,investigating ,committee while they were yet in ,lawrence4 ,a number of ,south ,carolinians had been present while this testimony was being given1 and they had protested in a towering rage1 ,we will shoot ,butler on sight4 ,it was evident the town had to be given up to the tender mercies of this mob of ruffians4 ,there was nothing to be gained by remaining1 and the writer1 sick at heart1 went back to ,atchison county2 but he afterwards returned to see the blackened ruins of the desolated town4 ,on ,may #bast the monster posse1 led on by ,marshal ,donaldson and ,deputy ,marshal ,fain1 gathered around the doomed city4 ,the town was quiet--unusually so4 ,deputy ,marshal ,fain went into the city and arrested ,g4 ,w4 ,deitzler1 ,g4 ,w4 ,smith and ,gains ,jenkins1 on the charge of treason4 ,the ,marshal went to the ,free ,state hotel1 that they were soon to batter down1 and got his dinner1 and went away without paying for it4 ,and now the opportune moment had arrived for the final denouement4 ,sheriff ,jones--the mourned and lost and murdered and much-lamented ,sheriff ,jones--whose tragic death had fired the hearts of all the ,missouri border1 now put in an appearance and showed himself a mighty lively corpse1 and led his posse into the town4 ,the flag of the lone star of ,south ,carolina1 blood-red1 and on which was inscribed the motto1 ,southern ,rights1 floated beside the ,stars and ,stripes4 ,the monster posse1 with loaded cannon1 marched into the city and in front of the ,free ,state hotel1 and the ,committee of the ,public ,safety ,valve was called for4 ,mr4 ,pomeroy came forward and shook hands with ,sheriff ,jones--should not gentlemen shake hands when they meet8 ,sheriff ,jones demanded the arms of the people1 otherwise he would bombard the town4 ,mr4 ,pomeroy went and dug up the cannon that had been buried1 and surrendered it to ,jones4 ,but further than this he could not go3 the people had their arms1 and intended to keep them4 ,then they tried to batter down the ,free ,state hotel with cannon4 ,failing in this1 they tried to blow it up with powder2 and1 failing in that1 they burned it down4 ,they also destroyed the two printing presses1 burning the buildings1 and then sacked the town4 ,sheriff ,jones was beside himself with joy4 ,in frantic excitement he said1 ,i have done it6 ,i have done it6 ,this is the happiest moment of my life6 ,i determined to make the fanatics bow before me in the dust and kiss the ,territorial laws1 and ,i have done it6 ,the writs have been executed4 ,boys1 you are dismissed4 ,it will be doing ,senator ,david ,r4 ,atchison1 ,ex-,vice-,president of the ,united ,states1 a kindness to conclude simply that he was drunk1 otherwise he displayed utter savagery and barbarism4 ,he inculcated gallantry to ladies1 but said3 ,if you find any woman with arms in her hands1 tread her under foot as you would a snake4 ,the ,caucassian white woman of ,lawrence had no more rights of self-protection than the slaves of a ,south ,carolina rice plantation--they were wholly and absolutely at the mercy of their masters6 ,we have no comments to make on the work of this drunken rabble2 but there is one man that must be held to a terrible responsibility before the judgment-seat of posterity4 ,gov4 ,wilson ,shannon was not drunk3 and it is to be presumed he had read that ,constitution of the ,united ,states which he had so often sworn to support4 ,he knew1 therefore1 that this document stipulates3 #a4 ,that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed2 yet he showed a fixed purpose to deprive the ,lawrence people of their arms4 #b4 ,the ,governor knew that the ,constitution guarantees freedom of speech and of the press to the ,american people2 yet the burning of these printing presses was an attack on the freedom of the press4 #c4 ,the ,constitution guarantees that in all criminal prosecutions the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial4 ,property of large value was destroyed because its owners were charged with high crimes and misdemeanors2 yet the owners of this property had never been given a trial4 #d4 ,gov4 ,shannon alleged that it was treasonable for the people of ,kansas ,territory to frame a ,state ,constitution without an enabling act from ,congress2 yet ,california had done this very thing1 and under that ,constitution had been admitted as a ,state4 #e4 ,he treated the ,free ,state men as traitors1 because they would not admit the legality of the ,lecompton ,territorial ,legislature4 ,but the majority of the ,investigating ,committee held the same view with the ,lawrence people1 and ,congress affirmed the same judgment in permanently unseating ,mr4 ,whitfield as ,territorial delegate to ,congress4 ,would that men could remember that there is a hereafter2 that to-morrow forever sits in judgment on to-day4 ,there are three men most conspicuous in the sacking of ,lawrence4 ,let us look at them in the electric light of the awful to-morrow4 ,since the ,kansas struggle had begun ,david ,r4 ,atchison had made himself the most conspicuous figure4 ,he was the representative of the ,john ,c4 ,calhoun school of ,southern politics1 and from the hour of the destruction of ,lawrence he was to disappear from public view1 as absolutely as that ,free ,state hotel which was burned by his orders2 yet he did not die--he was simply buried alive out of the public sight4 ,he was done with the nation1 and the nation was done with him4 ,he went back and lived on his plantation in ,western ,missouri1 where he was forgotten4 ,it is said he loved his slaves so well1 and petted them so much1 that they became masters on the plantation1 and not himself4 ,he lived to see ,kansas a free ,state1 with almost a million of inhabitants1 and fairly taking the lead of ,missouri in the elements of education1 enterprise1 and the highest civilization4 ,we have seen the crawling servility with which ,gov4 ,shannon served the ,law and ,order party2 yet in less than three months he was to see his office as ,governor go up in smoke1 as these burning buildings had gone up in smoke4 ,mr4 ,s4 became frantic when he saw the carnival of bloodshed and murder1 of riot and robbery1 that had been brought about by his means4 ,dr4 ,gihon1 the incoming ,gov4 ,geary's private secretary1 reported that ,mr4 ,shannon fled the ,territory in fear of his life4 ,when the troubles were over he came to ,kansas and sought the pity and forgiveness of that city he had turned over to the tender mercies of a mob of ruffians4 ,it need not be said that he could have done no better1 for his successor1 ,gov4 ,geary1 had only to speak a word and this tumult of disorder was instantly hushed4 ,as the years went by the people could not believe that a man that displayed so many good and amiable qualities could have been a party to such outrages as characterized his administration4 ,he died in ,lawrence very much respected4 ,sheriff ,samuel ,j4 ,jones strutted his brief hour on this stage in which the play had been both a bloodcurdling tragedy and a comedy2 and now he was to step down and out4 ,in the last act he had said1 ,i have done it6 ,and he had done it6 ,he and his fellow conspirators1 whether of high or low degree1 had set in operation a train of causes that should issue in abolishing throughout the ,united ,states that institution of slavery they had so frantically sought to establish in ,kansas4 ,joseph said to his brethren1 ,you meant it for evil1 but the ,lord meant it for good4 ,sheriff ,jones and his fellow conspirators were in the ,lord's hands1 but they did not know it4 ,,chapter ,,xvi4 ,when the news came of the sacking of ,lawrence1 the great mass of the squatters had not yet lost faith in the nation1 nor had they lost hope that justice would be done1 tardy though it might be2 but the utmost limits of human endurance were fast being reached4 ,there were1 however1 many that had already gone beyond this point1 and they returned an answer that made the hearts of the people stand still with horror4 ,it was the answer of a wild beast that had been hunted to its lair1 and that turns with savage ferocity on its pursuers4 ,it was an answer framed not in words1 but in deeds4 ,it said1 ,we have come to an end4 ,we have been robbed of the rights guaranteed to us by the ,kansas-,nebraska bill4 ,we have been robbed of the rights of ,american citizens4 ,we have been given the alternative of abject and degrading submission or of extermination4 ,and now we make our answer4 ,we will return blow for blow1 wound for wound1 stripe for stripe1 and burning for burning4 ,murder shall be paid back with murder1 robbery with robbery2 and every act of aggression shall be paid back with swift and terrible retaliation4 ,it must be remembered that at that time news traveled slow1 and that it was slow work to take men from their ordinary farm life and organize them into bands of soldiers1 and it was some days before ,old ,john ,brown1 of ,osawatomie1 appeared on the scene of conflict with a company of men4 ,of this company his son1 ,john ,brown1 ,jr41 was captain4 ,but the old man had come too late4 ,he was terribly excited1 and denounced as a set of cowards the ,committee of the ,public ,safety ,valve that had dug up the hidden cannon and had surrendered it to ,sheriff ,jones4 ,captain ,brown and his company determined to return4 ,old ,john ,brown selected a squad of six men to go on a secret expedition4 ,of these1 four were his own sons1 and one was his son-in-law4 ,his son1 ,captain ,brown1 was unwilling that his father should go1 and when the old man would not be persuaded1 he cautioned him1 ,father1 don't do anything rash4 ,old ,john ,brown took old man ,doyle and two sons and two other men in the dead hour of night and put them to death4 ,the facts of this awful deed have never been made public--there has never been a judicial investigation4 ,it is said that ,doyle and his sons were desperate characters1 and were in the act of driving off ,free ,state men2 but nothing is certainly known4 ,and now it appeared that the whole country south of the ,kaw ,river was full of armed ,free ,state guerrilla bands4 ,they rose up out of the earth as if they had been specters--their blows were swift1 terrible and remorseless4 ,they visited and robbed the houses of ,pro-slavery men1 as the houses of the ,free ,state men had been visited and robbed4 ,they stole the ,pro-slavery men's horses1 stopped them on the public highways1 and repeated in every detail and in every act of violence the cruel atrocities that had been so long perpetrated on themselves4 ,they showed no partiality--if they stole the horses of ,pro-slavery men1 they also stole ,gov4 ,shannon's horses1 and the ,governor posted over the country with a squad of soldiers to find them4 ,the town of ,franklin1 six miles from ,lawrence1 that had been a rendezvous for the ,law and ,order robbers1 and out of which they issued to visit ,free ,state settlers' houses1 rob ,free ,state men on the public highway and make raids on ,lawrence1 was cleaned out4 ,h4 ,clay ,pate1 leader of a ,law and ,order company of militia1 went to hunt ,john ,brown and put him to death as he would go to hunt a wild beast4 ,an ,african lion hunter1 when questioned1 ,is it not fine sport to hunt lions8 replied1 ,yes1 it is fine sport to hunt lions1 but if the lion hunts you it is not so fine4 ,h4 ,clay ,pate went to hunt the lion1 and found the lion was hunting him4 ,john ,brown attacked ,pate with an inferior force1 dispersed his command1 and took him prisoner1 together with twenty-eight of his men1 and kept them in an inaccessible fastness which he made his hiding place4 ,a number of ,pro-slavery men fled from the ,territory1 telling everywhere a blood-curdling story of hard and cruel treatment4 ,the people of the ,state of ,missouri were filled with rage and horror1 and its presses groaned with frantic appeals to the people to rise in their might and avenge the blood of their murdered brethren4 ,hitherto they had witnessed with perfect composure the savage butchery of the ,free ,state men1 and the outrage of ,free ,state families2 but now the case was bravely altered4 ,it was their ox that was being gored4 ,gov4 ,shannon passed as usual from the extreme of insolence to the extreme of helpless imbecility1 and called on ,col4 ,sumner to come forward and put a stop to this riot of confusion1 blood-shedding and violence4 ,the ,governor really wanted ,col4 ,s4 to disarm only the ,free ,state guerrillas2 but ,mr4 ,s4 made a more liberal interpretation of his orders1 and proceeded to disarm all armed bands in the ,territory4 ,he visited ,old ,john ,brown's hiding place1 told him he must consider himself under arrest1 and intimated to ,deputy ,marshal ,fain that he was at liberty to arrest these men1 who were under charge of murder4 ,but the ,marshal replied that he had no arrests to make4 ,marshal ,fain had no stomach for the business of lion hunting4 ,it is said that ,col4 ,s4 gave ,marshal ,fain a piece of his mind that was more explicit than polite4 ,col4 ,sumner ordered ,john ,brown to give up his prisoners1 and disband his men4 ,john ,brown expostulated with him1 that it was not right to require him to do this1 while the country was full of armed bands of ,pro-slavery militia and guerrillas4 ,col4 ,s4 agreed to disband and disarm all companies of persons armed1 and then ,john ,brown agreed to comply with his requests4 ,gen4 ,whitfield was in the vicinity1 and at the request of ,col4 ,s4 agreed to remove his men from the ,territory2 but while doing this they continued the business of riot1 robbery and murder4 ,thus wearily passed the month of ,june of #ahef1 on the south bank of the ,kaw ,river4 ,the coming ,fourth of ,july was looked forward to with intense interest by both parties1 and on the north side of the ,kaw ,river1 as well as on its south side4 ,the ,fourth of ,july was the day on which the ,legislature1 elected under the ,free ,state ,constitution1 was to meet at ,topeka2 and on that day1 and at that place1 a mass convention of all the ,free ,state men in ,kansas had also been called to meet and agree on their future policy4 ,col4 ,sumner had at least done this good service1 that the highways were clear1 and traveling was safe2 but not knowing what might happen1 the men generally carried their muskets hidden in their wagons4 ,the writer of these ,recollections went to ,topeka with the ,free ,state men of ,atchison county4 ,at this convention it appeared that there was the greatest possible divergence of judgment as to the best policy for the ,free ,state party to pursue4 ,there was nothing of the noise and bluster that characterizes a drunken mob2 they were sober and quiet men2 nevertheless1 they evidently labored under an intense and burning excitement4 ,some were for war1 bloody1 relentless and unforgiving war2 others advised a more pacific policy4 ,if the reader can imagine the savage determination with which the old ,scotch ,covenanters turned at bay when hunted into their mountain fastnesses by their bloody persecutors1 then he will have some idea of the spirit that animated a great part of that assembly4 ,two companies of soldiers1 handsomely equipped1 armed and drilled1 one from ,topeka and one from ,lawrence1 were drawn up in front of the ,topeka ,house1 where the ,free ,state ,legislature was to meet4 ,it is probable that this crowd of men assembled at this convention could have laid their hands on five hundred muskets hidden away in their wagons1 in ten minutes4 ,meanwhile ,col4 ,sumner had quietly drawn up his company of dragoons just outside of the crowd4 ,in front of the dragoons were two loaded cannon1 and by them grimly stood soldiers with burning fuse4 ,while the members of the convention were discussing among themselves their proper policy1 ,united ,states ,marshal ,donaldson came forward1 accompanied by ,judge ,el-more1 and taking possession of the stand from which the speakers were addressing the people1 ,judge ,el-more read a proclamation from the ,president and from acting ,gov4 ,woodson1 commanding the ,legislature to disperse4 ,to this ,col4 ,sumner had appended the following note3 ,the proclamation of the ,president and the orders under it require me to sustain the ,executive of the ,territory in executing the laws and preserving the peace4 ,i therefore hereby announce that ,i shall maintain the proclamation at all hazards4 ,this act of ,marshal ,donaldson was fiercely denounced as an impertinent intermedding with other men's business4 ,the general drift of the reasoning was as follows3 ,our act in framing a constitution and in electing a legislature is not treasonable nor revolutionary4 ,there is no law against it3 consequently we are breaking no law4 ,it is1 moreover1 something that has to be done at some time by the majority of the citizens of this ,territory1 and we hope to be able to convince ,congress and the ,president that we are that majority4 ,if we had undertaken to set in operation a government in contravention to the one now recognized by the ,president1 then might there have been some apology for this interference2 but we have done nothing of the kind4 ,the writer will say to the reader that ,gov4 ,walker1 an ex-,senator from ,mississippi1 and the ablest ,governor ,kansas ever had1 admitted afterwards that this reasoning of the ,kansas squatters was perfectly correct4 ,but however this might be1 here was a patent fact4 ,here was ,col4 ,sumner with his ,united ,states dragoons1 and he was a man to obey orders2 and what were we going to do about it8 ,should we fight1 or should we not fight8 ,the writer submitted the following resolution3 ,resolved1 ,that this ,convention expresses its determination not to resist the ,united ,states troops4 ,the resolution was carried1 and a committee was sent to ,col4 ,sumner to inform him of its adoption4 ,his answer was one to draw the hearts of the people to himself3 ,i knew1 said he1 that you were loyal to the old flag4 ,our readers will be incredulous that such a resolution should be needed1 or that there should be any division of sentiment as touching its adoption4 ,it is for this reason we call this incident up4 ,it is that the reader may understand how strained was the state of feeling of many of the ,free ,state men4 ,they had spent the past months fighting1 and they1 in their own minds1 associated the ,united ,states troops with the oppressors of ,kansas ,free ,state men4 ,when ,mr4 ,sumner went into the ,legislative hall to disperse the ,legislature1 he spoke as tenderly as a woman4 ,he said3 ,gentlemen1 this is the most painful act of my life ,but ,i must obey orders1 and you must disperse4 ,when he wheeled his dragoons to march away the boys cheered ,col4 ,sumner4 ,they cheered the old flag and the ,united ,states soldiers1 but they gave such groans for the ,lecompton ,legislature as1 it was said1 frightened the dragoons' horses4 ,there was now no further cause that the writer should tarry longer1 and he immediately mounted his horse and rode towards home1 with a heart heavy with the thought of all the distempers that had come on unhappy ,kansas4 ,,chapter ,,xvii4 ,we have already told how the campaign was opened1 in the spring of #ahef1 in ,atchison county1 in a letter which we at that time addressed to the editor of the ,herald of ,freedom4 ,this paper was printed at ,lawrence1 on the printing press destroyed by the ,law and ,order mob4 ,the weekly issue in which this letter was published was passing through the press on the day the town was sacked1 one side having been printed1 the other side being yet blank4 ,then the ,border ,ruffians came into the town1 broke up the press and threw it into the river1 and tumbled the half printed weekly issue into the street4 ,the above-named article was on the printed side1 and was read by the whole crowd1 and they were terribly angry4 ,if the writer had been in town he certainly would not have escaped alive1 if this mob could have found him4 ,as it was1 their curses would not be edifying reading in a ,christian newspaper4 ,lecompton could not give its friends food or lodging4 ,it had been located in an out-of-the-way and inaccessible place2 its proprietors were ,sheriff ,jones1 ,judge ,lecompton1 and men of that ilk1 and business men avoided the place as if it had been smitten with a pestilence4 ,the people of the surrounding country were generally ,free ,state men1 and the ,south ,carolinians could not choose1 but were forced to return to ,atchison4 ,they had been angry and impatient when their friends in ,atchison had constrained them to do things up in such milk and water style1 and in ,lawrence they had been held back in the same manner1 and they returned in a savage temper4 ,should a cowardly ,yankee be allowed to defy them1 and scoff at them1 and call them bull-dogs and blood-hounds1 with impunity8 and now1 with this man they had to have a settlement4 ,we have already seen how the contending factions spread murder and violence south of the ,kaw ,river2 but from ,may till ,september ,leavenworth county became a dark and bloody ground4 ,immediately after the ,fourth of ,july1 ,col4 ,sumner had been1 because of his too great leniency to ,free ,state men1 superseded in command at ,fort ,leavenworth by ,persifer ,f4 ,smith1 a man whose heart was hard as a rock of adamant toward the ,free ,state people1 and under his eyes ,leavenworth city and county were given up to blood and robbery4 ,in ,atchison county1 from the beginning of these border troubles to the end of them1 not one man's life was taken1 and yet ,david ,r4 ,atchison1 ,gen4 ,b4 ,f4 ,stringfellow1 and his law partner1 ,peter ,t4 ,abell1 were the leading members of the ,atchison town company4 ,robert ,s4 ,kelley and ,dr4 ,john ,h4 ,stringfellow also maintained unchanged their bloody purposes4 ,we find in the ,squatter ,sovereign1 under date of ,june #ajth1 the following editorial1 and this displays its uniform temper3 ,the ,abolitionist3 shoot down our men1 without provocation1 wherever they meet them2 let us retaliate in the same manner4 ,a free fight is all we desire4 ,if murder and assassination is the programme of the day1 we are in favor of filling the bill4 ,let not the knives of the ,pro-slavery men be sheathed while there is one ,abolitionist in the ,territory4 ,as they have shown no quarters to our men1 they deserve none from us4 ,let our motto be written in blood on our flags1 ,death to all ,yankees and traitors in ,kansas4 ,why1 then1 were not these bloody counsels made good by deeds8 ,our circumstances were peculiar4 ,it will be seen above that it was only the ,yankees and ,abolitionists in whose bodies the knives of the ,law and ,order party were to be sheathed2 and the ,yankees in the country were only a handful of men1 and were therefore powerless2 but between them and these bloody-minded chieftains was interposed a barrier that proved insurmountable4 ,the great mass of the squatters were just from the other side of the river4 ,sometimes a son had left a father1 and crossed the river to get a claim2 or a brother had left his brother1 or a girl had married a young man in the neighborhood1 and as the young folks were poor1 they had left the old folks and had gone to seek their fortune in the new ,territory4 ,of course the old folks would still have a care for the young couple4 ,they were in easy reach of each other1 and would still visit back and forth4 ,now who does not see that to touch any one of these was to touch all8 ,it was like touching a nest of hornets4 ,the reader will observe that these people had no quarrel with the people of the ,south3 they were bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh4 ,neither had they any special quarrel with ,southern institutions2 only this1 that they would rather live in a free ,state4 ,they did feel that way1 and they could not help it4 ,but in one thing they had been sorely wounded4 ,in the invasion of ,kansas1 and in the carrying the elections by violence1 their personal rights had been invaded1 and they did resent that4 ,and now here were some ,yankee neighbors whom they knew to be kindly and peaceable people1 and whose help they needed in building up their churches2 and yet these were to be murdered or driven out of the ,territory for nothing6 and it touched their ,southern blood4 ,it was neither just nor right1 and they would not allow it2 and in such an issue there would be a common bond of sympathy on both sides of the river4 ,moreover1 such men as ,oliver ,steele1 ,judge ,tutt and the ,irvings and ,harts and ,christophers had grave misgivings what would be the final issue of this system of murder and violence that had been adopted to make ,kansas a slave ,state4 ,and so it was that the leaders in this conspiracy1 right here in this city and county of ,atchison1 which was their headquarters1 found themselves strangely embarrassed and handicapped4 ,their will was good enough1 but how to carry out their purpose8--that was the pinch4 ,a private assassination was a thing that looked easy enough at the first sight1 but it might turn out that they had undertaken an ugly job for themselves4 ,a meeting of the ,disciples was held at the house of ,archibald ,elliott in the month of ,june4 ,it was called quietly1 and no noise made about it4 ,there was a large attendance1 and it was evident that if we could hold regular meetings great good would be done4 ,but the neighborhood was soon filled with alarming rumors4 ,it was said that a company of ,south ,carolinians were seen to go into a grove of bushes1 about nightfall1 where the writer would be expected to pass1 and that they were seen to emerge from the same place the next morning4 ,one event1 however1 adjourned our meetings without date4 ,there was a man living in the western part of the county named ,barnett1 who was a man of considerable attainment1 and had been a member of the ,christian ,church4 ,but he was given to drink4 ,his wife1 however1 who was an excellent ,christian woman1 remained steadfast to the church1 and ,barnett1 as he saw his hold on the church and his hope of heaven slipping away from him1 clung the more loyally to his wife1 as though her ,christian excellencies would save them both4 ,at her request he invited me to preach a sermon at his house1 and ,i consented4 ,but when the ,south ,carolinians in ,atchison heard of it1 they sent an insulting message to ,barnett that they would come and shoot me4 ,barnett's ,southern blood was all on fire4 ,who were these men that had come to ,atchison county to ride rough-shod over him in his own house8 ,he sent a message equally defiant back to them1 that if they did come he and his neighbors would shoot them4 ,but there was one man in the county that needed to have no nervousness as touching his reputation for personal bravery4 ,that man was ,caleb ,may2 and he interposed and said3 ,let us wait patiently for more peaceful times4 ,the ,son of man did not come to destroy men's lives1 but to save them4 ,but this adjourned without date our meetings4 ,one incident must illustrate the strained and peculiar condition of affairs in ,atchison county4 ,archimedes ,speck lived on the ,stranger ,creek1 several miles below the residence of the writer4 ,he was a man of magnificent physical development1 and was a pronounced ,free ,state man4 ,his wife's people originally came from ,north ,carolina1 and she was proud of her ,southern blood2 and the husband and wife did not come to ,kansas to be run over by anybody4 ,yet they were eminently peaceable people1 if let alone4 ,these gentlemen in ,atchison had determined to disarm the ,free ,state people living in the country2 and ,mr4 ,speck1 being a ,free ,state man1 open and avowed1 they called on him1 but he was not at home4 ,they therefore asked his wife3 ,has your husband a rifle1 musket1 or fire-arms of any kind8 ,she brought out an old ,queen ,anne's musket1 as rusty and worn as if it had been in service ever since the ,revolutionary war4 ,but while they were inspecting the rusty old thing1 whether it was worth carrying away1 she took from a closet a bran span new double-barrel fowling-piece1 and1 putting her finger on the trigger1 she said1 ,now1 sir1 if you do not lay down that musket and leave the house1 ,i will shoot you4 ,if this gentleman had suddenly roused up a female tiger1 he would not have been more terror-stricken than when he found himself facing this woman1 blazing with scorn and irrepressible resentment1 and he concluded he did not want the rusty old musket1 and did not ask to examine the other one4 ,mr4 ,s4 had threatened to flog one of his ,pro-slavery neighbors who had insulted him1 as he alleged1 and the man went to ,atchison and made oath that he was in fear of his life1 and the ,sheriff was sent out with a warrant to arrest ,mr4 ,speck4 ,but at this time ,leavenworth county was full of murder and bloodshed2 guerrilla parties1 both ,free ,state and ,pro-slavery1 were fighting in many parts of the ,territory1 and ,lane had returned1 and was leading the ,free ,state men in this warfare1 and had threatened with many oaths to wipe out ,atchison1 and there were rumors that he was already near at hand4 ,and so1 to provide against all contingencies1 the ,sheriff was accompanied by a posse of forty armed men1 who took with them a cannon which had been loaned to ,atchison by the people of ,missouri4 ,mrs4 ,speck received the ,sheriff graciously1 explained to him that her husband was absent1 but would soon return1 but to all questions as touching his present whereabouts1 she shook her head mysteriously and refused to explain4 ,the thing looked suspicious4 ,was it possible that ,lane was even now in the neighborhood8 and the ,sheriff went back to his posse to hold a council of war4 ,he had stationed them on a high bluff on the north bank of the ,stranger ,creek1 and1 looking across the wide timbered bottom to the opposite bluff1 they could dimly see a large number of objects approaching through the brush-wood4 ,what could it be8 ,was it ,lane coming to attack him8 ,and now two horsemen emerged from the brush and rode on a full gallop down the bluff4 ,it is ,lane6 ,it is ,lane6 they cried4 ,let us ride back to ,atchison and get ready to defend the town1 and on a gallop they skedaddled back to ,atchison4 ,mr4 ,speck had been with some of his neighbors to bring home a herd of cattle4 ,an old cow had broken from the herd1 intending to get back to her former grazing ground1 and ,mr4 ,speck and his neighbors had ridden full gallop to head her off4 ,on reaching home1 and learning of the visit of the ,sheriff1 he went at once to ,atchison to give bonds to keep the peace2 and to make all things square1 he took with him the rusty old musket and proffered it to the gentleman that had been so solicitous to get it4 ,mr4 ,speck assured him that ,mrs4 ,s4 was now willing he should have it1 and would not shoot him if he took it4 ,these gentlemen had been making money out of pocket4 ,they had been frightened out of their wits by a spunky woman2 and forty armed men1 with a loaded cannon1 had been stampeded and made to run pell-mell into ,atchison by a herd of cattle and two or three men on horseback1 riding at full gallop after an old cow4 ,these men had undertaken to do a wicked thing1 and had been made ridiculous in doing so2 and this contributed largely to that revolution in the public opinion of the county1 which had been going on for eighteen months1 and which at the last compelled a radical change in the policy of these ,border ,ruffian leaders4 ,but this again gave the chiefs of this conspiracy abundant experience that it pays to do right1 and that a good ,providence had brought them prosperity and honor by defeating their original counsels and turning them into foolishness4 ,but first we must tell of the carnival of riot1 ruin1 and robbing that had been going on in other parts of the ,territory4 ,,chapter ,,xviii4 ,the ,squatter ,sovereign1 in its issue of ,july #ast1 made the following announcement3 ,the steamer1 ,star of the ,west1 having on board seventy-eight ,chicago ,abolitionists1 was overhauled at ,lexington1 ,mo41 and the company disarmed4 ,a large number of rifles and pistols were taken at ,lexington1 and a guard sent upon the boat1 to prevent them from landing in the ,territory4 ,after leaving ,lexington1 it was ascertained that they had not given up all arms1 but still held possession of a great number of bowie knives and pistols1 which were probably secreted while the search was going on at ,lexington4 ,at ,leavenworth ,city1 ,captain ,clarkson1 with twenty-five men1 went on board of the boat and demanded the surrender of all the arms in the possession of the ,abolitionists4 ,like whipped dogs they sneaked up to ,clarkson and laid down their weapons to him4 ,the men thus robbed of their arms give the following version of the matter3 ,they say that at ,lexington they were taken by surprise2 that their arms were not accessible to them1 and that there was nothing to do but to yield4 ,but that a pledge was made to them1 that if they would give up their arms1 they should be allowed to proceed peaceably to ,kansas4 ,they furthermore state that at ,kansas ,city ,col4 ,buford came aboard the boat1 accompanied by a company of soldiers2 that ,david ,r4 ,atchison and ,gen4 ,b4 ,f4 ,stringfellow came on board1 and that after the boat had left the landing these gentlemen informed them that they would in no wise be allowed to enter the ,territory2 that after the boat had stopped at ,weston1 they should be taken back to ,alton2 but that if they would not accept this arrangement1 they should be hung1 every mother's son of them4 ,at various times the ,squatter ,sovereign and ,leavenworth ,herald report similar outrages4 ,the latter paper reports1 ,july #eth1 the sending back seventy-five emigrants that had come upon the steamer ,sultan4 ,in reference to this occurrence1 the ,squatter ,sovereign makes the following remark3 ,we do not fully approve of sending these criminals back to the ,east1 to be reshipped to ,kansas--if not through ,missouri1 through ,iowa and ,nebraska4 ,we think they should meet a traitor's death2 and the world could not censure us if we1 in self-protection1 have to resort to such ultra measures4 ,we are of the opinion that if the citizens of ,leavenworth city1 or ,weston1 would hang one or two boatloads of ,abolitionists1 it would do more towards establishing peace in ,kansas than all the speeches that have been delivered in ,congress during the present session4 ,let the experiment be tried4 ,the ,missouri ,river was thus blockaded against the incoming of emigrants from the free ,states1 and this created intense excitement throughout the ,north4 ,the result was1 that the immigration to ,kansas1 instead of being diminished1 was largely increased2 but it changed its direction1 and ,iowa ,city became the entrept for the incoming tide of free ,state settlers1 which now sought an overland route through ,iowa and ,nebraska1 and began to reach ,kansas about the #ast of ,august4 ,the leaders of the ,pro-slavery party made a pathetic appeal to the people of the ,south to send a corresponding class of emigrants2 but the appeal was feebly responded to4 ,slave-holders would not come1 because their slaves would be insecure2 and now slave-holders felt that they had small cause to come to fight a battle that was not theirs4 ,gov4 ,shannon held the scepter of power with a more and more feeble hand4 ,he was going to resign1 and he was not going to resign4 ,but whether he did or did not resign1 the substance of power had already passed into the hands of his secretary1 ,mr4 ,woodson1 who was hand and glove with his fellows in this conspiracy to make ,kansas a slave ,state4 ,meantime ,col4 ,sumner had been superseded in command at ,fort ,leavenworth by ,persifer ,f4 ,smith4 ,col4 ,sumner had obeyed orders like the brave soldier that he was1 but he had shown too much sympathy for these victims of oppression in the discharge of his shameful duties4 #e ,he did his appointed work1 but he did not do it with an appetite1 and he had been succeeded by a man that felt no more pity toward the ,free ,state people than the wolf feels for the lamb out of which he makes his breakfast4 ,the consequences of this state of affairs began soon to appear4 ,the ,missouri ,river had been blockaded4 ,trains sent to ,leavenworth from ,lawrence and ,topeka were robbed on the public highway of the merchandise and provisions with which they were loaded1 and these interior ,free ,state settlements began to feel the sharp pressure of hard necessities1 while they a third time saw companies of so-called ,law and ,order militia occupying various points in the ,territory which these men proceeded to fortify1 and from which they could overawe the inhabitants and make raids on the citizens2 and thus the old business of robbery1 murder1 spoliation and oppression was again begun4 ,and now this new immigration of a squatter soldiery1 who came bearing their muskets in one hand and their implements of husbandry in the other1 and were perfectly indifferent whether it should be work or fight1 came pouring over the ,nebraska line and into ,kansas ,territory4 ,a feeble attempt was made to stop them1 but it amounted to nothing4 ,they were not now on a ,missouri ,river steamboat4 ,jim ,lane came with them4 ,he remained incognito a few days1 and then threw off his disguise1 and ,capt4 ,joe ,cook was ,jim ,lane4 ,and now the old1 hard rule of the law of ,moses1 ,an eye for an eye1 and a tooth for a tooth1 was again the law of ,kansas4 ,it was1 ,you have robbed us1 and we will rob you2 you have subsisted yourselves upon us1 and we will subsist ourselves on you2 you have blockaded the ,missouri ,river1 and waylaid our freighting trains1 and pillaged them of their freight1 with intent to starve out the ,free ,state people1 and all that belongs to you and yours shall be free plunder to us4 ,the places that had been fortified by this ,law and ,order militia were one by one stormed and the garrisons driven off4 ,franklin was a second time attacked and its occupants taken prisoners4 ,col4 ,titus had fortified his residence in the suburbs of ,lecompton1 and here he kept a company of men that made raids on the surrounding ,free ,state inhabitants4 ,this fort was taken by assault1 and ,col4 ,titus and his men were taken prisoners1 while ,major ,sedjwick1 with a company of ,united ,states troops1 was encamped only two miles away4 ,the citizens of ,lecompton were frightened out of their wits1 and ,gov4 ,shannon was found under the bank of the ,kansas ,river1 badly demoralized1 and trying to get across the river on an old scow1 and thus escape the danger4 ,he came the next day to ,lawrence1 accompanied by ,maj4 ,sedjwick1 to make peace and negotiate an exchange of prisoners1 ,he announced this as his last official act1 and exhorted the people in a speech he made to them1 to live in peace with each other1 while they shouted in angry retort1 ,give us back ,barber and the men that have been murdered under your rule4 ,but in spite of all these reverses that had come upon the ,law and ,order party1 they still had faith that ,providence is on the side of the heaviest battalions1 and that they would yet succeed in driving out these ,free ,state rebels2 and they proceeded to raise1 along the ,missouri border1 a larger army than it would be possible for the ,free ,state people to raise4 ,did they not have on their side the ,president and his ,cabinet8 ,was not ,congress on their side8 ,was not ,persifer ,f4 ,smith1 ,commandant at ,fort ,leavenworth1 at least indifferent to all their deeds of violence8 ,and more and better1 ,woodson had succeeded ,shannon as acting ,governor1 and it would be a bad day that should not see the full fruition of their hopes4 ,but there was one thought to mar their otherwise perfect joy1 just as ,providence always pours a drop of bitterness into every cup4 ,a ,governor unfriendly to their purposes might be appointed1 and it became them1 therefore1 to make hay while the sun was shining4 ,they1 therefore1 addressed the following pathetic appeal to the people of the ,south3 ,we have asked the appointment of a successor who was acquainted with our condition2 who1 a citizen of our ,territory1 identified with its interests1 familiar with its history1 would not be prejudiced or misled by the falsehoods which have been so systematically fabricated against us4 ,in his stead we have one appointed who is ignorant of our condition1 a stranger to our people2 who we have too much cause to fear will1 if no worse1 prove no more efficient to protect us than his predecessors4 ,with1 then1 a government which has proved imbecile1 has failed to enforce the laws for our protection1 with our army of lawless banditti overturning our country--what shall we do8 ,though we have full confidence in the integrity and fidelity of ,mr4 ,woodson1 now acting as ,governor1 we know not at what moment his authority will be suspended4 ,we can not await the convenience of the incoming of the newly appointed ,governor4 ,we can not hazard a second edition of imbecility or corruption4 ,we must act at once1 and effectively4 ,these traitors1 assassins1 and robbers must be punished2 must now be taught a lesson they will remember4 ,it is1 then1 not only the right1 but the duty of all good citizens of ,missouri and every other ,state to come to our assistance1 and enable us to expel these invaders4 ,mr4 ,woodson1 since the resignation of ,governor ,shannon1 has fearlessly met the responsibilities of the trust forced upon him1 has proclaimed the existence of the rebellion1 and called on the militia of the ,territory to assemble for its suppression4 ,we call on you to come1 to furnish us assistance in men1 provisions1 and munitions1 that we may drive out the army of the ,north1 who would subvert our government and expel us from our homes4 ,,chapter ,,xix4 ,gov4 ,shannon left the ,territory a disgraced and ruined man4 ,he had proved himself1 both to the ,free ,state party and the ,law and ,order party1 a broken staff that pierces the hand of him that leans on it4 ,mr4 ,woodson1 who took his place as acting ,governor1 showed himself hale fellow well met with such spirits as ,sheriff ,jones and ,judge ,lecompte2 and this faction made piteous appeals to the ,great ,father at ,washington to give them a man after their own heart1 and this they found in ,john ,calhoun1 ,surveyor-,general of ,kansas and ,nebraska1 whose official patronage made him a man of considerable influence1 and whose freighting outfit1 kept for his peculiar business1 would have made him eminently useful to this party in the transportation of military stores4 ,but their appeal had been denied them1 and instead of ,surveyor-,general ,calhoun1 ,mr4 ,geary1 of ,pennsylvania1 had been appointed4 ,that great party1 of which the ,president was the official head1 was convulsed with such internal feuds and contentions1 consequent on these very ,kansas troubles1 as threatened its existence4 ,a ,presidential election was pending1 and attention must be paid to this fact1 rather than to the desperate schemes of this ,kansas faction4 ,john ,w4 ,geary was1 therefore1 announced as the appointee of the ,president4 ,mr4 ,g4 came with high claims to public favor4 ,he had passed through the ,mexican war with honor2 he had discharged high public trust in ,california with such fidelity and skill as won for him a distinguished reputation4 ,he was the friend1 and almost the neighbor1 of the incoming ,president1 ,james ,buchanan1 and he enjoyed the confidence of the outgoing ,president1 ,franklin ,pierce2 and was closeted with him and with his ,secretary of ,state1 ,mr4 ,marcy1 before leaving ,washington4 ,that nothing might be wanting to his success1 he spent a day at ,jefferson ,city1 ,mo41 with ,gov4 ,sterling ,price1 and with him arranged to have the blockade removed from the ,missouri ,river4 ,mr4 ,geary met at ,glasgow1 ,mo41 the retiring ex-,governor1 and ,dr4 ,gihon reports that he was fleeing in terror that his life would be taken by the men for whom he had been such an abject tool4 ,while these parting ceremonies were being performed a steamboat bound down the river1 and directly from ,kansas1 came along side the ,keystone4 ,ex-,governor ,shannon was a passenger1 who1 upon learning the close proximity of ,gov4 ,geary1 sought an immediate interview with him4 ,the ex-,governor was greatly agitated4 ,he had fled in haste and terror from the ,territory1 and still seemed laboring under an apprehension for his personal safety4 ,his description of ,kansas was suggestive of everything that is frightful and horrible4 ,its condition was deplorable in the extreme4 ,the whole ,territory was in a state of insurrection1 and a destructive civil war was devastating the country4 ,murder ran rampant1 and the roads were everywhere strewn with the bodies of slaughtered men4 ,dr4 ,gihon afterwards published a small volume of #cdh pages1 from which the preceding extract has been taken4 ,the work is entitled ,governor ,geary's ,administration in ,kansas4 ,this work does not bear the sign manual of ,gov4 ,geary1 but as it was written by the ,governor's private secretary1 it must be taken as an authentic statement of what these gentlemen saw with their own eyes1 and heard with their own ears1 as touching the condition of things in the ,territory4 ,dr4 ,gihon gives the following testimony concerning the troubles in and around ,leavenworth and their cause3 ,after the removal of ,shannon on the #bast of ,august1 when ,secretary ,woodson became acting ,governor until the arrival of ,gov4 ,geary in ,september1 the belligerents had matters pretty much their own way1 and the ruffians improved the time1 under pretense of authority from ,woodson1 to perpetrate with impunity the most shocking barbarities4 ,during this time ,gen4 ,smith received much censure from the ,free ,state people4 ,emory1 ,wilkes1 ,stringfellow and others were driving these from their homes in ,leavenworth1 and many of them fled in terror for protection within the enclosures of the fort2 when the ,general caused hand-bills to be posted over the grounds commanding them to leave before a certain specified time1 and gave orders to his subordinates to enforce this command4 ,these unfortunate people1 among whom were men of the highest respectability1 and even women and children1 were compelled1 some of them without money or suitable clothing1 to take to the prairies1 exposed at every step to the danger of being murdered by scouting or marauding parties1 or at the risk of their lives effect their escape upon the downward-bound boats4 ,some of these were shot in the attempt upon the river banks1 whilst others were seized at ,kansas ,city and other ,missouri towns1 brought back as prisoners1 and disposed of in such a manner as will only be made known at that great day when all human mysteries will be revealed4 ,captain ,frederick ,emory1 a ,united ,states ,mail ,contractor1 rendered himself conspicuous in ,leavenworth at the head of a band of ruffians mostly from ,western ,missouri4 ,they entered houses1 stores and dwellings of ,free ,state people1 and in the name of ,law and ,order abused and robbed the occupants1 and drove them out into the roads1 ,irrespective of age1 sex or condition4 ,under pretense of searching for arms1 they approached the house of ,william ,phillips1 the lawyer who had been previously tarred and feathered and carried to ,missouri4 ,phillips1 supposing he was to be subjected to a similar outrage1 and resolved not to submit to the indignity1 stood upon his defense4 ,in repelling the assaults of the mob1 he killed two of them1 when the others burst into the house1 and poured a volley of balls into his body1 killing him instantly in the presence of his wife and another lady4 ,his brother1 who was also present1 had an ana broken with bullets1 and was compelled to submit to an amputation4 ,fifty of the ,free ,state prisoners were then driven on board the ,polar ,star1 bound for ,st4 ,louis4 ,on the next day a hundred more were embarked by ,emory and his men on the steamboat ,emma4 ,at this time civil war raged in all the populous districts4 ,womi n and children had fled from the ,territory4 ,no man's life was safe1 and every person1 when he lay down to rest at night1 bolted and barred his doors1 and fell asleep grasping firmly his pistol1 gun or knife4 ,emory's company were all mounted on pressed horses1 the owners of some of which were present to point out and claim them2 but as there existed no courts or judges from whom the necessary legal process could be obtained1 and as ,gen4 ,smith would not listen to their complaints1 they had no means by which to recover their property4 ,emory and his company held their headquarters at ,leavenworth ,city1 whence they sallied into the surrounding country to press1 not steal1 the horses1 cattle1 wagons and other property of ,free ,state men4 ,it was during these excursions that ,major ,sackett1 of the ,united ,states ,army1 found in the road near ,leavenworth ,city a number of the bodies of men who had been seized1 robbed1 murdered and mutilated1 and left unburied by the wayside4 ,on the #agth of ,august1 #ahef1 a shocking affair occurred in the neighborhood of ,leavenworth4 ,two ruffians sat at a table in a low groggery1 imbibing potations of bad whisky4 ,one of them1 named ,fugert1 bet his companion six dollars against a pair of boots that he would go out and in less than two hours bring in the scalp of an ,abolitionist4 ,he went into the road1 and1 meeting a ,mr4 ,hoppe1 who was in his carriage just returning to ,leavenworth from a visit to ,lawrence1 where he had conveyed his wife1 ,fugert deliberately shot him2 then1 taking out his bowie knife1 whilst his victim was still alive1 he cut and tore off his scalp from his quivering head4 ,leaving the body of ,hoppe lying in the road1 he elevated his bloody trophy upon a pole1 and paraded it through the streets of ,leavenworth4 ,on the same day a teamster1 who was approaching ,leavenworth1 was murdered and scalped by another human monster4 ,a poor ,german1 when the scalp of ,hoppe was brought into ,leavenworth1 was impudent enough to express his horror of the shocking deed1 when he was ordered to run for his life--in attempting which a number of bullets sped after him1 and he fell dead in the street4 ,,chapter ,,xx4 ,in the month of ,august1 #ahef1 a company of so-called ,territorial ,militia established themselves at ,hickory ,point1 ,jefferson county1 about twenty miles north of ,lawrence1 and proceeded to make raids on the ,free ,state settlements4 ,in one of these raids they pillaged the village of ,grasshopper ,falls1 robbing the stores of their contents4 ,gen4 ,lane and ,captains ,harvey and ,bickerton determined to attack and dislodge these marauders4 ,but on the #aath of ,september ,gov4 ,geary1 having arrived at ,lecompton1 issued a proclamation ordering all armed bands of men1 whether known as ,territorial ,militia or ,free ,state ,guerrillas1 to disperse and retire to their homes4 ,gen4 ,lane determined at once to leave the ,territory1 and sent a message to that effect to ,capt4 ,harvey1 who had arranged to unite his command with that of ,gen4 ,lane in an attack on ,hickory ,point2 but the messenger failed to meet ,harvey1 who made the attack alone and captured these robbers4 ,but ,harvey's men were in their turn taken prisoners by a company of ,united ,states troops and were conveyed to ,lecompton and kept during the winter as treason prisoners4 ,but while the ,free ,state forces were thus being scattered1 disbanded and taken prisoners1 by virtue of ,gov4 ,geary's proclamation1 an army of #c1jjj men had been enlisted in ,missouri and along the border towns1 and were marching to destroy ,lawrence and wipe out the ,free ,state settlements4 ,delilah bound ,samson with cords1 then said1 ,the ,philistines be upon thee1 ,samson2 and so these ,law and ,order leaders saw the ,free ,state forces dispersed by the ,governor's proclamation1 and then thought to bring on the helpless settlements the whole power of this ,missouri invasion4 ,but we will let ,mr4 ,geary's private secretary tell the story in his own way3 ,but the most reprehensible character in the drama being enacted was the ,secretary of the ,territory1 then acting ,governor4 ,more than three weeks after ,gov4 ,geary had received his commission and ,secretary ,woodson had every reason to believe that he was on his way to the ,territory1 that weak-minded1 if not criminally defective1 officer issued the following proclamation3 ,,whereas1 ,satisfactory evidence exists that the ,territory of ,kansas is infested with large bodies of armed men3 ,now1 therefore1 ,i1 ,daniel ,woodson1 ,acting ,governor of the ,territory of ,kansas1 do issue my proclamation declaring the said ,territory to be in a state of open insurrection and rebellion1 and ,i do hereby call upon all law-abiding citizens of the ,territory to rally to the support of the country and its laws4 ,not satisfied with the proclamation1 which of itself was sufficiently mischievous1 he wrote private letters to parties in ,missouri calling for men1 money and munitions of war4 ,this proclamation and these letters called together thousands of men1 mostly from ,missouri1 with passions inflamed to the highest degree1 and whose only thought was wholesale slaughter and destruction4 ,it was the fixed purpose of ,secretary ,woodson to keep ,gov4 ,geary in ignorance of the extensive preparations that were being made to attack and destroy the ,free ,state settlements4 ,as yet the ,governor had not seen ,woodson's proclamation4 ,governor ,geary issued the follow-orders3 ,,adjt4 ,,gen4 ,h4 ,j4 ,,strickler3--,you will proceed without a moment's delay to disarm and disband the present organized militia of the ,territory4 ,notwithstanding the positive character of these orders they were utterly disregarded4 ,suspecting that treachery was somewhere at work he forthwith dispatched confidential messengers on the road to ,westport to ascertain1 if possible1 what operations were going forward in that vicinity4 ,messengers were constantly arriving from ,lawrence bringing intelligence that a large army from ,missouri was encamped on the ,wakarusa ,river and was hourly expected to attack the town4 ,as these men were styled ,territorial ,militia and were called into service by the late acting ,governor ,woodson1 ,gov4 ,geary commanded that officer to take with him ,adjutant-,general ,strickler with an escort of ,united ,states troops and disband1 in accordance with the proclamation issued1 the forces that had so unwisely been assembled4 ,woodson and ,strickler left ,lecompton in the afternoon1 and reached the ,missouri camp early in the evening4 ,here ,woodson found it impossible to accomplish the object of his mission4 ,no attention or respect was paid to him by those having command of the forces4 ,the army he had gathered refused to acknowledge his authority4 ,he had raised a storm1 the elements of which he was powerless to control2 neither could the officers be assembled to receive the ,governor's orders from the ,adjutant-,general4 ,the militia had resolved not to disband1 the officers refused to listen to the reading of the proclamation--they were determined upon accomplishing the bloody work they had entered the ,territory to perform4 ,nothing but the destruction of ,lawrence and the other ,free ,state towns1 the massacre of the ,free ,state residents1 and the appropriation of their lands and other property1 could satisfy them4 ,mr4 ,adams1 who accompanied ,secretary ,woodson to the ,missouri camp1 dispatched the following3 ,,lawrence1 #ab o'clock ,midnight1 ,sept4 #ad1 #ahef4 ,to ,his ,,excellency1 ,,gov4 ,,geary3 ,,sir3--,secretary ,woodson thought you had better come to the camp of the militia as soon as you can4 ,,theodore ,,adams4 ,before this dispatch reached ,lecompton the ,governor had departed with three hundred ,united ,states mounted troops and a battery of light artillery1 and arrived in ,lawrence early in the morning1 where he found matters precisely as described4 ,skillfully stationing his troops outside the town1 in commanding positions1 to prevent a collision between the invading forces from ,missouri and the citizens1 he entered ,lawrence alone1 and there he beheld a sight which would have aroused the manhood of the most stolid mortal4 ,about three hundred persons ,were found in arms1 determined to sell their lives at the dearest price to their ruffian enemies4 ,among these were many women1 and children of both sexes1 armed with guns and otherwise accoutered for battle4 ,they had been goaded to this by the courage of despair4 ,gov4 ,geary addressed the armed citizens of ,lawrence1 and when he assured them of his and the law's protection they offered to deposit their arms at his feet and return to their respective habitations4 ,he bade them go to their homes in confidence1 and to carry their arms with them1 as the constitution guarantees that right1 but to use them only in the last resort to protect their lives and property and the chastity of their females4 ,early in the morning of the #aeth1 having left the troops to protect the town1 the ,governor proceeded alone to the camp of the invading forces1 then within three miles and drawn up in line of battle4 ,before reaching ,franklin1 he met the advance guard1 and upon inquiring who they were and what were their objects1 received for answer that they were the ,territorial ,militia1 and called into service by the ,governor of ,kansas1 and that they were marching to wipe out ,lawrence and every ,abolitionist in the country4 ,mr4 ,geary informed them that he was now ,governor of ,kansas1 and ,commander-in-chief of the ,territorial ,militia1 and ordered the officer in command to countermarch his troops back to the main line1 and conduct him to the center1 which order1 after some hesitation1 was reluctantly obeyed4 ,the red face of the rising sun was just peering over the top of ,blue ,mound1 as the ,governor1 with his strange escort of three hundred mounted men1 with red shirts and odd-shaped hats1 descended upon the ,wakarusa plain1 where in battle array were ranged at least three thousand armed and desperate men4 ,they were not dressed in the usual habiliments of soldiers1 but in every imaginable costume that could be obtained in the western region4 ,most of them were mounted1 and manifested an unmistakable disposition to be at their bloody work4 ,in the back-ground stood at least three hundred army tents and as many wagons1 while here and there a cannon was planted ready to aid in the anticipated destruction4 ,among the banners floated black flags1 to indicate the design that neither age1 sex nor condition would be spared in the slaughter that was to ensue4 ,in passing along the lines murmurs of discontent and savage threats of assassination fell upon the ,governor's ears1 but heedless of these and regardless1 in fact1 of everything but a desire to avert the terrible calamity that was impending1 he fearlessly proceeded to the quarters of their leader4 ,this threatening army was under the command of ,john ,w4 ,reed1 then and now a member of the ,missouri ,legislature1 assisted by ex-,senator ,atchison1 ,gen4 ,b4 ,f4 ,stringfellow1 ,gen4 ,l4 ,a4 ,maclean1 ,gen4 ,j4 ,w4 ,whitfield1 ,gen4 ,george ,w4 ,clarke1 ,gens4 ,william ,a4 ,heiskell1 ,wm4 ,h4 ,richardson and ,f4 ,a4 ,marshal1 ,col4 ,h4 ,t4 ,titus1 ,capt4 ,frederick ,emory and others4 ,gov4 ,geary at once summoned the officers together1 and addressed them at length and with great feeling4 ,he depicted in a forcible manner the improper position they occupied and the untold horrors that would result from a consummation of their cruel designs2 that if they persisted in their mad career the entire ,union would be involved in a civil war1 and thousands and tens of thousands of innocent lives be sacrificed4 ,to ,atchison he particularly addressed himself1 telling him that when he last saw him he was acting as ,vice-,president of the nation and ,president of the most dignified body of men in the world1 the ,senate of the ,united ,states1 but now with sorrow and pain he saw him leading on to a civil and disastrous war an army of men with uncontrollable passions1 and determined upon wholesale slaughter and destruction4 ,he concluded his remarks by directing attention to his proclamation1 and ordered the army to be disbanded and dispersed4 ,some of the more judicious of the officers were not only willing but anxious to obey this order1 while others1 resolved upon mischief1 yielded a reluctant assent4 ,,chapter ,,xxi4 ,it is now one-third of a century since ,kansas began to be settled4 ,great as has been the progress of the ,states of this ,union within this period1 the progress of ,kansas has been exceptionally and peculiarly so4 ,its chief glory is not in its large agricultural and mineral resources2 it is not in its railroads and lines of telegraph2 it is not in the rapidly increasing population of educated men and women1 but it is in this1 that it was not only the first ,state in the nation1 but the first ,commonwealth in the world1 to solve the problem of the drink evil1 the giant curse of ,christendom1 by incorporating prohibition into its fundamental law4 ,in union there is strength4 ,jesus said so4 ,he said1 ,every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation4 ,and so evidently does this principle commend itself to the common sense of men1 that we have engraved on our national ensign the motto1 ,e ,pluribus ,unum --one out of many4 ,how did such growth in ,kansas come to be8 ,not in division1 but in union4 ,we have thought it would do us good to look squarely in the face that hard1 cruel1 and bloody period when it seemed the business of the people to cut each other's throats4 ,but cutting each other's throats does not create such growth as we have had in ,kansas4 ,two peoples came together in ,kansas1 one from the ,south and one from the ,north4 ,they were of one original stock1 but circumstances had intervened and made them two peoples4 ,for two years this bloody strife had been going on4 ,it is said that in revolutions men live fast4 ,it was two years1 if we count the time by the revolutions of the earth around the sun1 but if we count by the experience men had gained1 it was many years4 ,dr4 ,gihon tells that when ,gov4 ,geary disbanded this ,missouri army on the ,wakarusa1 there grew up a marked antagonism of sentiment among its leaders4 ,he says3 ,some of the more judicious of the officers were not only willing but anxious to obey this order1 whilst others1 resolved upon mischief1 yielded a very reluctant assent4 ,there was really a large majority that accepted the result with hearty good will1 but there was also a small and malcontent minority determined on mischief4 ,gen4 ,b4 ,f4 ,stringfellow1 because of the vehement zeal with which he had addicted himself to the enterprise of making ,kansas a slave ,state1 had won for himself a national notoriety4 ,he had staked life and good fame and everything on the final issue of his work1 yet himself and his law partner1 ,peter ,t4 ,abell1 went back from the ,wakarusa never to lift a finger again in that business4 ,mr4 ,s4 is a high-spirited1 hot-blooded1 proud-spirited ,virginian4 ,his law partner1 ,col4 ,abell1 had a temper as unbending as ,andrew ,jackson1 and did to the day of his death hold a faith in the institution of slavery as abiding as ,john ,c4 ,calhoun4 ,but he was a wise and a just man1 and both himself and ,mr4 ,stringfellow recognized the fact that1 with such a population as had come into ,kansas1 its becoming a free ,state was only a question of time2 and both these men were too sagacious to be found fighting against fate4 ,mr4 ,s4 had always relished a joke1 and1 when rallied by his friends on his sudden abandonment of this enterprise1 he facetiously replied3 ,yes1 ,i did try to make ,kansas a slave ,state2 but ,i could not do it without slaves1 and the ,south would not send slaves1 and so ,i had to give it up4 ,from the time these gentlemen returned from the ,wakarusa there was a general softening of the asperities of feeling of the people of ,atchison and vicinity1 and one year after they were prepared to announce to the ,free ,state people1 ,you deal fairly with us1 and we will deal fairly with you--and they made their words good by deeds1 for they took ,free ,state men into partnership with themselves in the management of the ,atchison ,town ,company4 ,but by this change ,robert ,s4 ,kelley found ,othello's occupation gone1 and the control of the ,squatter ,sovereign passed into the hands of ,john ,a4 ,martin1 now ,governor of ,kansas1 and ,bob ,kelley shook off the dust of his feet and walked away1 respected for his bravery and for his outspoken honesty and sincerity1 even by those that did not love him4 ,the writer will tell of his last interview with the ,south ,carolinians in a future chapter of these ,recollections4 ,peter ,t4 ,abell and ,gen4 ,b4 ,f4 ,stringfellow were ,state's rights men in their political opinions1 and1 therefore1 according to the light that was in them1 owed their allegiance to the ,state of ,kansas2 and from that allegiance they never swerved to the breadth of a hair4 ,still1 the people of the ,south were their brethren1 and they gave to them their profoundest sympathy during that bloody struggle that was to decide whether the ,south should be an independent nation4 ,let us admit that this did put these gentlemen in a strait betwixt two1 like ,paul1 the ,apostle1 but they never swerved to the right hand nor to the left4 ,we have1 with some particularity1 drawn out the history of the two most distinguished of the ,southern leaders1 because that1 with slight change1 it would be the biography of a great number of citizens of ,kansas that came from the ,south4 ,now1 who does not see that here is the basis of hearty co-operation1 whether in the church or in the world1 of men from the ,south or from the ,north8 provided always we can take into our hearts the law of love3 ,all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you1 do ye even so to them2 for this is the law and the prophets4 ,in further illustration of this remark we will relate an incident concerning a ,disciple1 who will come prominently before us in the formation of our first missionary society4 ,spartan ,rhea was from ,missouri1 and belonged to a family intensely ,southern in their convictions4 ,he was commissioned a justice of the peace by the ,territorial authorities4 ,a horse had been stolen by the ,kickapoo ,rangers from ,gains ,jenkins1 of ,lawrence4 ,gov4 ,geary requested ,bro4 ,rhea to recover the horse1 and he did so with some peril to himself1 and made a journey to ,lawrence to restore the animal to its proper owner4 ,he sought to make it evident that the men of his party wanted justice done4 ,but ,dr4 ,gihon also tells us that there was at the ,wakarusa a small faction of irreconcilables1 who1 if they could do nothing else1 could at least curse4 ,gen4 ,clarke said he was for pitching into the ,united ,states troops rather than abandon the objects of the expedition4 ,gen4 ,maclean didn't see any use of going back until they had whipped the ,abolitionists4 ,sheriff ,jones was in favor1 now that they had sufficient force1 of wiping out ,lawrence and all the ,free ,state towns4 ,and these and others cursed ,gov4 ,geary for his interference in their well-laid plans4 ,the broad ground assumed by these rabid leaders of the ,pro-slavery party in ,kansas was1 that an equilibrium of the slave power must be maintained at any sacrifice in the ,american ,union1 and this could only be effected by increasing the slave ,states in proportion with the free4 ,whilst1 therefore1 the ,south was willing to give ,nebraska to the ,north1 they demanded that ,kansas should be ceded to the ,south4 ,it was of little consequence what number of ,northern men located in ,kansas--they had no right to come unless with the intention to make it a slave ,state4 ,this malcontent minority did1 therefore1 become a dangerous and revolutionary faction1 entertaining criminal purposes1 which they were ready to carry out by desperate methods4 ,they were also in possession of dangerous elements of power4 ,they controlled the ,territorial ,legislature1 and all the ,territorial judges were parties in this conspiracy4 ,dr4 ,gihon testifies that every federal officer in the ,territory1 and every ,territorial officer from the supreme judges to the deputy marshals1 sheriffs and clerks1 were wedded to the slave power1 and pledged at all hazards to its extension4 ,but daylight had already begun to dawn4 ,some of the wisest ,pro-slavery men in the ,territory were beginning to call a halt1 and to say3 ,we will travel no further in this road in which we are being led by these desperate and scheming adventurers4 ,,chapter ,,xxii4 ,gov4 ,geary had won ripe and rich honors from the people of this nation in the official positions he had heretofore held1 and which he had discharged with such eminent ability4 ,the position of the ,governor of ,kansas1 as seen from afar1 and under the glamour that surrounded it1 was a position of high honor4 ,every child has heard the story of old ,blue ,beard1 how that1 having married a number of wives who had mysteriously disappeared1 he courted and married a beautiful young lady1 possessing every accomplishment that can give grace and attractiveness to a woman1 and had carried her to his castle1 where she should have at her disposal an unlimited amount of money and be served by obsequious servants1 and stand on a level with all the fine ladies and gentlemen in the land4 ,old ,blue ,beard gave to her the keys unlocking all the rooms in his castle1 but said to her1 ,there is one key1 unlocking one door1 into one room1 and into that room you must in nowise enter4 ,but1 overcome by her woman's curiosity1 she did unlock that door and enter that room1 and there she beheld the horrid sight of all the murdered wives of the wicked old ,blue ,beard1 hanging and rotting on its walls1 and now this was also to be her sad fate4 ,kansas was becoming the graveyard of ,territorial ,governors4 ,reeder and ,shannon had already lost their official heads4 ,within six months ,gov4 ,geary's head was also to drop into the basket4 ,three more governors were to succeed him1 each one of whom should in his turn lose his official head4 ,gov4 ,geary's position was indeed very like that of the wife of the wicked ,blue ,beard1 only that she had certainly some advantages over the ,governor4 ,she had a great and fine castle1 rich and costly dresses1 many servants ready to come and go at her beck and call1 and the company of great lords and fine ladies2 but when ,gov4 ,geary came to his castle1 his private ,secretary shall tell us what he found3 ,lecompton is situated on the south side of the ,kansas ,river1 upon as inconvenient and inappropriate a site for a town as any in the ,territory4 ,it was chosen simply for speculative purposes4 ,it contained1 at the time of ,gov4 ,geary's arrival1 some twenty or more houses1 the majority of which were employed as groggeries of the lowest description4 ,it was the residence of the celebrated ,sheriff ,jones1 who is one of the leading members of this town association1 and was the resort of horse-thieves and ruffians of the most desperate character4 ,its drinking saloons were infested by these characters1 whose drunkenness1 gambling1 fighting1 and all sorts of crime1 were indulged in with impunity4 ,here was congregated1 and here was the headquarters of1 that band of desperate men1 who were in a conspiracy to make ,kansas a slave ,state at whatever cost of blood1 of fraud1 or violence4 ,here the ,territorial ,legislature met to enact their bloody code of laws1 and here the ,territorial ,judges held their courts1 which were a burlesque on the very name of a civilized and ,christian jurisprudence2 and here1 also1 were kept the treason prisoners1 while atrocious murderers were not molested1 because they were sound on the goose question4 ,we have already told how ,harvey's men1 that had attacked and taken prisoners the ,law and ,order robbers that pillaged the defenseless village of ,grasshopper ,falls1 were themselves taken prisoners by the ,united ,states troops4 ,these were tried for treason in the ,pro-slavery courts1 and were condemned to various terms of imprisonment1 varying from six months to six years4 ,they were kept in a wretched1 old1 tumbledown house1 without doors or windows1 during the bitter cold of a ,kansas winter1 guarded by ,law and ,order militia1 exposed to every insult1 wallowing in filth1 and eaten up with lice4 ,but there was one circumstance to mitigate their hapless condition--their jailer was a good-hearted1 honest ,kentuckian1 who had humanity enough to pity them1 and bravery enough to do what he could to mitigate the hardships of their lot4 ,their hard-hearted judges had condemned them to wear a ball and chain2 but ,gov4 ,geary refused to provide balls and chains for them1 and the honest ,capt4 ,hampton refused to fasten these symbols of degradation on the limbs of men he knew to be decent ,american citizens2 and thereat ,sheriff ,jones became furious4 ,the facts of the case were just these3 ,all the people were1 so to speak1 fighting4 ,the ,governor issued his proclamation4 ,these ,hickory ,point ,law and ,order militia were simply robber banditti1 and ,captain ,harvey and his company thought they ought to be cleaned out1 and proceeded to do so1 and this act1 though intrinsically it was a righteous act1 yet technically1 laid them open to the law4 ,this happened on the #abth of ,september1 but up to the #adth of ,september #c1jjj ,law and ,order militia1 coming into ,kansas as outside invaders1 refused to be disbanded by the ,governor's proclamation1 and both before and after continued the business of murder and robbery4 ,yet this was nothing1 because these were ,law and ,order men4 ,the other was treason1 for these were ,free ,state men fighting for their homes and firesides4 ,but ,capt4 ,hampton saw the matter just as it was1 and acted accordingly4 ,dr4 ,gihon testified of these treason prisoners1 ,these prisoners were not all rough and desperate adventurers4 ,some of them were gentlemen of polished education4 ,the sunlight may sparkle and shimmer on the surface of the foul and putrid marsh1 noxious with offensive and poisonous exhalations--so ,dr4 ,gihon throws a kind of grim and ghastly humor over his narrative of the repulsive and brutal surroundings of himself and ,governor ,geary during the winter they were imprisoned at ,lecompton4 ,the ,doctor tells the following story at the expense of a ,southern gentleman3 ,a good anecdote is told by a gentleman from one of the ,southern ,states1 in regard to these ,free ,state prisoners1 when under the charge of ,captain ,hampton4 ,having expressed a desire to see these robbers and murderers1 as he styled them1 the ,governor directed him to the prison4 ,he immediately started1 and looking in vain for anything that resembled a prison1 he approached two men who were enjoying themselves with a game of quoits4 ,can you tell me1 he inquired1 where the prison is where these robbers and murderers are confined8 ,that's it1 said one of the men1 pointing to a house near at hand4 ,what6 that old building1 falling to pieces1 without either doors or windows8 ,that is the only prison we have here1 replied the man1 deliberately pitching his quoit4 ,well1 said the ,southern gentleman1 ,i want to see these prisoners4 ,i am one of them1 said the quoit-player1 and that is another1 pointing to his companion4 ,what6 you convicted felons8 ,you the terrible murderers about whom ,i have heard so much8 ,yes1 we are certainly two of them4 ,the others are gone over to the ,house of ,representatives1 to hear the members abuse the ,governor4 ,but1 says the old gentleman1 they don't allow convicted murderers to go about in this way1 without a guard to watch them8 ,o6 yes1 says the man interrogated2 they used to send a guard with us when we went over to the ,legislative ,halls1 to protect us against violence from the members1 but they found that too troublesome1 so they gave each of us a revolver and bowie-knife1 and told us we should hereafter be required to protect ourselves4 ,but why don't you run away8 ,there is nothing to prevent you4 ,why1 to tell the truth1 we have often been persuaded to do that1 but then these rascally legislators have been threatening to assassinate the ,governor1 and we have determined to remain here to watch them and protect him4 ,the old gentleman had no desire to see any more of these thieves1 murderers and assassins4 ,there are those who find a ,spanish bull fight or a civilized ,american boxing match very enjoyable events4 ,such men would have found great enjoyment in one incident that served to enliven the monotony of the winter's residence of the ,governor at ,lecompton4 ,there was one ,sherrard who came from ,virginia4 ,he was of a good family1 but strong drink had been his ruin4 ,he had been appointed by the ,legislature ,sheriff of ,douglas county in place of ,s4 ,t4 ,jones1 who for some reason was to go out of office4 ,the ,governor refused to commission this ,sherrard because he was a drunkard1 a brawler1 and a cursing1 swearing1 gambling ruffian and bully4 ,this made ,sherrard furious1 and ,sheriff ,zones and all his crowd of bullies were furious with him4 ,then ,sherrard tried to raise a row by insulting individuals in the personal service of the ,governor4 ,this failing1 ,sherrard spit in the ,governor's face2 but ,mr4 ,geary1 mindful of the dignity of his office1 and that it did not become the ,governor of ,kansas to get into a brawl with a common blackguard1 walked straight on4 ,afterwards ,sherrard1 who kept himself crazy drunk1 provoked a general affray in a large company of men1 in which pistols were fired in every direction2 when ,john ,a1 ,w4 ,jones1 the young man on ,gov4 ,geary's staff whom ,sherrard had assaulted a few days before1 shot him in the forehead4 ,,chapter ,,xxiii4 ,one circumstance at last brought to a sudden close ,gov4 ,geary's term of office4 ,when he had disbanded the three thousand ,law and ,order militia that were to attack ,lawrence1 that part of them known as the ,kickapoo ,rangers were returning home by way of ,lecompton4 ,one of this number went into a field where a poor1 inoffensive1 lame young man named ,david ,c4 ,buffum was plowing1 and demanded his horses4 ,buffum protested against this robbery1 but the wretch shot ,buffum and took the horses4 ,the unhappy man gave the following account of the matter3 ,they asked me for my horses4 ,i told them ,i was a cripple--a poor lame man--that ,i had an aged father1 a deaf and dumb brother1 and two sisters1 all depending on me for a living1 and my horses were all ,i had4 ,one of them said ,i was a ,abolitionist1 and1 taking me by the shoulder1 he shot me4 ,gov4 ,geary was returning to ,lecompton1 and hearing of what had been done1 he called with ,judge ,cato at ,buffum's house1 and by the ,governor's direction ,judge ,cato took the dying man's deposition4 ,gov4 ,geary was terribly shocked1 and said to himself1 ,i never witnessed a scene that filled me with so much horror4 ,mr4 ,geary sent a detective on the track of the ,kickapoo ,rangers1 and found that the murderer was one ,charley ,hayes1 living in ,atchison county4 ,he had the horses still in his possession4 ,the ,governor ordered his arrest1 and the ,grand ,jury found a bill against him of murder in the first degree4 ,meantime the ,free ,state men came to the ,governor making a bitter complaint of the persecutions they were suffering4 ,they said1 ,our relatives and friends are arrested and confined for weeks and months in a filthy prison1 not fit for dogs to live in1 and are kept without proper food or clothing1 and are not allowed to give bail even for bailable offenses2 while murderers of the other party are allowed to go at large and no attention is paid to them4 ,they said1 ,the murderers of ,dow1 ,barber1 ,brown1 ,phillips1 ,hoppe and ,buffum1 have not even been arrested or examined4 ,the ,governor replied that he had already ordered the arrest of ,hayes1 and that a grand jury of ,pro-slavery men had found a true bill against him1 and that ,hayes should be tried for his life4 ,but while he was yet speaking a messenger brought word that ,judge ,lecompte had released ,hayes on bail1 and that ,sheriff ,jones had gone on his bail bond1 a man notoriously not worth a dollar2 and this when the crime of murder in the first degree1 for which ,hayes had been indicted1 was not a bailable offense4 ,the ,governor was terribly indignant1 and ordered ,hayes to be re-arrested4 ,but while he was absent at the land sales at ,fort ,leavenworth1 ,judge ,lecompte a second time set this wretch at liberty4 ,mr4 ,geary was provoked beyond endurance1 and wrote to the ,president that he would not remain in office and allow such a scoundrel to be kept in a position to pervert the ways of justice4 ,president ,pierce nominated ,c4 ,o4 ,harrison1 of ,kentucky1 to take ,lecompte's place1 but for some unexplained cause the appointment was not confirmed in the ,senate1 and ,judge ,lecompte retained his place1 and in unspeakable disgust ,gov4 ,geary resigned1 making his resignation take effect on ,march #bj1 #aheg4 ,thus he had spent a winter in the chamber of death of the wicked old ,blue ,beard1 but did not lose his official head till spring4 ,the writer was acquainted with the family of this ,charley ,hayes4 ,they were decent sort of people2 but when a young boy ,charley went on the plains1 where he became a brutal ruffian4 ,a good many years ago there was a story current in ,atchison county1 that when this ,hayes was acting as wagon-boss on the plains1 in a train owned by ,russell1 ,majors ,waddell1 that one of the teamsters having offended him he tied him up to a wheel of one of the train wagons1 and1 holding a pistol in one hand1 he cowhided him with his black-snake whip with the other4 ,and this teamster was a white man4 ,but there are avenging furies that follow a man1 even though the law does not reach him4 ,there is a man now living in ,atchison county whose truthfulness has never been questioned1 and he stated that he spent a winter in the ,missouri ,river bottoms1 sleeping in the same cabin with ,charley ,hayes1 and that it seemed as if the devil had a mortgage on the ruffian's soul1 and tormented him in his sleep with images of the horrors that awaited him in the future world4 ,that it seemed as if he was wrestling in mortal struggle with the men he had maltreated and murdered1 and that they were choking him to death4 ,hayes afterwards died of a consumption presumably brought on by his dissipated habits and by his debaucheries4 ,meantime the writer had started for ,illinois the preceding summer1 had been prostrated for four weeks with a fever1 and late in the autumn of #ahef had returned to ,kansas1 there to remain4 ,the times were becoming quiet1 the peaceful counsels of such leaders as ,stringfellow and ,abell were beginning to take effect1 and it evidently would be safe for the writer to go to work on his claim4 ,but he needed a supply of corn1 and had to go over into the ,missouri ,river bottoms to buy it4 ,a heavy snow had fallen4 ,i had a heavy1 well-trained yoke of oxen1 and my faithful riding horse was obedient in every place4 ,myself and brother-in-law had made a heavy ,yankee sled that would hold all the load that was put on it4 ,i borrowed from my neighbor1 ,caleb ,may1 two additional yoke of oxen1 but they only knew how to pull in a big freighting team1 and were not leaders4 ,but putting my own heavy oxen behind1 my wild steers in the middle1 and my horse in the lead1 ,i made out a good freighting team4 ,but ,i had to pass through ,atchison4 ,the business men of the place had already made this overture to me4 ,they had said3 ,you can come to ,atchison during the day time and we will guarantee that you shall not be molested1 but we would rather you should not be here in the night4 ,the ,south ,carolinians are here1 and there are other desperate characters here1 and in the night we do not know what might happen4 ,and so1 on the strength of such an agreement1 ,i had done business in ,atchison1 and to get my corn across the river had gone over one day and back the next4 ,i had yet one more load of corn to haul4 ,there had been a thaw1 and then the snow had frozen again1 making it in many places slippery traveling4 ,the river bank1 from the top of the bank down to the ice of the river1 was about twenty feet1 and very steep2 and this by much traveling had become a perfect glare of ice1 so that teams could not hold their footing at all4 ,i had gone over for my last load one day1 intending to return the next day1 but ,i had found unexpected hindrances1 and when ,i got to the east bank of the river opposite ,atchison1 it was sometime after dark4 ,i got down as best ,i could and crossed over on the ice to the ,atchison side of the river1 and ,i was now to get up that bank of glare ice4 #f ,i placed my sled load of corn at the bottom of the bank1 and taking my team up in an unfrequented place1 ,i stationed them on the top of the bank directly above my load of corn at the bottom4 ,before coming over ,i had cut a long1 slender pole in the timbered bottoms1 and in view of this contingency had also brought extra chains from home1 and by means of the chains and this long pole ,i hitched my team on the top of the hill to my load of corn at the bottom4 ,the thing worked well1 and ,i had my load well on the top of the bank on the level ground2 but here the road turned suddenly to the left close along the river bank1 and my horse1 too eager to get home1 turned too soon1 and this brought my sled with a sudden crash against a rock1 and down went my load to the bottom of the bank again4 ,a chain had broken1 and now my load of corn was left in such a position that ,i evidently could not get it up again without help4 ,in the hindrances to which ,i had been subjected it had come to be #i o'clock4 ,i looked about and saw no light save in a saloon that had been built under the bluff to catch custom1 for this was the ferry landing4 ,i do not usually visit saloons1 but necessity knows no law1 and ,i walked in2 and whom should ,i find but ,grafton ,thomassen1 the man that made the raft on which they sent me down the river1 sitting and playing cards with a number of ,south ,carolinians6 ,they were thunderstruck1 and ,i have to confess that ,i was almost as much taken aback as they were4 ,but ,i spoke to them and said1 ,gentlemen1 good evening4 ,then ,i explained1 as well as ,i could1 what had befallen me1 and that ,i had come in for assistance4 ,but they were dumb--they never spoke a word4 ,i waited till my position became embarrassing1 then said1 ,well1 gentlemen1 you seem to be busy1 and ,i don't want to interrupt2 ,i will go somewhere else4 ,i had already opened the door when ,grafton ,thomassen found his voice and said1 ,boys1 it is not right to leave ,butler without help4 ,let us go and help him4 ,yes6 yes6 yes6 they all cried at once1 we will go and help him4 ,and1 springing to their feet1 and hastily putting on their overcoats1 hats and gloves1 they came rushing to the door1 saying1 ,yes6 yes6 ,we will help you4 ,what is it we can do for you8 ,i went with them to the river bank1 pointed out my sled loaded with corn on the ice1 and explained to them it had to be brought up the bank4 ,they asked incredulously1 ,an' kin ye haul that thar slide up that slippery bank8 ,i said1 ,yes1 ,i have done it once1 then ,i explained how the chain had broken1 and how my load of corn had gone down onto the ice again4 ,they exclaimed1 ,o6 ,well now6 ,we have come all the way from ,south ,carliny to see a ,yankee trick an' haint we got it8 ,they were eager to help1 so as to see the fun4 ,when everything was ready ,i gave my horse in charge of one of them1 saying to him he must in nowise let the horse turn till the load of corn was well up and in the traveled road1 then gave the word to start4 ,my team was eager to pull1 for they were getting impatient2 and in fine style they brought the load up on the level ground1 and then immediately were in front of the saloon1 and ,i called a halt4 ,when we got everything fixed ,i said to them1 ,gentlemen1 ,i thank you4 ,you have done me a real kindness4 ,but the night is cold4--and handing one of them a piece of silver1 ,i said1 ,please take that and get something to warm you4 ,he took it and with something of hesitation said1 ,won't you come in and drink with us8 ,i replied1 ,please excuse me4 ,you know me2 you know ,i don't drink4 ,but all the same ,i want you to take it4 ,he said rather proudly1 ,we did not work for you for pay4 ,we did it to oblige you4 ,but ,i insisted4 ,i said1 ,you did me a real kindness1 and ,i want to do you a kindness in return4 ,i want you to take it4 ,then they bade me good night and went into the saloon4 ,the wind had been rising1 and the snow was drifting2 and it was evident that in many places the road would be obliterated1 and ,i had a long stretch of prairie to travel over on which there was not a human habitation4 ,it was dangerous to undertake it1 and ,i had to stay in ,atchison4 ,i found an empty corral1 where my teams would be decently sheltered1 and went to the only hotel in town4 ,the sleeping room they assigned me was separated from the bar-room only by a thin board partition1 and ,i could hear every word that was said4 ,this hotel was the boarding-place of the ,south ,carolinians1 and they soon began to drop in from about town1 and word was passed among them that ,butler was in the house4 ,then one fellow1 who was decidedly drunk1 got turbulent1 and protested1 with terrible oaths1 that such a man should not stay in the house1 but that he would go in and drag him out of bed4 ,then another company came in and demanded3 ,what's all this fussing about8 ,these were my friends1 the ,south ,carolinians from under the bluff ,they heard what this fellow had to say1 then said3 ,this thing has to be dried up4 ,they then told what had happened down at the river1 and concluded3 ,butler is a gentleman4 ,he talks like a gentleman2 he treats like a gentleman2 he came into this house like a gentleman1 and we will show him that we are gentlemen4 ,and when the drunken fellow became uproarious they hustled him off to bed4 ,i was evidently among friends1 and slept soundly and without apprehension till morning4 ,i never saw my ,south ,carolina friends again4 ,they returned home at an early day4 ,they had not made ,kansas a slave state1 but they had seen a ,yankee trick4 ,,chapter ,,xxiv4 ,gov4 ,geary1 sick in body and sick at heart1 had left the ,territory in fear of private assassination1 his best friends at ,lecompton being the treason prisoners4 ,these1 with something of bitterness1 remarked that the ,governor went away in such haste that he had forgotten to pardon them as he had promised2 and thus while he got had out of prison1 they still stayed in4 ,the party in power at ,lecompton had said to the ,president at ,washington3 ,we are sick of ,northern ,governors4 ,they won't do to tie to4 ,for pity's sake give us a man from the ,south4 ,and so a ,southern ,governor was given them in the person of ,robert ,j4 ,walker4 ,rehoboam1 the son of ,solomon1 said to the ,jews3 ,my little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins4 ,so this ,lecompton party found the little finger of this ,southern ,governor to be thicker than the loins of ,gov4 ,geary4 ,mr4 ,w4 stood so high in public position that no man stood higher than himself1 save alone the ,president4 ,he had been a ,senator from ,mississippi1 and had been ,secretary of the ,treasury in ,mr4 ,pierce's ,cabinet4 ,the complications of this ,kansas question had become such as to call for a man of the highest rank and ability4 ,the main object of ,mr4 ,walker's mission to ,kansas was to induce the ,free ,state people to vote at the ,territorial elections1 which alone were appointed by the government at ,washington1 and recognized by it4 ,until he could accomplish this1 nothing was done toward the pacification of the ,territory4 ,to induce them to do this1 he pledged to the ,free ,state men a fair election4 ,but he found that he was speaking to ears that could not hear4 ,he had said in his inaugural address with all apparent fairness3 ,i can not doubt that the ,convention1 after having framed a ,state constitution1 will submit it for ratification or rejection by a majority of the actual bona fide resident settlers of ,kansas4 ,with these views well known to the ,president and ,cabinet1 and approved by them1 ,i accepted the appointment of ,governor of ,kansas2 my instructions from the ,president1 through the ,secretary of ,state1 under date of the #cjth of ,march last1 sustain the regular ,legislature of the ,territory in assembling a convention to form a constitution1 and they express the opinion of the ,president that when such a constitution shall be submitted to the people of the ,territory1 they must be protected in their right of voting for or against that instrument2 and the fair expression of the popular will must not be interrupted by fraud or violence4 ,this seemed very fair1 but what did it amount to8 ,the people knew that the ,governor must consent to be a mere cat's paw and convenience of these conspirators1 or else be unceremoniously thrust aside2 and that the authorities at ,washington would sustain them and not him4 ,this had been the fate of ,reeder1 of ,shannon and of ,geary1 and this also would be the fate of the present ,governor4 ,dr4 ,gihon1 on behalf of ,mr4 ,geary1 had bitterly complained that there was not a single officer in the ,territory responsible either to the people or to the ,governor2 that all were the appointees of the ,legislature1 and responsible to it alone4 ,the ,lecompton ,legislature had passed a bill calling a convention to frame a ,state constitution2 and ,gov4 ,geary had vetoed the bill because it made no provision for submitting the constitution1 when framed1 to a vote of the people2 and the ,legislature had passed the bill over his veto1 and now what power had ,gov4 ,walker in the matter more that ,gov4 ,geary8 ,an event happened at that time that was a nine days' wonder1 and a nine days' talk among the people2 and yet it does not seem to have been put on record in any extant history of the period4 ,the ,governor had sought the privilege of addressing the ,free ,state people on this question of voting1 which he made his hobby4 ,it was at a meeting at ,big ,springs4 ,gen4 ,lane was present1 as also were a large number of ,free ,state men1 and the ,governor had pressed on them1 as the only road out of their difficulties1 the necessity of voting at those ,territorial elections1 which alone were recognized by the government at ,washington4 ,gen4 ,lane arose to reply1 and in a speech of terrible energy and power he arraigned the ,lecompton party for all their wrongs and outrages2 then1 when he had reached the climax of his argument1 he leaned forward1 and1 looking at ,mr4 ,walker from beneath his shaggy eyebrows with his deepset1 piercing black eyes1 and shaking at him his long bony finger1 his whole frame quivering with passion1 he said in his deep guttural tones1 which seemed more like the growl of a savage wild beast than the voice of a human being3 ,gov-er-nor ,wal-ker1 y-o-u c-a-n-'t con-t-r-ol your allies6 ,the effect was prodigious2 and the ,free ,state men were swept away as with a whirlwind4 ,even ,gov4 ,walker felt the force of the appeal4 ,but he showed himself a brave man2 and came back resolutely to the battle4 ,he said3 ,i am your ,governor6 ,you must admit that ,i have at least a legal right to control my allies1 so far as to give you a fair election2 and ,i pledge you my word and honor that ,i will do it4 ,now try me6 and see if ,i do not keep my word6 ,the ,free ,state men began to falter and to ask each other1 ,is it not best to try the ,governor1 and see if he will be as good as his word8 ,and from this time forward there began to appear a division in the ,free ,state ranks2 which sometimes grew to be bitter and acrimonious4 ,this division had indeed begun to appear one year before1 when on the ,fourth of ,july ,col4 ,sumner had dispersed the ,free ,state ,legislature at ,topeka4 ,gov4 ,robinson was at that time a prisoner1 and was1 therefore1 not present2 but he said in his next annual message as ,free ,state ,governor3 ,when your bodies met1 pursuant to adjournment1 in ,july last1 your assembly was interfered with and broken up by a large force of ,united ,states troops in battle array1 who drove you hence1 in gross violation of those constitutional rights which it was your duty to have protected4 ,wm4 ,a4 ,phillips1 correspondent of the ,new ,york ,tribune1 and afterwards a member of ,congress1 was a man terribly in earnest1 and he did1 on the above-named ,fourth of ,july1 in a speech1 take the position that we ought to fight for our rights and defy ,col4 ,sumner and his dragoons4 ,the men that demanded that we should fight said3 ,we can take possession of the houses and fire out of the windows1 and thus avoid the onset of ,col4 ,sumner's cavalry4 ,but the majority said3 ,we are loyal to the old flag1 and in no case1 and under no circumstances will be found fighting against it4 ,it was this more conservative majority that began to demand that the ,free ,state men should listen to ,gov4 ,walker's overtures and vote at the coming election4 ,gen4 ,lane had been uncompromising in defying the ,territorial laws4 ,he had said3 ,gov4 ,walker has said1 ',vote next week4' ,what for8 ,have we not made our constitution8 ,and do not the people of freedom like it8 ,can't we submit this to the people1 and who wants another8 ,but now he had become at the first reticent1 and finally said3 ,vote4 ,this singular man that constantly kept on exhibiting his desperate determination to resist the bogus laws1 really kept in his heart the one supreme purpose to make himself the oracle of the prevailing sentiment among the ,free ,state men4 ,when1 therefore1 ,gen4 ,lane said1 ,let us vote1 it was good evidence that this had become the prevailing sentiment among the ,free ,state party4 ,a convention was held at ,grasshopper ,falls1 ,august #bf1 #aheg1 at which this was the main question1 and it was decided in favor of voting at the coming election of ,territorial officers4 ,the ,hon4 ,henry ,wilson had recently visited ,kansas from ,massachusetts1 and he had earnestly entreated the ,free ,state men to vote4 ,phillips1 ,conway and ,redpath still protested against it4 ,gov4 ,robinson1 however1 gave his voice in favor of voting4 ,an election had already been-held ,june #aeth to elect delegates to the ,lecompton ,constitutional ,convention1 at which the ,free ,state men had taken no part4 ,fifteen ,free ,state counties had in this election been disfranchished1 no election having been ordered in them4 ,at the election of ,territorial officers1 held ,october #f1 #aheg1 both parties turned out ,the ,free ,state men cast #g1hhg votes for the ,territorial ,legislature4 ,the ,lecompton party was reported to have cast #f1dff votes4 ,but though the ,free ,state men had a numerical majority of votes1 yet the districts had been so arranged that the above returns gave a majority in the ,legislature to the ,lecompton party4 ,johnson county1 bordering on ,missouri1 had been united in one district with ,douglas county1 in which ,lawrence is situated1 and this district had been given eight members4 ,oxford precinct1 in ,johnson county1 was a place of not over a dozen houses1 and polled #abd votes for township officers1 yet it reported #a1fbh votes for the ,lecompton party4 ,when1 however1 ,gov4 ,walker and ,mr4 ,stanton came to canvass the votes they threw out this ,oxford vote4 ,they also set aside #a1bjj fraudulent votes in ,mc,gee county4 ,the vote at ,kickapoo1 equally fraudulent1 was also set aside4 ,this gave a majority to the ,free ,state party in the ,lecompton ,territorial ,legislature1 and thus ,gov4 ,walker redeemed his pledge that the people should have a fair election4 ,judge ,cato felt that it was time to come to the rescue of his friends1 and issued a writ directed to ,robert ,j4 ,walker1 ,governor of ,kansas ,territory1 and ,frederick ,p4 ,stanton1 secretary of the same1 commanding these gentlemen to issue certificates of election to the men who appeared to be elected according to the original returns4 ,gov4 ,walker good-naturedly refused to obey the order of the court1 offering to submit to arrest for contempt of court1 and tendering the judge a4 posse of ,united ,states troops to aid in making the arrest4 ,the judge began to see that he had been making a fool of himself1 and dropped the subject4 ,these ,territorial judges had shown themselves capable of any excess of villainy1 and had been a sure refuge in every time of trouble to this ,lecompton party2 but even the courts had now failed them1 and these border ruffian judges were only laughed at by this ,southern ,governor4 ,one year before1 these conspirators had assembled an army to drive out the ,free ,state settlers1 and to give the ,territory into the hands of the ,south2 but ,gov4 ,geary had interfered to thwart their purpose1 and1 what was worse1 a majority of the leaders of that army1 men of note along the ,missouri border1 had declared themselves in sympathy with ,mr4 ,geary4 ,then they had asked for a ,southern ,governor1 for would not he be true to the ,south8 ,and now even this man had failed them1 and had given the control of the ,territorial ,legislature into the hands of the ,philistines6 ,they were indeed in evil case4 ,it seemed as if heaven and earth had combined against them1 and that only hell was on their side4 ,one last chance remained4 ,if this was a desperate chance1 it must be remembered they were playing a desperate game--they would make ,kansas a slave ,state in spite of the ,governor1 in spite of the ,territorial ,legislature1 and in spite of the people of ,kansas4 ,,chapter ,,xxv4 ,the ,convention that had been called to frame a ,state ,constitution1 and in which election the ,free ,state men had taken no part1 had met to do its work in ,september of #aheg1 and finished in ,november2 but to the last it refused to make provision to submit the ,constitution1 when framed1 to a vote of the people1 for acceptance or rejection4 ,but in place of this thing1 had virtually said to them3 ,you must accept this ,constitution whether you like it or not4 ,we will allow you to vote for the ,constitution with slavery2 or1 for the ,constitution without slavery2 but you must vote in every contingency for the ,constitution4 ,but admitting the people had voted for the ,constitution without slavery1 still a trap was set for them in the following proviso1 which would still remain an integral part of the ,constitution4 ,if1 upon such examination of such poll-books it shall appear that a majority of the legal votes cast at said election be in favor of the ',constitution with no slavery1' then the article providing for slavery shall be stricken from this ,constitution1 and slavery shall no longer exist in the ,state of ,kansas2 except that the right of property in slaves now in this ,territory shall in no manner be interfered with4 ,thus1 which ever way they should vote1 ,kansas would still remain a slave ,state4 ,of course the ,free ,state men did not walk into the trap1 but staid away from the election1 which was ordered for ,december #ba1 #aheg2 and the ,constitution was adopted by a strictly one-sided vote4 ,and now ,gov4 ,walker began to realize in the bitterness of his heart that uneasy lies the head of him that wears a crown4 ,he had staked his manhood1 his veracity1 his honor1 his everything1 that this ,constitution1 when framed1 should be submitted to a vote of the people for acceptance or rejection1 and now he was to be put to shame in the eyes of the whole world2 and ,gen4 ,lane was proved a true prophet when he had said to the ,governor with such withering power3 ,gov4 ,walker1 you can't control your allies4 ,mr4 ,walker was able to show a private letter from ,president ,buchanan1 assuring him in the most positive terms1 that this ,constitution1 when framed1 should be submitted to a vote of the people2 but of what avail was such a promise8 ,there was a power behind the throne at ,washington stronger than the throne itself2 and ,gov4 ,w4 was able to see what a hollow mockery was that power which he supposed himself to possess4 ,the ,governor made known to the people that he would be absent on business for three or four weeks2 and he went away to ,washington1 never more to return4 ,there was neither pity nor justice for him there2 and in unspeakable disgust he resigned2 and ,mr4 ,stanton took the oath of office and reigned as ,governor for one month4 ,then he also was removed1 and ,gov4 ,denver took his place4 ,thus1 five ,kansas ,governors had each in their turn been officially decapitated4 ,stanton had been superseded by ,denver because he had called a special session of the now ,free ,state ,legislature1 and it had ordered an immediate election to vote for or against the ,lecompton ,constitution1 and at this election #aj1bbf votes were polled against it4 ,it had been intended that under whip and spur ,kansas should be admitted by ,congress as a slave ,state before the time should arrive for the regular assembling of the ,territorial ,legislature1 which had now passed into the hands of the ,free ,state men2 but by calling a special session of the ,legislature1 he had enabled that body to order an immediate election1 that should give official evidence that an overwhelming majority of the people were opposed to the ,lecompton ,constitution4 ,and now ,stephen ,a4 ,douglas1 at ,washington1 came forward as ,state ,senator from ,illinois and made it impossible that ,kansas should be admitted as a ,state unless that document should first be submitted to the people for acceptance or rejection4 ,a bill to this effect was finally passed by ,congress4 ,it was called the ,english bill4 ,it proffered a magnificent bribe if the people would accept the ,lecompton ,constitution--five million five hundred thousand acres of public land should be given to ,kansas2 besides other munificent donations4 ,but the ,english bill also contained a menace as well as a bribe4 ,it threatened that if the people rejected this offer they should be remanded back for an indefinite period1 to all the miseries of a ,territorial life4 ,in the face of such a menace1 and tempted by such a bribe1 the whole voting population of the ,territory turned out at the election1 which was ordered to be held ,august #b1 #aheh4 ,at this election1 #a1ghh votes were cast for the ,constitution1 and #i1eab against it4 ,from whence then came this overwhelming majority8 ,the majority of the ,free ,state party was about two to one4 ,wilder's ,annals1 the best extant ,free ,state authority1 puts it at this4 ,the ,free ,state or ,republican party has carried every election in ,kansas since this date 7#aheg71 usually by two to one4 ,but here is a majority of six to one2 and we must go outside of the ,free ,state or ,republican party to find it4 ,dr4 ,john ,h4 ,stringfellow wrote at this time to the ,washington ,union against the admission of ,kansas under the ,lecompton ,constitution4 ,he says3 ,to do so will break down the ,democratic party at the ,north1 and seriously endanger the interests and peace of ,missouri and ,kansas1 if not of the whole ,union4 ,judge ,tutt1 of ,st4 ,joseph1 ,mo41 had said to the ,south ,carolinians3 ,i was born in ,virginia1 and have lived forty years in ,missouri4 ,i am a slave-holder1 and a ,pro-slavery man2 and ,i desire ,kansas to be made a slave ,state1 if it can be done by honorable means4 ,but you will break down the cause you are seeking to build up4 ,and ,judge ,tutt voiced the sentiments of a large number of ,pro-slavery men and slave-holders in ,kansas4 ,the city of ,atchison gave a majority of votes against the ,lecompton ,constitution2 and ,atchison county gave a majority of almost three to one against it2 and ,leavenworth city1 which two years before had been the theater of such murders1 riots and robberies1 gave a majority against the proposition of the ,english bill of more than ten to one1 notwithstanding the huge bribe offered if the people would accept it4 ,we are writing these ,recollections for posterity as well as for the present generation4 ,it is only the verdict of posterity that will justly estimate the men and the influences that went to make up the final result of the early ,kansas struggle4 ,up to the present time the writers that have written on this subject have been too near the battle1 and themselves too much a party in it1 to write with perfect impartiality4 ,southern and ,pro-slavery writers and speakers have not been able to admit that ,southern men were the original wrong-doers2 while ,northern and ,free ,state writers have not been able to rise to the level of such fair dealing1 as to admit that when the decisive vote was cast that determined the question of freedom and slavery in ,kansas1 as absolutely as it had already been determined in ,ohio1 ,indiana and ,illinois1 the ,free ,state people were indebted to the nobility of heart and elevation of mind1 displayed by ,southern and ,pro-slavery men in making the vote so overwhelming as to put the question beyond the possibility of controversy forever2 yet this was done in the unprecedented vote of six to one1 cast in condemnation of the ,lecompton ,constitution4 ,from this time forward the two parties that had been struggling with each other for four years in such fierce antagonism were dead2 and in their place have appeared the two political parties that are found throughout the ,united ,states2 and the lines of difference between the men of the ,south and the men of the ,north have been as completely obliterated in thirty years1 as they were obliterated in ,old ,england1 between ,saxon and ,norman1 after #ejj years of savage strife and turmoil4 ,and now1 if the superior races of the world have been formed by the amalgamation of the kindred stocks1 may we not believe that ,providence has been preparing in this central ,state a people that shall bear a distinguished part in that mighty battle that is so swiftly coming to the ,american nation1 in which we will be called to fight against a ,christian barbarism and a paganized ,christianity1 for all that is precious in our ,christian civilization1 and for all that is true and good in our ,american form of government8 ,rome fell under an invasion by foreign barbarians2 so an inundation of the barbarians of the world is pouring in on us1 and threatens to swallow us up2 it is like the flood the dragon poured out of his mouth4 ,of our duties growing out of this catastrophe we shall write hereafter4 ,the writer of these ,recollections is a fallible man1 like other fallible man4 ,he has shown at least this1 that he is ready to stand by his convictions1 living and dying2 and he holds this conviction fixed and immutable1 that there is a crisis coming on us of overtopping and overwhelming magnitude1 and demanding the ,american people should come together and look each other honestly in the face1 that they may take into their hearts this weight and extent of the reasons that call that they should join in united effort for the salvation of the nation and the conversion of the world2 and that this does not allow that there shall be anything of flimsy1 shallow1 or hypocritical concealment of the facts of our history4 ,the world has had abundant experience of these border feuds4 ,scotland had her feuds between her ,highlands and ,lowlands4 ,in ,ireland there has been unceasing enmity for #bej years between her ,protestant and ,catholic populations4 ,the ,french and ,english peoples of ,canada are never at peace with each other2 and now there is a feud that can not be healed between ,england and ,ireland4 ,in some of the mountain regions of the ,southern ,states1 where the people yet retain the clannish temper of their ,scotch and ,irish ancestors1 there are neighborhood enmities that go down from father to son1 from generation to generation2 and that issue in such fist fights1 brawls1 and mobs1 as sometimes to tax the whole energy of the public authorities to suppress them4 ,and now1 with such foundation laid for the indefinite perpetuation of similar feuds in ,kansas1 we do argue that it has manifested on the part of our population no ordinary qualities of heart and soul1 that they were so soon able to eliminate from among themselves their turbulent and dangerous elements4 ,,chapter ,,xxvi4 ,the men that had settled in ,kansas were generally poor1 and few had any reserved fund from which to draw their support1 but were literally dependent for their daily bread on their labor day by day2 and to take away the horses of such a man was literally to take the bread out of the mouths of his children4 ,free ,state men and ,pro-slavery men had each in turn been thus despoiled and compelled to flee the ,territory2 or if they remained they were paralyzed and unfitted for work4 ,but the spring and summer of #aheg had brought a new order of things4 ,gov4 ,geary had put an end to these disorders1 and the presence of ,s4 ,c4 ,pomeroy and other ,free ,state men in ,atchison was an additional guarantee of peace and security4 ,as a result the ,kansas squatters had gone to work with a will4 ,old things had passed away1 and all things had become new4 ,there did indeed remain a chronic state of disorder in ,southeastern ,kansas2 but this was local and exceptional4 ,but religious and thoughtful men looked far beyond this question of what shall we eat and what shall we drink1 and wherewithal shall we be clothed8 ,intemperate habits were growing fast on the people4 ,coarse profanity and ribald speech were becoming so common as to be the rule and not the exception4 ,fathers and mothers began to tremble when they thought what their boys were coming to2 and this turned their thoughts to the question of schools and churches4 ,then all the denominations simultaneously began their work4 ,a church was organized at ,leavenworth by our brethren1 in which ,s4 ,a4 ,marshall and ,w4 ,s4 ,yohe were the leading members4 ,dr4 ,marshall had formerly been a resident of ,pennsylvania1 and ,w4 ,s4 ,yohe was from the ,south1 a slave-holder1 a man of considerable wealth1 and of eminent personal excellence4 ,the church that had been built up in #ahee at ,mt4 ,pleasant had fallen to pieces in the troublous times1 and was now reorganized at what has come to be known as ,the ,old ,union ,school ,house1 a place that has been hallowed to precious memories1 because of the great revival that took place under the labors of ,d4 ,s4 ,burnett in the year #aheh4 ,the brethren that lived along the valley of the ,stranger ,creek and its tributaries1 and that had met to worship two years before under the spreading elms that lined its bottoms1 now organized themselves into a church at a village called ,pardee4 ,this ambitious little town was located on the high prairie2 but it shared the fate of many other ,kansas towns1 equally aspiring and equally ill-fated4 ,when the railroads were built they followed the courses of the streams1 and it was left out in the cold2 but for a time it was the center of social1 political and religious influence in the county outside of ,atchison4 ,among the brethren that had been in ,kansas from its first settlement1 and whom we have not mentioned1 were ,john and ,jacob ,graves1 brothers from ,tennessee1 who have since grown rich in worldly goods1 and richer still in good works4 ,there were also ,brethren ,landrum and ,schell1 and many others whom we can not name4 ,in the fall of #aheg came ,lewis ,brockman1 who loved the church more than he loved his own life4 ,he was brother to that ,col4 ,thomas ,brockman conspicuous in the ,mormon war in ,illinois1 which resulted in the exodus of the ,mormons to ,salt ,lake1 there to build up a kingdom that cherishes a deadly and undying hatred to the ,united ,states1 its people1 and its institutions4 ,norman ,dunshee1 now ,professor in ,drake ,university1 ,des ,moines1 ,iowa1 also came to ,kansas from the ,western ,reserve ,eclectic ,institute at ,hiram1 ,o41 in the fall of #ahei1 and settled at ,pardee4 ,dr4 ,s4 ,g4 ,moore1 of ,camp ,point1 #aaa41 who came in the spring of #aheg1 was brother-in-law to ,peter ,garrett2 and these two men were of one heart and one soul in their aspirations for a larger liberality on the part of ,disciples and a better order of things in our churches2 but they had to take up the sad refrain so oft repeated3 ,we have found the ,old ,adam too strong for the young ,melancthon4 ,dr4 ,moore was a man that1 when he knew he was in the right1 pushed his enterprises with such a rigorous purpose as sometimes to alienate from himself men who might have been won by a more complaisant temper4 ,his stay in ,kansas was limited4 ,the dwelling in which he lived was struck by lightning1 and ,bro4 and ,sister ,moore were seriously injured4 ,from these injuries ,sister ,moore has never fully recovered4 ,with broken health she became homesick1 and pined to be among her kindred4 ,moreover1 a valuable farm that ,dr4 ,moore had sold at ,camp ,point fell back into his hands1 and he felt constrained to return to ,illinois in #ahfa4 ,with such elements of power the reader will not think it strange that we should go to work with a will to recover the ground we had lost in this social and political turmoil and religious inaction4 ,the writer did not travel much abroad this summer2 he found too much to do at home4 ,we had meetings every ,lord's day1 and had frequent additions by letter and by baptism4 ,one day1 as my manner was1 ,i gave an invitation to sinners to obey the gospel4 ,there had been no indication1 however remote1 that any would desire baptism2 but my daughter1 ,rosetta1 now thirteen years of age1 came forward and demanded to be baptized4 ,two years before ,i had brought her1 then eleven years of age1 with her mother1 to ,kansas4 ,some part of this time we had spent in the very presence of death2 and ,rosetta and her mother would not have thought it strange if a company of men had come into the house at night with murderous intent4 ,i have not told in these ,recollections how many times ,i felt it expedient to be away from home2 and then ,rosetta was her mother's only companion4 ,of young company such as girls usually have at her age1 she had almost none4 ,we had talked of these daily occurring tragedies until they had lost both their terror and their novelty4 ,these certainly were not fitting surroundings for a little girl1 intelligent and thoughtful beyond her years1 and of an unduly sensitive and nervous organization4 ,but she was her mother's only girl1 this was our only home1 and1 coming out of the furnace fires of such a life1 we could not think it strange that she should feel the need of a ,heavenly ,father in whom she could trust1 of ,savior's arm on which she could lean1 and of a home in the church where she could find help and sympathy4 ,one thought was ever present in my heart1 how far could brethren co-operate together who had been on opposite sides8 ,to learn what could be done ,i made the acquaintance of brethren everywhere4 ,the brilliant and erratic ,dr4 ,cox1 of ,missouri1 had sent an appointment to ,old ,union1 and ,oliver ,steele came with him4 ,i attended his meeting1 and ,bro4 ,steele1 ,cox and myself accepted the hospitality of ,bro4 ,humber4 ,bro4 ,cox1 being now in the presence of a man reported to be a live ,abolitionist1 opened a discussion on the question of slavery4 ,i had been brought up on the ,western ,reserve1 ,ohio1 and inherited intense anti-slavery convictions4 ,but ,i had learned from the writings of ,a4 ,campbell to judge slave-holders with a charitable judgment4 ,they had inherited the institution of slavery from their fathers1 and like the aristocratic institutions of the old world1 it had come down to them without any fault of their own4 ,my experiences in ,kansas certainly had not made me love slavery any better2 still1 all this1 how bitter soever it might be to me1 had revealed so much of real nobility in the hearts of many slave-holders that it had not impaired my feeling of good will to them4 ,if ,i were to grant that they had been associated sometimes with men of desperate morals1 had ,i not also been associated with ,jim ,lane1 and had ,i not been compelled to hide myself behind the old maxims1 that ,politics1 like poverty1 makes us acquainted with strange bedfellows8 ,and so ,i argued with ,bro4 ,cox the views ,i held1 stoutly asserting them1 when1 for a wonder to him1 ,bro4 ,steele and ,bro4 ,humber expressed themselves as coinciding with my views much more than with the views of ,bro4 ,cox1 who held the ultra ,southern1 ,john ,c4 ,calhoun theory of slavery4 ,it appeared that these brethren held that if ,providence has given to the ,caucasian descendants of ,japheth1 a fairer skin1 a higher style of intellectual power1 and greater force of will1 that the same divine ,providence has given to the sons of ,ham a darker color to their skin2 but that all are alike the children of the love of one common ,father2 that ,jesus died for all1 and that he will not suffer with impunity any indignity to be offered even to one of the least of these his brethren4 ,to the inquiry why these brethren did not give that freedom to their colored servants which they asserted was their natural right1 they made reply1 alleging the unfriendly legislation not only of the slave ,states1 but of the free ,states2 and that had interposed grave difficulties in the way of such a step4 ,the ,big ,springs ,convention had framed the first ,free ,state platform for ,kansas1 ,august #ae1 #ahee1 and this1 with hard-hearted inhumanity1 had avowed the purpose to drive out of ,kansas the free blacks as well as the slaves4 ,the same principle was also incorporated in the ,topeka ,free ,state ,constitution4 ,it will throw additional light on this subject if ,i mention that1 in #aheh1 one year after this conversation with ,bro4 ,cox1 when the ,free ,state men had obtained control of the ,territorial ,legislature1 ,bro4 ,humber went to ,lawrence and laid before ,judge ,crosier1 a leading member of the ,legislature1 from ,leavenworth1 the following proposition4 ,he said3 ,i will emancipate my slaves1 and will sell them land4 ,i want them to remain where ,i can look after their welfare4 ,i do not want them to be driven out of ,kansas4 ,judge ,crosier1 while greatly sympathizing with ,bro4 ,humber1 had to tell him the thing was impossible4 ,it is comforting to know that ,the world do move2 that colored people do freely enjoy in ,kansas now the rights ,bro4 ,humber in vain sought of a ,free ,state ,legislature then on behalf of his slaves4 ,,chapter ,,xxvii4 ,the reader has already heard of ,big ,springs as a locality where ,free ,state ,conventions were wont to be held4 ,lawrence and ,topeka were twenty-five miles apart1 and both were on the south bank of the ,kansas ,river4 ,big ,springs is midway between these towns1 and is situated on the high divide1 lying between the ,kansas ,river and the ,wakarusa4 ,here1 at ,big ,springs1 were located four brethren1 ,l4 ,r4 ,campbell1 ,c4 ,m4 ,mock1 ,a4 ,t4 ,byler and ,jack ,reeves4 ,bro4 ,campbell was a ,disciple from ,indiana1 of much more than average attainments1 and of great force of character4 ,in his immediate neighborhood1 and as he had opportunity1 he was a preacher1 and when a church was organized he naturally became its leader and elder4 ,his early death seemed the greatest calamity that ever befell the church1 though he raised a family of boys that in process of time have taken his place1 and make his loss seem not irreparable4 ,c4 ,m4 ,mock was not a preacher1 yet there is many a preacher that might well be proud to make himself as widely and as favorable known as ,charley ,mock1 and to be remembered with as much affection4 ,he only remained in ,kansas a few years1 and then returned to his original home in ,rushville1 ,rush county1 ,indiana4 ,we may truthfully say1 ,what was our loss was their gain4 ,bro4 ,byler was simply a large-hearted and kind-natured farmer from ,missouri1 who was too full of brotherly love to have anything of sectional prejudice about him4 ,george ,w4 ,hutchinson1 whom we will hereafter introduce to our readers1 used to call him his ,big ,boiler4 ,his death after a few years was sad and pathetic2 he had been to ,lecompton and driving a spirited horse2 the horse took fright1 and threw him from his buggy and killed him4 ,jack ,reeves was the son of ,b4 ,f4 ,reeves1 of ,flat ,rock1 ,ind41 so long the venerated elder of that church1 and a sort of patriarch over all the churches4 ,and the above-named brethren1 as well as a number of others1 hearing that ,i was preaching near the ,missouri ,river1 sent for me to come and make them a visit4 ,i accordingly did so1 and now1 for thirty-one years ,i have not forgotten to visit them1 and they have not forgotten me4 ,from this time forward ,i preached for them as ,i had opportunity1 and thus began to make the acquaintance of brethren south of the ,kansas ,river4 ,the church grew apace4 ,at their organization they had twenty-five members4 ,two years afterwards they were able to report a membership of seventy-two persons4 ,the year #aheg passed rapidly away4 ,my time was divided between working on my claim on ,stranger ,creek1 preaching for the churches that had been organized1 and making the acquaintance of brethren wherever ,i was able to find them4 ,and now the year #aheh was upon us1 predestinated to bring with it consequences far-reaching1 as touching the future of ,kansas4 ,in this year should be settled the question that had filled the ,territory with agitation1 tumult1 and war for four years2 and it was in this year that our ,kansas missionary work was begun1 and in which was organized the first missionary society4 ,the time was the early spring of #aheh4 ,the place was ,old ,union1 a little1 log school-house situated in a ravine opening into ,stranger ,creek bottoms4 ,the personnel were1 first1 ,numeris ,humber1 with his tender heart and quenchless love for missionary work4 ,then there was his sister wife1 that with saintly presence and sacred song made us feel that this was the very house of ,god and gate of heaven4 ,judge ,william ,young was also present1 who had neither song nor sentimentality about him1 but in his unpoetic way looked at everything in the light of cold1 hard fact4 ,and yet ,bro4 ,young is neither cold nor hard1 only on the outside4 ,there also was ,spartan ,rhea 7these brethren were all from ,missouri71 whose fine sense of honor and upright conduct we have already had occasion to commend while acting as justice of the peace during our former troubles4 ,joseph ,potter was also there1 and so1 also1 was ,joseph ,mc,bride1 a notable preacher of ,tennessee1 that many years ago was one of the pioneers that planted the ,christian cause in ,oregon4 ,all told1 we had a crowd large enough to fill a little1 log school-house4 ,brethren ,yohe and ,marshall1 of ,leavenworth ,city1 also gave us assurances of their hearty help and sympathy4 ,this ,dr4 ,s4 ,a4 ,marshall was a brother-in-law to ,isaac ,errett1 and always deeply interested himself in this work of building up the churches4 ,the church at ,pardee was also represented4 ,and this constituted the make-up of our first missionary society4 ,three churches represented1 and enough persons decently to fill a little seven-by-nine log school-house4 ,let us learn not to despise the day of small things4 ,as for the amount of money pledged--well1 it would not have frightened even one of those little ones1 that are scared out of their wits at the thought of an over-paid1 over-fed1 proud1 luxurious and domineering priesthood4 ,as for the missionary chosen to go on this forlorn hope--to explore this ,africa of spiritual darkness1 it was ,hobson's choice2 it was this or none4 ,except myself1 there was no man to be thought of that would or could go on this errand1 and so there was no contest over the choice of a missionary4 ,conspicuous among these early churches were the churches that were formed in ,doniphan county4 ,this is the most northeastern county in the ,state1 and is in a great bend of the ,missouri ,river1 having the river on three sides of it4 ,it is a body of the best land in ,kansas1 and no county had at its first settlement as many ,disciples4 ,their first beginning was unfortunate4 ,a man named ,winters1 calling himself a preacher1 came among them and made a great stir4 ,but he brought with him a woman that was not his wife4 ,with a character unblemished this man would have won an honorable fame2 but when questioned he equivocated1 but was finally compelled to confess the shameful truth1 and in their grief and shame the newly-organized church seemed broken up4 ,jacob ,i4 ,scott was a man of spotless life and dauntless purpose1 and feeling that it would be an unspeakable humiliation to allow everything to go to wreck because of the frailty of one unfortunate man1 and learning that ,i had taken the field in the counties further south1 he besought me to come over and help them4 ,in no counties in this ,state have there been more churches than in ,doniphan county1 but in no county in the ,state have the churches been more evanescent and unstable1 and yet it is not because these brethren have apostatized1 but it is that the men that have settled in ,doniphan county are men that keep on the borders of civilization1 and the opening of a great empire for settlement to the west of them tempted them to move onward4 ,indeed1 this has been the case in all the churches in ,eastern ,kansas4 ,just as soon as we would gather up a strong church it would straightway melt out of our hands1 and its members would be scattered from ,montana to ,florida1 and from the ,missouri ,river to ,oregon4 ,some twenty-five miles to the northwest of my place of residence1 in what is now ,jackson county1 on the waters of the ,cedar ,creek1 was a settlement mainly from ,platte county1 ,mo4 ,the best known of these was ,bro4 ,john ,gardiner1 whose heart now for thirty years has held one single thought1 the interest and prosperity of the ,christian ,church4 ,he has sacrificed much1 has labored much1 and has done a great deal of preaching without fee or reward4 ,bro4 ,j4 ,w4 ,williams1 from ,southeastern ,ohio1 a man of saintly character and indefatigable purpose1 was also of this settlement4 ,there also we organized a church4 ,the places for holding meetings were of the most primitive kind4 ,a log school-house was a luxury2 the squatter cabins were too small2 but we had to use them during the winter4 ,the groves of timber along the streams were always waiting2 but1 we only could use them in fair and pleasant weather1 and for six months in the year4 ,as for hearers1 we were never lacking an audience1 we were never lacking for a crowd that were ready to listen with honest good-will to the message which we brought them4 ,it was an eventful summer4 ,more rain fell than in any season ,i have known4 ,the streams were always full1 the bottoms were often flooded1 and crossing was sometimes dangerous2 but ,i had a good horse and was not afraid4 ,in religious matters everything was broken up1 and men were drifting4 ,but this good came of it1 that they were ready to listen to this strange and new thing that was brought to their ears1 in which so much was made of the ,lord's authority1 of apostolic teaching and apostolic example1 and so little of traditions1 theories1 and time-honored observances1 of which the ,bible knows nothing1 but which have been sanctified by universal acceptance4 ,as for myself1 there had been romances enough about my life to make the people wish to see me1 and ,i was proud to know that the boys could remember my sermons and repeat them4 ,the men with whom ,i was immediately associated in this work1 and who had sent me on this errand1 were of inestimable advantage to me4 ,they were well and favorably known as men of unblemished reputation in ,eastern ,kansas and ,western ,missouri4 ,old ,duke ,young1 as the father of ,judge ,william ,young had been affectionately called in ,western ,missouri1 had been an eminently popular frontier and pioneer preacher1 and ,judge ,young had inherited an honorable distinction as being the son of such a father2 and when it was known that ,i was acting with the concurrence and under the approval of such men1 the arrangement was generally accepted as satisfactory4 ,and now ,i had my heart's best desire4 ,i was in the field as an evangelist2 the harvest was abundant and the grain was already ripe and waiting for the sickle4 ,but above all1 and beyond all these1 was peace in the land4 ,we all had had a lover's quarrel1 but we had made it up and were the better friends4 ,everywhere they had their joke with me1 as to my method of navigating the ,missouri ,river1 and to the attire ,i sometimes put on2 but ,i had come out the upper dog in the fight1 and could afford to stand their bantering4 ,there is a warmth1 freshness1 and enthusiasm in the friendships formed under such conditions that can never be transferred to associations of older and more orderly communities4 ,as a result of this summer's work1 here were seven churches full of zeal and rapidly growing1 and occupying a field that had been almost absolutely fallow1 for outside of the towns there was no religious movement except our own4 ,but at one point we were put at a very great disadvantage4 ,older and better established denominations were able to plant missionaries in such cities as ,atchison1 ,topeka and ,lawrence1 while we were not2 and yet in each of these cities there were from the first a small number of brethren1 who might have served as the nucleus of a church4 ,speaking in general terms1 monthly preaching never built up a church in any city1 and the reader will see that in the very nature of things ,i could not set myself down to the care of a single congregation4 ,,chapter ,,xxviii4 ,the same causes that have made me a preacher1 have also made me an abundant contributor to our periodical literature4 ,as ,i wish to present a living picture of these early days1 ,i will1 from time to time1 furnish extracts from the contributions ,i have made to our religious journals3 ,written for the ,christian ,luminary4 ,,ocena ,p4 ,o41 ,atchison ,co41 ,kansas ,ter41 ,may1 #aheh4 ,having myself had a very full experience of the advantages and disadvantages1 the trials1 pleasures and perils of a pioneer life1 ,i propose to write a series of essays on the matter of emigrating to the ,west4 ,while a grave necessity demands that many shall emigrate to the ,west1 it is not to be denied that it is an enterprise fraught with many dangers to the moral and spiritual well-being of the emigrant4 ,we have here men from the four quarters of the civilized world1 and have thus congregated together all the vices found in ,europe and ,america4 ,the semi-barbarism of the ,irish ,catholicism of ,tipperary and ,clare is now fairly inaugurated in ,leavenworth city4 ,all the horses of the livery stables are hired to attend an ,irish funeral1 and as the mourners take a wee bit of a dhrap before starting1 they are lucky if they get the corpse well under ground without a fight4 ,by this time1 having become over-joyful1 they raise a shout1 and with a whoop and hurrah they start for home1 and the man that has the fastest horse gets into the city first4 ,the unlucky traveler1 whose horse gets mixed up with theirs in this stampede1 and who thus involuntarily becomes one of the company at an ,irish wake1 has need to be a good rider4 ,german infidelity has been nurtured in ,germany by a thousand years of priestly domination and oppression1 and is now translated into our ,kansas towns by ,germans1 who have no ,lord's day in their week4 ,corresponding with our ,lord's day1 they have a holiday--a day to hunt1 to fish1 to do up odd jobs1 to congregate together and listen to fine music1 dance1 sing1 feast1 drink lager beer1 and have a good time generally4 ,under the best regimen it is hard for men to keep their hearts from evil2 but here1 it is a fearful thing for young men1 released from all the restraints of their native land1 to find the house of revelry and dancing so near the house of ,god1 and the gates of hell1 alluring by all the fascinating and seductive attractions of harmonious sounds1 so near the gate of heaven4 ,i am appalled at the amount of drinking and gambling that has existed in ,kansas1 especially in the ,missouri ,river towns1 for the last three years1 ,under the shade of every green tree1 on the streets1 in every shop1 store1 grocery and hotel1 it has seemed as if the chief business of the people was to gamble and drink4 ,there are other causes full of evil1 and fearfully potent to work apostasy and ruin in the ,west4 ,men come here1 not to plead the cause of a suffering and dying ,saviour2 not to give to the people a more pure and self-denying morality1 and a higher civilization2 but to get rich4 ,they have had a dream1 and are come to realize that dream4 ,they have dreamed of one thousand acres of land1 bought at one dollar and a quarter per acre1 that by the magic growth of some ,western town becomes worth fifty thousand dollars4 ,they have dreamed of money invested in mythical towns1 which towns are to rival in their growth ,toledo1 ,chicago or ,st4 ,louis4 ,the dream is to do nothing and get rich4 ,land sharks1 speculators1 usurers and politicians who aspire to a notoriety they will never win--a station they will never occupy--swarm over the ,west thicker than frogs in ,egypt1 and more intrusive than were these squatting1 crawling1 jumping pests1 when evoked from the river's slime by the rod of ,moses4 ,some men are too old when they come to the ,west4 ,they are like a vine whose tendrils are rudely torn from a branch around which they have wound themselves1 and are so hardened by time that they can not entwine themselves around another support4 ,such men forever worship1 looking to the ,east4 ,they form no new friendships2 engage in no new enterprises2 they care for nobody1 and nobody cares for them4 ,they live and die alone4 ,but there are more sad and gentle notes of sorrow that fall upon our ears4 ,the children mourn for the peach tree and the apple tree1 with their luscious fruit4 ,the mother-wife asks who will watch the little grave1 or tend the rose tree growing at its head1 or who will train the woodbine1 or care for the pinks and violets8 ,then sadly she sings of home--,home1 sweet home6 ,the father1 too1 remembers his pasture for his pigs1 his calves1 and sheep1 and cows4 ,he remembers that on one poor forty acres of land he had a house1 a barn1 an orchard1 woodland1 maple trees for making maple sugar1 a meadow1 room for corn1 wheat1 oats and potatoes1 besides pasture for one horse1 two oxen1 three cows1 together with a number of sheep and pigs1 ,then there was the three months' school in winter1 and four months in summer4 ,there was the ,sunday-school and the church1 where serious and honest men uttered manly and religious counsel to sincere hearts1 which nurtured good and holy purposes4 ,all this he has bartered away for the privilege of being rich--of having more land than he knows what to do with2 more corn than he can tend1 and pigs till they are a pest to him4 ,having glanced at some of the evils attendant on ,western life1 ,i must hasten to indicate what class of men should come to the ,west4 ,the poor of our cities1 whose poverty becomes the more haggard by being placed in immediate proximity to measureless profusion1 luxury and extravagance--respectable people1 whose whole life is a lifelong struggle to keep up appearances1 and in whom the securing of affluence is like putting on a corpse the frippery and finery of the ball-room2 young men with brave hearts and willing hands--these are the classes that may come1 and should come1 to the ,west4 ,and if ,adam1 realizing that the world is all before him1 where to choose1 looks to the ,west to find his ,eden1 ,i would respectfully suggest that he has an infirmity in his left side1 and that his best security against the perils of a pioneer life is to take to himself the rib that is wanting4 ,the tenant1 living on the farm of another man1 should come to the ,west4 ,he can not plant a tree and call it his own4 ,god gave the whole world to ,adam and his sons1 and the true dignity of every son of ,adam requires that he should be able to stand in the midst of his own ,eden and say3 ,this1 under ,god1 is mine4 ,there is yet another class of men that may always go to the ,west1 or to any other place4 ,whether young1 or old1 or middle-aged--whether rich or poor--they may go1 and the blessings of ,god go with them4 ,these are the men whose hearts are full of faith1 and hope1 and love--who sympathize with all1 and who1 consequently1 will find friends among all--who are willing to be missionaries of the cross1 and to be pillars in the churches they have helped to nurture into life4 ,kansas is full of men who were once members of our churches1 but who are stranded on the rocks of apostasy1 on whom the storms of life will beat yet a little while1 and then they will sink down into ever-lasting ruin4 ,strong drink1 the love of money1 or1 perhaps1 the inadequacy of their former teaching1 is the occasion of their fall4 ,others1 scattered over this great wilderness of sin1 remain faithful amidst abounding wickedness1 and stretch out their hands and utter the ,macedonian cry1 ,come over and help us4 ,the apostolic age was pre-eminently an age of missionary effort4 ,what will the world say of us1 and of our confident1 and1 as some would say1 arrogant1 pretense to have restored primitive and apostolic ,christianity1 when our ,israel in so large a part of the great ,west is such a moral wreck--such a spectacle of scattered1 abandoned1 and1 too often1 ruined church members1 unknown1 untaught and uncared for4 ,the peerless glory of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ--his measureless1 boundless and quenchless love--this is the great center of attraction around which the affections of the ,christian do continually gather4 ,the ,lord is the center of the moral universe1 and all its light is but the emanation of his glory4 ,he dwells in the human heart1 and fills it with his love2 he dwells in the family1 and becomes its ornament as when he dwelt in the house of ,lazarus2 he dwells in the church1 and makes it a fold in which he nurtures his lambs4 ,christians wandering over the earth like sheep having no shepherd1 isolated from their brethren1 dwelling alone--however frequent this spectacle now--is not often witnessed in the ,new ,testament4 ,there they congregated in churches4 ,but this experiment of isolation is most perilous to the individual1 and a prodigal expenditure of the wealth of the church1 which has souls for her hire4 ,it is true that a few persons become centers of attraction to new churches that grow up around them2 but very many are lost in the great whirlpool of this world's strife4 ,what1 then1 is the remedy8 ,evidently this3 ,jesus accepts no divided empire in the human heart4 ,he will have all or nothing4 ,the ,church of ,christ1 the cause of ,christ1 the people of ,christ--these must be the centers of attraction to which the heart of the ,christian turns with all the enthusiasm with which an ,eastern idolater bows before the shrine of his idol4 ,in return for such devotion ,jesus gives to his people every imaginable blessing4 ,wealth1 power1 dominion1 science1 civilization1 genius1 learning1 power over the elements of nature1 and insight into its magnitude1 do now belong to the ,lord's people in ,europe and ,america as they never belonged to any people before4 ,yet all these must be laid at ,jesus' feet before he will make the returning prodigal the recipient of his love4 ,everything must be subordinated to our religion4 ,since the almighty dollar has become the touch-stone by which everything is to be decided1 ,i assert that this is a good speculation3 secure a neighborhood homogeneous and not heterogeneous4 ,let its tendencies be favorable to temperance1 education and religion1 and in doing so a man will have added fifty per cent1 to the selling value of his property4 ,the present thrift1 wealth1 genius1 enterprise and intelligence of the people of the ,new ,england ,states is the legitimate outworking of the training bestowed on their sons by the stern1 old ,puritans that first peopled these inhospitable shores4 ,but all temporal and earthly considerations disappear1 as fade the stars at the approach of day1 when we consider that measureless ruin1 that gulf of everlasting despair1 that voiceless woe1 into which the emigrant may sink himself and family by locating in a profligate1 dissipated or irreligious neighborhood1 or in a community wholly swallowed up in the love of money1 or absorbed in the questions1 ,what shall we eat1 or what shall we drink1 or wherewithal shall we be clothed8 ,what home on the beautiful prairies1 what treasures of fine water and good timber1 what corner lots1 what property in town or country1 can equal in value the guardianship of our ,lord1 the indwelling of ,god's good ,spirit1 the approval of a good conscience1 the smiles of angels and the inheritance of a home in heaven8 ,let no man1 therefore1 fall into the folly--the unspeakable folly--of subordinating his spiritual and eternal interests to his temporal welfare4 ,seek ye ,god and his righteousness1 and all these things shall be added4 ,to teach1 to discipline and perfect the churches we have already organized2 to gather into churches the lost sheep of the house of our ,israel1 scattered over this great wilderness of sin2 to try and help those who are still purposing to tempt its dangers2 and to lay broad and deep the foundations of a future operation and co-operation that shall ultimate in spreading the gospel from pole to pole1 and across the great sea to the farthest domicile of man--this is the purpose which we set before us1 and which should be pursued with the zeal and enthusiasm displayed by the followers of the false prophet of ,mecca2 and with the patience of the coral workers1 who build for ages and cycles of ages their marble battlements in the waters of the ,pacific ,ocean4 ,,chapter ,,xxix4 ,in #ahei ,i only spent part of the year preaching in ,kansas4 ,at the earnest solicitation of ,ovid ,butler1 the founder and munificent patron of ,butler ,university1 ,i spent six months preaching in the ,state of ,indiana4 ,a missionary society had been organized in ,indianapolis1 in which ,ovid ,butler was the leading spirit1 and such men as ,joseph ,bryant1 and ,matthew ,mc,keever1 brothers-in-law to ,alexander ,campbell1 together with ,jonas ,hartzell1 ,cyrus ,mc,neely1 of ,hopedale1 ,ohio1 and ,eld4 ,john ,boggs1 of ,cincinnati1 and many others1 were associated with him in the movement4 ,by these brethren ,i was for some time partially sustained as a missionary in ,kansas4 ,the formation of this society had grown out of a difference existing between these brethren and the ,general ,missionary ,society1 touching what had become the over-topping and absorbing question1 both to the churches and the people of the ,united ,states4 ,as this question has ceased to be of any practical interest to the ,american people1 ,i shall spend no time in its discussion1 only to narrate1 briefly1 what happened to us in ,kansas1 growing out of the existence of these two societies4 ,ovid ,butler had set his heart on this1 that the brethren in ,indiana should have personal knowledge of the man that himself and others were sustaining in ,kansas4 ,i found myself greatly misunderstood1 and was often hurt at the slights that grew out of these misunderstandings2 and ,i tried hard to make these brethren know just what was in my heart1 and what were the objects ,i was seeking to accomplish4 ,in the early spring of #ahfj ,i returned to ,kansas and resumed my work4 ,geo4 ,w4 ,hutchinson had been a preacher in what was known as the ,christian ,connection in the ,new ,england ,states1 and had been eminently successful in winning converts4 ,but these churches were poor1 and he having married a wife1 his compensation did not meet his necessities1 and like many others he went to ,california with a hope of bettering his fortunes4 ,afterwards he came to ,lawrence1 in ,kansas1 under the auspices of the ,emigrant ,aid ,society4 ,but his freighting teams having been plundered of a stock of goods1 which they were bringing for him from ,leavenworth to ,lawrence1 he was left to fight his battle as best he might4 ,it was at this conjuncture that he made the acquaintance of the brethren at ,big ,springs1 and became impressed with the simplicity and scriptural authority of our plea4 ,it is well known that there never was more than a paper wall between ourselves and ,the ,old ,christian ,order1 and there seemed nothing in the way of ,bro4 ,hutchison4 ,he had in his heart no theory of a regeneration wrought by a miracle1 and which gives to a convert a supernatural evidence of pardon before baptism1 and that should1 therefore1 compel him to reject the words of ,jesus3 ,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved4 ,the ,christian ,brethren have been supposed to have some leaning to ,unitarianism1 but he betrayed no such leaning4 ,but while he had no love for the barbarous language in which ,trinitarians have sometimes spoken of the divine relation subsisting between the ,father1 ,son and ,holy ,spirit1 yet he was willing to ascribe to our ,lord all that is ascribed to him in the ,holy ,scriptures4 ,thus joyfully he accepted this new brotherhood he had found in ,kansas1 and our churches just as joyfully set him to preaching4 ,we needed preachers1 and here was one already made to our hand4 ,early in the spring of #ahfj the weather came off exquisitely fine4 ,it was like a hectic flush--the deceptive seeming of health on the cheek of the consumptive4 ,it was a spring without rain1 in which the sun was shining beautiful and bright1 in which the evenings were balmy and pleasant1 and the road good2 but to be followed by a summer of scorching heat1 of hot winds that burned the vegetation like the breath of a furnace1 leaving the people to starve4 ,the inhabitants of ,kansas will never forget the year #ahfj1 the drought and the famine4 ,it was in the springtime1 in the midst of this beautiful weather1 we called ,bro4 ,hutchinson to come to ,pardee and help us4 ,this protracted meeting resulted in a great ingathering4 ,it was largely made up of young men1 who1 for the time being1 were located on the eastern border of ,kansas1 but that in the stirring and stormy times that were to follow were to be scattered over every part of the ,great ,west4 ,and now ,bro4 ,hutchinson's fame as a revivalist began to spread abroad1 and many neighborhoods where there were a few ,disciples1 and who were anxious to build themselves into a congregation1 sent for him to come and help them2 and thus our churches rapidly grew in number1 and our acquaintance with the brethren was greatly extended4 ,as a result1 there came to be a common feeling among them that we ought to come together in a ,state1 or rather a ,territorial1 meeting4 ,pursuant to such a purpose1 a general meeting was called at ,big ,springs1 ,aug4 #i1 #ahfj1 ,c4 ,m4 ,mock having been called to the chair1 and ,w4 ,o4 ,ferguson1 of ,emporia1 having been made secretary4 ,the following churches reported themselves as having been organized in the ,territory3 ,no4 of ,members4 ,pardee1 ,atchison ,co #ib ,union ,church1 ,atchison ,co #fj ,leavenworth ,city #gj ,big ,springs1 ,douglas ,co #gb ,prairie ,city1 ,douglas ,co #dd ,peoria ,city1 ,lykins ,co #bc ,leroy1 ,coffey ,co #ajh ,emporia #hj ,stanton1 ,lykins ,co #ia ,iola1 ,allen ,co #ba ,humbolt1 ,allen ,co4 #ab ,burlington1 ,coffey ,co #i ,wolf ,creek1 ,doniphan ,co #gj ,rock ,creek1 ,doniphan ,co #cj ,independence ,creek1 ,doniphan ,co #ab ,cedar ,creek1 ,doniphan ,co #af ,olathe1 ,johnson ,co #aj ,mc,carnish1 ,johnson ,co #dj ,oskaloosa1 ,jefferson ,co #aj ,cedar ,creek1 ,jackson ,co #cj ,thus of organized churches there were reported #ijj members1 and of unorganized members it was ascertained there were enough to make the number more than one thousand4 ,we find on record1 as having been adopted at this meeting1 the following resolutions3 ,resolved ,that the thanks of this ,convention be tendered to the ,christian ,missionary ,society1 at ,indianapolis1 for the service of ,bro4 ,butler as a missionary in ,kansas1 and that the ,society be requested to sustain him until the churches in ,kansas shall be able to sustain their preachers4 ,resolved1 ,that ,brethren ,g4 ,w4 ,hutchinson1 ,pardee ,butler1 ,ephraim ,philips1 ,s4 ,g4 ,brown1 ,w4 ,e4 ,evans1 and ,n4 ,dunshee be recommended to the confidence and support of the brethren as able and faithful preachers of the gospel4 ,,whereas1 ,the brethren of ,southern ,kansas are in destitute circumstances2 and ,,whereas1 ,bro4 ,e4 ,philips1 having spent much of his time preaching1 without fee1 or reward1 needs pecuniary support2 and ,,whereas1 ,bro4 ,crocker is about to visit the ,east2 therefore1 ,resolved1 ,that we commend ,bro4 ,crocker as worthy to receive contributions made on behalf of ,bro4 ,philips4 ,resolved1 ,that we will encourage and1 so far as we have ability1 sustain by our prayers and means those who labor for us in word and doctrine4 ,resolved1 ,that we are in favor of ,sunday-schools and ,bible classes1 and that we will use our influence to sustain social meetings in all our churches4 ,resolved1 ,that when we adjourn1 we adjourn to meet at ,prairie ,city1 on ,wednesday before the second ,lord's day in ,september1 #ahfa4 ,resolved1 ,that the thanks of this ,convention be tendered to the brethren of ,big ,springs for their kindness and liberality during the sessions of this ,convention4 ,on motion1 the ,convention adjourned to the time and place appointed4 ,c4 ,w4 ,,mock1 ,chairman4 ,w4 ,o4 ,,ferguson1 ,secretary4 ,the convention in its results was full of encouragement and joy4 ,insignificant as had been our beginning two years before1 here were twenty churches and more than one thousand members ready to cooperate together and plant the cause in this infant ,territory4 ,this meeting also introduced us to many new acquaintances4 ,eld4 ,s4 ,g4 ,brown1 of ,emporia1 had been diligently employed planting churches along the ,neosho ,river from ,emporia to ,leroy4 ,bro4 ,ephraim ,philips1 at ,leroy1 also at that time became known to us4 ,bro4 ,philips1 after some years1 returned to ,pennsylvania1 and there went into the oil business with his brother2 the brothers were successful1 and afterwards distinguished themselves by a generous and ,christian liberality4 ,bro4 ,crocker also1 before his death1 had won a large place in the hearts of his brethren4 ,elder ,wm1 ,gans1 at that time of ,lanesfield1 but afterwards of ,olathe1 will long be remembered with earnest affection2 and it was at this time that he became known to us4 ,for reasons that we have already mentioned1 the ,general ,missionary ,society had done nothing for us1 but seeing that we were fighting a brave battle1 and that we were keeping the peace with each other1 they felt themselves moved to help us4 ,eld4 ,d4 ,s4 ,burnett was at this time employed preaching in ,western ,missouri1 and was deputed by the ,missionary ,board to visit ,g4 ,w4 ,hutchinson at ,lawrence1 who was winning golden opinions as an eminently successful evangelist4 ,bro4 ,h4 was not at home1 but was away holding a protracted meeting1 and ,bro4 ,burnett therefore called on his wife4 ,mrs4 ,hutchinson was a pious1 refined1 and educated ,new ,england woman1 who had married her husband after he had become known as the most successful evangelist in the ,old ,christian ,order in the ,new ,england ,states4 ,she had with pain seen him turned aside from his chosen work by hard necessities1 and was now greatly rejoiced to see him once more a preacher4 ,bro4 ,b4 was an accomplished gentleman1 whose polished and cultivated manners sometimes laid him open to the charge of a proud and aristocratic exclusiveness2 but this ,yankee lady herself knew how to queen it1 and stood before him with no sense of inferiority4 ,she frankly said to him that herself and husband were abolitionists1 but that they knew the value of peace1 and would do what could be done1 in good conscience1 to make peace and keep it4 ,bro4 ,burnett evidently went away from ,lawrence with a good opinion of this family of ,yankee abolitionists1 and ,bro4 ,h4 was immediately accepted as a missionary of the ,general ,missionary ,society4 ,he used quietly to indicate to me that1 as touching this interview1 his wife was a better general than himself1 and that it was lucky for him that he was not at home4 ,and so we two became missionaries1 sustained by two different1 and1 in one particular1 antagonistic missionary societies4 ,of course we did not quarrel2 why should we8 ,if ,i was sometimes charged with abolitionism1 was not this man blacker than myself8 ,we often traveled together1 and held protracted meetings under the same tent4 ,i had for a lifetime studied this plea which we make for a return to primitive and apostolic ,christianity1 and it was1 therefore1 my business to press upon the people the duty to yield a loyal obedience to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as our only ,lawgiver and ,king1 and thus to renounce all human leadership and the authority of all human opinions2 and it became the business of ,bro4 ,hutchinson to win the people by his magnetic power1 and fill them with his own enthusiasm1 and thus induce them to act on the convictions that had been already formed in their hearts4 ,i take on myself to say there never have been two more diligent evangelists than were ,bro4 ,hutchinson and myself in the year that followed the ,big ,springs ,convention4 ,looking over the whole ground1 ,i am able to see that in that year was laid the foundation for that abiding prosperity that has distinguished our effort down to the present time4 ,,chapter ,,xxx4 ,there had come to the ,big ,springs ,convention two brethren--,father ,gillespie and his son1 ,william ,gillespie1 living at ,st4 ,george1 on the ,kansas ,river1 fifty miles above ,topeka and about eight miles below ,manhattan4 ,these brethren came to tell us that here were two settlements of brethren waiting to be organized into churches2 and ,bro4 ,hutchinson and myself both visited them during the ensuing autumn4 ,a military road ran up the ,kansas ,river from ,fort ,leavenworth to ,fort ,riley1 passing through the village of ,st4 ,george1 ,but if ,i were to go to ,st4 ,george by this route1 ,i would lose thirty miles of travel1 and ,i therefore determined to start directly west from my place of residence4 ,but1 in doing so1 ,i would have to cross the ,pottawatomie ,indian ,reserve1 on which for forty miles there was not the habitation of a white man4 ,stopping over night with ,bro4 ,j4 ,w4 ,williams1 on the eastern border of the ,reserve1 ,i started betimes to ,st4 ,george1 traveling to the west4 ,but night came on1 and ,i had not reached the line of white settlements4 ,i picketed my horse on the prairie1 made a pillow of my saddle1 and slept until morning4 ,the night was warm and pleasant1 and ,i did not suffer with the cold1 and in the morning ,i was ready betimes to ride on to the residence of ,bro4 ,gillespie4 ,he was so glad to see me4 ,it was worth a journey of one hundred miles to get such a welcome4 ,and then there was ,sister ,gillespie1 and a house full of young ,gillespies1 and they were all so glad to see me4 ,have you had your breakfast8 ,no4 ,well1 where did you lodge8 ,this was a poser4 ,i attempted to pass the question by2 but nothing would do1 and ,i had to confess ,i slept under the canopy of heaven4 ,o1 dear6 ,o1 dear6 ,and had it come to this that their preacher had to sleep on the prairie6 ,this was a family of hospitable ,kentuckians1 who were born to a love of music1 and the old gentleman was a fiddler1 and next to his ,bible he loved his fiddle4 ,of course1 we had a grand1 good time1 and were all filled with joy2 and this was the beginning of the churches on the upper waters of the ,kansas ,river4 ,twelve miles above ,st4 ,george was ,ashland1 where we found ,bro4 ,n4 ,b4 ,white1 father to ,a4 ,j4 ,white1 who has hitherto been pastor of the church at ,leavenworth ,city2 but since has been acting as district evangelist4 ,bro4 ,n4 ,b4 ,white came from ,carthage1 ,ky41 and long remained a faithful and indefatigable preacher4 ,in my experience as an evangelist1 ,i have known many men of superior ,christian excellence2 but never one man of more singleness and integrity of heart2 never one man that had a clearer conception of the ultimate purposes and results of ,christianity2 never a man whose life was more unselfish and self-sacrificing4 ,being of an intensely nervous and high-strung organization1 and doing his work in a mixed population that would have taxed the patience of ,job in its management1 it is no wonder that ,bro4 ,white was sometimes misunderstood1 and1 like all reformers1 was made to feel that he was living before his time4 ,thus passed in abundant labors the year #ahfj1 and the time drew on for our yearly meeting1 which had been appointed to be held at ,prairie ,city in ,september1 #ahfa4 ,the brethren came together with real enthusiasm4 ,during the past year the number of ,disciples had been multiplied1 and the cause had been greatly strengthened4 ,it had been a year of constant ingathering4 ,new churches reported themselves at this meeting1 and brethren whom we had never known before4 ,as evidence of what was being accomplished ,i will copy a note which ,i find appended to the minutes of the ,prairie ,city meeting3 ,the following letter was received from a church meeting in ,monroe township1 ,anderson ,county1 said church being of the ,old ,christian ,order3 ,to the ,elders of the ,state ,meeting at ,prairie ,city3 ,we1 the ,church of ,god meeting at ,north ,pottawatomie1 do recommend to your honorable body1 ,bro4 ,samuel ,anderson1 as our pastor4 ,we also represent our church as in good standing and in full fellowship1 numbering twenty-eight members4 ,bro4 ,anderson1 the bearer of the above letter1 came before the ,convention and said3 ,it does yet appear to me that a man's sins are forgiven as soon as he believes2 but ,i do not think that for this cause there ought to be a schism between us4 ,i am willing to unite with you in exhorting men to obey all the commands of the gospel1 and in seeking to unite all ,christians on the one foundation4 ,but there appeared one cloud in our horizon1 one cause to hinder the perfect success of this1 our second yearly meeting4 ,the country was full of rumors of war1 and there seemed impending a great national conflict4 ,bro4 ,hutchinson had been for one year an eminently successful evangelist2 but now he went into the ,union army as an army chaplain1 and thus his work among us ceased4 ,and now the war was upon us2 we were predestined to see dark days1 and the hearts of the people were full of forebodings of evil4 ,many of our young men went into the army1 and for two years the produce raised by the farmers brought almost nothing1 and many of our preachers retired from their work4 ,and then there appeared in the land wolves in sheep's clothing--thieves wearing the disguise of loyalty to the old flag1 and who held themselves self-elected to punish rebel sympathizers1 and in the estimation of this gentry the best evidence that could be had that a man was a rebel sympathizer was1 that he owned a good span of horses4 ,it is said1 ,there is no great loss without some small gain1 and these evil days gave opportunity to some of us who owed a debt of gratitude for kindness rendered to us when we were in sore straits1 to pay back this debt by demanding justice on behalf of loyal citizens of ,kansas1 whose only offense was that they had been born in the ,south4 ,it is the purpose of this series of articles to tell how two peoples1 the one from the ,south and the other from the ,north--the one the sons of the ,puritans1 and the other the children of the younger sons of the old ,english cavaliers--came together and settled in one ,territory2 how they were divided by the question of ,american slavery1 and how they strove in an antagonism as fierce as that which once subsisted between the ,saxon and ,norman in ,old ,england2 how they peacefully settled their controversy1 and in one-third of a century have grown into an eminently peaceful1 prosperous1 enterprising and well-ordered commonwealth1 that stands conspicuous as an illustration and proof of the excellence of our national institutions4 ,we are also to tell how that1 out of the furnace fires of such a strife1 a community of churches grew up that have for their purpose a restoration of primitive and apostolic ,christianity1 and the unity of all ,christians under a supreme loyalty1 to the ,lord ,jesus ,christ as our only ,leader and ,lawgiver1 and as the great ,author of our ,american civilization4 ,we are also to tell how the discipline of such a strife has created a people of such heroic temper1 that this has been the first government among the nations to grapple with the saloon power in a final and decisive battle1 which has banished it beyond the boundaries of the ,state1 and has branded it as an enemy to ,christian homes1 an enemy to our ,christian civilization1 and an enemy to the welfare of the whole human race4 ,other ,states have paltered with the evil by means of feeble and frivolous legislation1 but ,kansas has grappled the monster by the throat by incorporating ,prohibition into its fundamental law4 ,but1 above all1 we are to press upon the attention of the people the imminence of that danger that is threatening us1 and that embodies within itself all other perils that hang over the nation4 ,we are threatened to be overwhelmed by a foreign and alien emigration that brings with it the anarchy of atheism and the un,american and the anti-,american traditions of a paganized ,christianity4 ,we have now fifteen millions of foreign-born citizens and of their children of the first generation in the ,united ,states4 ,the ,rev4 ,josiah ,strong estimates that in twelve years their number will be forty-three millions2 and a great part of this population is now1 and shall hereafter be1 under the control of ,jesuit priests1 that seek to maintain in the hearts of these millions loyalty to a foreign prince1 resident in ,rome1 as superior to and more binding on their consciences than is that allegiance which they owe to the ,united ,states4 ,the city of ,new ,york has eighty persons in every one hundred of its population that are either foreign born or else the children of foreign born parents4 ,boston has sixty-three2 ,chicago has eighty-seven2 ,st4 ,louis has seventy-eight2 ,cincinnati1 sixty2 ,san ,francisco1 seventy-eight1 and ,detroit and ,milwaukee have each eighty-four citizens in every one hundred of their population that are either foreign born or else the children of foreign born parents4 ,a nation is dominated by its cities1 as ,england is dominated by ,london2 as ,france is dominated by ,paris1 and ,germany by ,berlin2 and our great cities have already become foreign cities1 controlled by a foreign vote1 and dominated by a foreign public opinion4 ,here in ,kansas1 in cities where there is a dominant element of foreign born citizens1 we have to invoke the power of the ,state to compel obedience to our temperance laws on the part of this alien and un-,american population2 otherwise they overawe the city government and rebel against the laws4 ,self-evident it is that the presence of such a population is a threat against our social and domestic life1 against our government1 and against the ,christian religion4 ,but the presence of such an evil calls for union among ourselves4 ,poland was dismembered and ceased to exist among the nations1 because of intestine strifes and divisions among its nobility1 who were its governing class2 and in the presence of such a danger menacing the ,american people it would be a madness unspeakable in us to keep up among ourselves either our religious feuds and bickerings1 or the animosities heretofore existing between the ,north and ,south4 ,we must be one people1 or this nation will surely perish4 ,and this oneness is not to be brought about by the utterance of feeble platitudes1 nor by the hypocritical profession of a good-will we do not feel2 we must follow the guidance of that ,book of all books that ,god has given us1 by exhibiting that robust and manly courage that looks the truth and the whole truth squarely in the face4 ,after making all necessary discount and rebate because of faults and infirmities1 there is enough yet remaining of solid and essential excellence in the citizens of every ,state in this nation that they can afford to have the honest truth told about themselves4 ,is the sun less glorious because there are spots on the sun8 ,is the moon less beautiful because the man in the moon does not wear a handsome face8 ,on the late ,fourth of ,july there was a rallying of the clans of the veterans--the men in blue and the men in gray--on the field of ,gettysburg1 to commemorate the battle they fought twenty-five years before1 and to do honor to the bravery displayed by each man in fighting for what he honestly thought to be the right4 ,this was as it should be4 ,but there ought to be the celebration of another battle--it ought to be1 even though it may never occur--that should never be forgotten4 ,in that battle there was no dreadful carnage as on the battlefield of ,gettysburg2 there were no desperate charges made by cavalry and infantry2 there was no heroic courage displayed under the pitiless peltings of a deadly hail of shot and shell2 there were no great generals of national reputation in command1 but humble men unknown to fame1 in the final result came together1 and with honest speech said1 ,we will shake hands and be friends4 ,we will let bygones be by gones1 and see what can be done by a united effort to promote the welfare of all4 ,now we insist that ,kansas is worthy of more honor than ,gettysburg4 ,but as in this wicked world the best men do not get the highest honor1 nor the best deeds the highest praise1 we will be content to bide our time1 knowing that the ,lord does not forget1 and that he will speak a good word for us at the great judgment day4 ,kansas led the nation in the abolition of ,american slavery2 ,kansas ought a second time to lead the nation in a universal amnesty1 so that there shall be nothing to hinder that we shall preach the gospel to the devotees of the mother of ,babylon1 and to the millions of godless1 ,christless heathen that are thrown upon our hands1 thus making them good ,christians that they may be good ,american citizens4 ,,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,in #ahfb our yearly meeting was held at ,emporia1 and in #ahfc at ,ottumwa4 ,these meetings were little better than failures4 ,yearly district meetings were kept up in ,northeastern ,kansas1 in which more vigor was manifested4 ,and now the writer began to feel the pressure of hard necessities4 ,for five years ,i had kept myself in the field on a salary utterly inadequate to my needs1 and had been gradually running into debt1 and these debts had to be paid4 ,in anticipation of the future wants of my children1 ,i had invested my available means in land2 but as this land was not improved1 it yielded me no return4 ,in the distress that came on the people in those days1 one means of making money presented itself1 and many availed themselves of it4 ,gold had been discovered at ,pike's ,peak1 and thitherward had flocked a great multitude of people4 ,there were no railroads1 and all supplies had to be carried across the plains in freighting wagons4 ,this business was carried on by the roughest class of a rough and frontier population2 still1 it was an honest business1 and honest men might lawfully engage in it1 provided they had the hardihood to face the dangers and exposures of such a life4 ,during the years #ahfb1 #ahfc and #ahfd1 ,i went into this business with a small freighting outfit4 ,this certainly was not just the thing for a preacher to do1 but necessity knows no law4 ,in the spring of #ahfb1 ,bro4 ,james ,butcher was going to ,denver with a freighting train1 and he with myself agreed to go in the same train for mutual convenience4 ,the ,president1 ,abraham ,lincoln1 had ordered a draft1 and many young men in ,missouri had found themselves in a sore strait4 ,in the ,south were their kindred1 and they felt that they could not and would not fight against their own flesh and blood2 and to avoid this they determined to flee to the gold mines in the mountains1 where every man did what was right in his own eyes--and so they came to ,atchison or ,leavenworth and engaged to drive these freighting teams to ,denver4 ,many of them were sons of rich fathers1 well educated1 and had never engaged in manual labor1 much less in such menial work as this1 and when these proud and high-spirited fellows felt what an ignoble life they had been reduced to1 the reader may well believe they did not feel good-natured over it4 ,and now1 when these young gentlemen came to understand that they were to be associated with a man that was reported to be the representative of the hated ,yankees1 who had made war on the people of the ,south1 and set free their slaves1 they bitterly attacked me in wordy warfare4 ,of course ,i defended myself4 ,and so day after day1 in the intervals while our cattle were grazing1 we debated every question relative to slavery that has been debated within the last fifty years4 ,their hearts were bitter2 they were passionately excited1 and would often end the talk1 which they themselves had begun1 ,with noisy profanity4 ,they seemed to think they had this advantage of me1 that they could swear and ,i could not4 ,we were now traveling up the valley of the ,platte ,river4 ,it was the month of ,june4 ,the weather had become rainy and there were frequent showers4 ,one night we had corralled our train on an almost dead level bottom1 and ,i was sure1 from the appearance of the heavens1 that we should have a storm4 ,bro4 ,butcher had been taken sick and had returned home1 and1 except myself1 there were none to think or care what was coming2 and yet it was plain to be seen that the air was thick and sultry1 and the heavens overcast with clouds1 and that everything betokened a tempest4 ,our canvas-covered wagons had been so crowded with merchandise that we could not get into them1 and we had slept on blankets on the ground2 but here on this dead level bottom1 in case of a heavy rain1 we would be drowned out by the flooding of the ground4 ,i dragged under my wagon a number of ox-yokes1 and with these and some strips of boards ,i made a platform1 and on this ,i laid a narrow pallet1 and crept under the wagon1 where ,i would be sheltered from the rain by the wagon-bed above me4 ,during the night there fell frequent showers1 and the boys were soon drowned out from their pallets on the ground4 ,they were tired and sleepy2 they were homesick and in bad temper at their mean and unaccustomed surroundings1 and were inclined to hold the ,yankees responsible for it all1 and they began to curse and swear in rough and bitter speech4 ,then there came on the most awful thunder storm ,i ever witnessed4 ,vivid flashes of lightning kept the whole heavens illuminated with a blaze of light1 while a thousand electric lights would not so have turned night into day around our corral of train-wagons4 ,crashing peals of thunder were in the air1 and the bolts seemed to descend to the earth around us4 ,then there came down a flood of rain that was as if a water spout had burst above our heads4 ,i looked out from my narrow bed1 and could see the boys gathered in groups1 standing leaning against their wagons1 soaked to the skin1 and their faces white with ghastly paleness2 but not a word was spoken4 ,they had forgotten to swear4 ,then there was a lull in the storm1 which subsided into a drizzling cold rain1 and ,i went to sleep4 ,when morning came we were a sorry looking lot4 ,the boys were soaked1 and chilled1 and blue1 and dreadfully homesick4 ,words would not tell what these poor fellows would have given if they could have been where they could have been coddled and petted by their mothers and sisters4 ,i saw that a warm cup of coffee and a substantial breakfast would do them good1 and ,i hastened to have it provided4 ,they came with alacrity at the call for breakfast1 for they were hungry4 ,when a good square meal had somewhat thawed them out1 ,i said1 ,boys1 what made you quit swearing last night8 ,the one who was usually their spokesman1 and who knew how to be a gentleman if he had a mind to be1 said reverently1 ,we were afraid4 ,from this time forward our debates over slavery and the ,southern ,confederacy were at an end1 or if we had them it was in a friendly way4 ,given a fair chance1 these boys were not so bad as they seemed4 ,in the summer of #ahfd we had reached the ,cutoff1 and were within eighty miles of ,denver4 ,it was late on ,saturday afternoon when we got to the ,bijou ,ranch4 ,we were tired and our teams were tired1 and we debated for some time whether we should drive ten miles further1 where we would find better feed for our oxen4 ,we did so1 though it took us till midnight2 and there we rested on ,sunday4 ,this was providential2 for it was on this ,sunday that the ,cheyenne ,indians made their memorable raid and plundered the trains1 burned the ranches and stole the horses for three hundred miles along the ,platte ,river4 ,they attacked the ,bijou ,station that we had left on ,saturday1 but they did not venture any nearer ,denver2 consequently we were safe4 ,on our return we saw how the people had been murdered1 the trains plundered and the ranches burned along our route2 and it presented a terrible spectacle4 ,a man named ,butler was killed and scalped on the ,little ,blue ,river1 and the people in ,kansas got the word that it was myself4 ,immediately on my return home ,i rode up to the church at ,wolf ,creek1 in ,doniphan county1 where we had a district meeting appointed4 ,it was to them as if ,i had come from the dead4 ,i went home for dinner with my old friend1 ,bro4 ,john ,beeler4 ,i noticed his little boy peering attentively at me2 he climbed upon a bedstead close behind me1 then1 jumping down1 he ran to his mother1 and1 pulling ,sister ,beeler by the apron1 said1 ,ma6 ,ma6 ,the ,indians did scalp ,bro4 ,butler2 ,i can see it on the top of his head4 ,the reader must know that1 like ,old ,uncle ,ned1 ,i have no hair on the top of my head4 ,but1 in spite of disasters and hardships1 and dark and stormy days1 our churches continued to grow and prosper1 and we kept up a vigorous and aggressive church organization4 ,on ,sept4 #bg1 #ahfd1 the churches of the ,state came together at their fifth annual ,state meeting at ,tecumseh1 ,shawnee county4 ,here the brethren organized a missionary society1 fashioned after the plan of our ,general ,missionary ,society1 and in which life directorships1 life memberships and annual memberships were obtained by the payment of a sum of money4 ,the writer of these ,recollections will explain that the formation of this ,society was not his work4 ,he doubted whether the brethren were prepared for it4 ,nevertheless1 he was willing to be governed by the majority4 ,by resolution of the ,state meeting1 the writer was requested to prepare for publication with the minutes of the meeting an address1 of which the following is a copy3 ,,address ,,to ,,the ,,christian ,,brethren ,,of ,,the ,,state ,,of ,,kansas4 ,beloved ,brethren3 ,we present to you in these pages the details of the organization of the ,christian ,missionary ,society of the ,state of ,kansas4 ,we hope for your approval and ask for your contributions4 ,the warrior may fight for his country on the battle field2 the statesman may seek to develop its resources and improve its laws2 the husbandman may make its fields heavy with their weight of golden grain2 and those who love domestic life may seek to create in that place they call home a second paradise2 but broader1 deeper1 more comprehensive and sweeter far1 is the work of ,christianity4 ,it underlies all good1 and is the only sure basis of progress4 ,for two thousand years ,china and ,japan have been without the ,bible1 and what they were then1 that they are now4 ,for two thousand years the millions of ,india have been left without ,god and without hope in the world1 and they have only progressed into infinite degradations4 ,the aboriginal inhabitants of ,america1 left without the ,bible1 have only gone down deeper and deeper into a night as black as that which brooded over old chaos4 ,no ,herschel counts the stars1 numbers the planets1 measures the length of their years and computes the number of their days1 unless his observatory is illuminated by the rays of the ,sun of ,righteousness4 ,no ,luther thunders against priestcraft1 shakes the thrones of tyrants1 and wakes the nations to a new life and a new progress1 save that ,luther that finds a ,bible in his cell4 ,no ,franklin calls down electricity from the clouds to carry messages across a continent swift as the lightning flashes through the sky1 save that ,franklin whose fathers brought the ,bible with them from their native land1 and prized it more than all the gold of ,ophir4 ,no mother country has had such reason to be proud of any colony that was ever planted on the face of this green earth1 as ,great ,britain has had reason to be proud of her colonies in ,north ,america1 and no colonies ever so loved the ,bible4 ,judson1 ,howard1 ,wilberforce1 and ,florence ,nightingale drew the inspiration of their benevolence from a dying ,saviour's cross1 and learned of him who1 though he was rich1 yet for our sakes become poor1 that we through his poverty might be rich4 ,christianity1 as it was given by ,jesus to the apostles1 and by the apostles to mankind1 was as perfect as the ,god who gave it4 ,our whole duty then is this1 that we should restore primitive and apostolic ,christianity again to the world4 ,many reformers have sought to do this2 but they have only reformed in part4 ,though they fled from ,babylon they stopped short of ,jerusalem4 ,we can not pause in this work which we have begun4 ,we can not allow ourselves to grow cold and our churches to die4 ,we must go forward in that path in which the rays of our glorious sun--the ,sun of ,righteousness--grow brighter and brighter unto the perfect day4 ,god does not make ,christians as he created ,adam out of the dust of the earth4 ,he works by means3 ,how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard8 ,god works through the voice of the ,bible scattered over the world4 ,if any doubt this1 let them reflect that among all the millions of men that inhabit the whole earth not one becomes a ,christian save him who either hears or reads of a crucified ,saviour4 ,money is the sinews of this war4 ,true1 there is peril in money4 ,it is not safe to be rich2 and it is admitted that by wealth preachers may be corrupted4 ,but this is not the present danger4 ,the present peril is1 that haggard want1 stalking in at the preacher's door1 will paralyze his tongue1 make his knees feeble and his hands heavy1 and turn away his heart from his proper work to the question1 ,what shall ,i eat8 and what shall ,i drink8 and wherewithal shall ,i be clothed8 ,the preacher is told to put his trust in the ,lord4 ,but when1 after long waiting1 no ravens come to feed him1 he sometimes loses his heart1 and says1 ,i go a fishing4 ,surely the brethren will not have a controversy with the ,lord4 ,they will not deny that he has appointed that they that preach the gospel shall live of the gospel4 ,it is by no weak1 sickly1 faint-hearted1 lukewarm1 languid1 and spasmodic efforts that the cause is to be kept alive4 ,god will have all or nothing4 ,this is an age in which1 if never before1 both good men and bad men are truly in earnest4 ,the devil is fearfully and terribly in earnest ,therefore rejoice you heavens1 and you that dwell in them ,woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea6 for the devil is come down to you1 having great wrath1 because he knoweth he hath but a short time4 ,we must give till we feel it4 ,the widow's mite was most precious in the eyes of ,jesus1 because it was her all4 ,the objects we aim at are unquestionably scriptural4 ,go disciple all nations4 ,this was the ,saviour's last command4 ,to sustain our missionaries by the free-will offering of our brethren--this is also scriptural4 ,,chapter ,,xxxii4 ,in the year #ahfe the ,state meeting was held at ,prairie ,city4 ,meantime1 however1 a vigorous local district organization had been maintained from the first in ,northeastern ,kansas4 ,this year its annual meeting was held at ,leavenworth ,city1 continuing from the first till the #dth of ,june4 ,in addition to the ordinary purposes for which this meeting was held1 it undertook to perfect the ,missionary ,society that had been organized the preceding year at ,tecumseh4 ,among all the conventions held in ,kansas1 whether of ,state or ,district1 this must be regarded as the most notable3 #a4 ,it offers devout thanksgiving to the ,lord for the return of peace to the nation3 ,resolved1 ,that with hearts full of gratitude to ,almighty ,god1 we hail the return of peace to our long distracted country4 #b4 ,after seven years of labor1 beginning in #aheh1 and ending in #ahfe1 notwithstanding the disorders of the period1 this ,convention is able to give a tabulated report of seventy-nine churches organized in the ,state with their bishops1 deacons and evangelists1 and having an aggregate of #c1jbj4 #c4 ,it is able to report a missionary society1 that in the eight months intervening between the ,tecumseh ,state meeting and the present ,convention1 has collected and paid over to its four evangelists--,j2 ,h4 ,bauserman1 ,pardee ,butler1 ,s4 ,g4 ,brown and ,j4 ,j4 ,trott--the sum of #hbg4 #d4 ,the ,convention was able to adjourn1 full of hope and enthusiasm1 and to promise itself that it would do a still better work in the time to come4 ,the names of the following persons appear as the accredited messengers of the churches3 ,leavenworth--,j4 ,c4 ,stone1 ,g4 ,h4 ,field1 ,s4 ,a4 ,marshal1 ,h4 ,allen1 ,j4 ,t4 ,gardiner1 ,calvin ,reasoner4 ,ottumwa--,j4 ,t4 ,cox1 ,wm4 ,gans1 ,j4 ,jenks1 ,peter ,smith4 ,tecumseh--,j4 ,driver1 ,m4 ,driver1 ,a4 ,j4 ,alderman4 ,americus--,w4 ,c4 ,butler1 ,s4 ,s4 ,chapman4 ,le ,roy--,s4 ,g4 ,brown1 ,allen ,crocker4 ,little ,stranger--,j4 ,h4 ,bauserman1 ,s4 ,a4 ,lacefield1 ,j4 ,adams1 ,j4 ,p4 ,bauserman4 ,iola--,s4 ,brown4 ,nine ,mile--,n4 ,d4 ,tyler1 ,j4 ,t4 ,goode1 ,h4 ,dickson4 ,garnett--,j4 ,ramsey1 ,h4 ,cavender4 ,holton--,e4 ,cope1 ,j4 ,p4 ,nichols1 ,t4 ,g4 ,walters1 ,a4 ,b4 ,scholes4 ,pardee--,pardee ,butler1 ,n4 ,dunshee4 ,belmont--,j4 ,j4 ,trott4 ,monrovia--,j4 ,n4 ,holliday1 ,john ,graves1 ,caleb ,may4 ,mt4 ,pleasant--,joseph ,potter1 ,thomas ,miller1 ,joseph ,mc,bride1 ,n4 ,humber4 ,olathe ,p4 ,e4 ,henderson1 ,john ,elston1 ,martin ,davenport1 ,addison ,bowen4 ,lanesfield--,o4 ,s4 ,laws1 ,wm4 ,maxwell1 ,h4 ,c4 ,maxwell4 ,prairie ,city--,h4 ,h4 ,johnson4 ,buck ,creek--,c4 ,m4 ,short1 ,thomas ,finch1 ,martin ,stoddard4 ,grasshopper ,falls--,james ,ritter1 ,s4 ,smith4 ,winchester--,cyrus ,taylor1 ,a4 ,r4 ,cantwell4 ,but we wait for a period of seventeen years1 then ,eld ,s4 ,t4 ,dodd1 of ,topeka1 is appointed by the ,kansas ,christian ,missionary ,society to write a history of the work of the ,christian ,church in ,kansas1 which he does in a tract of thirty-eight pages2 and ,bro4 ,d41 writing under date of #ahhb1 makes the following summary of the work done3 ,from #ahef to #ahfe anything like church work was as good as thrown away1 except as affording temporary privileges4 ,finally a time came when the clatter of arms and the clatter of raiders were ended2 railroads were built1 and emigration poured in from all ,states and nations1 among which were many ,disciples of ,christ1 who should have been builded into existing churches1 or collected into new ones2 but many were permitted to drift along in carelessness and irresponsibility until their identity as members has been lost4 ,during the past five years there has been a general awakening among our brethren1 which has resulted in very many new organizations and the possession of ,atchison1 ,topeka1 ,wichita1 and several other strongholds4 ,bro4 ,dodd makes report of the following ,state meetings as having been held in ,kansas3 ,in #ahfi1 ,grantville2 in #ahgj1 ,le ,roy2 in #ahga1 ,st4 ,george2 in #ahgb1 ,emporia2 in #ahgc1 ,topeka2 in #ahgd1 ,olathe2 in #ahge1 ,ottawa1 in #ahgf1 ,manhattan2 in #ahgg1 ,emporia2 in #ahgh1 ,gates ,center2 in #ahgi1 ,emporia2 in #ahhj1 ,manhattan2 in #ahha1 ,salina2 in #ahcb1 ,emporia4 ,to the above summary the writer will add the following list of the earlier ,territorial and ,state meetings3 ,in #ahfj1 ,big ,springs2 in #ahfa1 ,prairie ,city2 in #ahfb1 ,emporia2 in #ahfc1 ,ottawa2 in #ahfd1 ,tecumseh2 in #ahfe1 ,prairie ,city2 in #ahff1 ,ottawa2 in #ahfg1 ,olathe4 ,to the above statistics we will append the following reflections3 #a4 ,among the preachers that prominently appear in the first seven years of our work1 there are none remaining1 save the writer of these ,recollections1 ,some are fallen out by the way4 ,elders ,s4 ,g4 ,brown1 ,wm4 ,gans1 ,n4 ,b4 ,white1 ,s4 ,a4 ,marshal and ,allen ,crocker have died in the faith and hope of the gospel4 ,the name of ,j4 ,h4 ,bauserman does1 indeed1 appear1 but he had only just begun his work2 but having put the armor on1 he has never laid it off4 ,the name of ,j4 ,b4 ,mc,cleery does not yet appear on the minutes of our yearly meetings1 still he was already an evangelist4 ,he had been in ,ohio the friend and companion of ,james ,a4 ,garfield1 and soon came to be known as one of the first pulpit orators of the ,state4 ,the government1 like death1 loves a shining mark1 and claimed ,bro4 ,mc,cleery for its service1 and he is now an army chaplain4 ,the churches will never cease to regret his choice1 and yet he had a right to make it4 #b4 ,the facts do not bear out the remark of ,bro4 ,s4 ,t4 ,dodd1 that from #ahef to #ahfe anything like church work was as good as thrown away4 ,with seventy-nine churches organized1 and with upwards of three thousand church members in the ,state1 work could scarcely be said to be as good as thrown away4 #c4 ,notwithstanding1 the facts bear witness that there were grave imperfections in our work4 ,after a heroic battle1 fought under insuperable difficulties1 and when there was every promise of still more brilliant triumphs1 the cause went into an eclipse1 from which it emerged only after many years of disaster4 ,from and after the year #ahge1 the churches spread themselves over a territory of two hundred miles in width and four hundred miles in length1 and a great number of men became responsible for the good or the evil that should come on the cause of primitive and apostolic ,christianity4 ,it is probable that since the period of which we are speaking1 #ajj1jjj ,disciples have located somewhere in these ,western ,territories4 ,if the church should now undertake to make inquisition for these church members1 and make inquiry into their present condition1 temporal and spiritual1 the story of their wants and woes would be full of pathetic eloquence4 ,since the days of the apostles an enthusiasm never has been known greater than that which was felt by the men who1 under ,god1 are responsible for this ,reformation4 ,in the beginning of the present century the missionary spirit among ,christians was dead1 and their zeal was wasted in disgraceful squabbles over inoperative and metaphysical opinions1 or over modes of church government of which the ,bible knows nothing4 ,the ,protestant sects were divided into two hostile camps1 known as ,calvinists and ,arminians4 ,the ,calvinist dogma was that ,jesus died only for the elect1 who were chosen in a by-gone eternity2 that all men are spiritually as dead and helpless as was the cold dead dust of the earth out of which ,adam was created1 but that ,god will quicken into a new life dead sinners who are of the elect1 and will give them evidence of their acceptance by the joyful emotions which he will create in their hearts4 ,and so the supreme interest of men centered in this1 that they were to seek in their own hearts those raptures and ecstasies that were evidence that they had experienced this spiritual change4 ,the ,arminians gloried in a free salvation4 ,christ died for all4 ,but they demanded identically the same evidence of pardon demanded by the ,calvinists1 and men found it just as hard to get this ,arminian evidence of pardon as to get the experience that assured them that they were of the elect1 according to the gospel of ,calvinism2 and so it game to pass that this lethargy of ,christians over missionary work1 and these wranglings over human opinions1 had1 before the ,revolutionary ,war1 covered the ,american colonies like a blanket with the spirit of infidelity4 ,the corruption of ,christianity by the ,roman ,catholic ,church issued in the atheism of the ,french ,revolution1 and has created the infidelity of modern ,european nations2 so like causes had precipitated a similar result in ,america4 ,men were groping as the blind grope in darkness1 and then came1 during the first half of the present century1 the proclamation of primitive and apostolic ,christianity4 ,alexander ,campbell1 ,john ,smith1 ,jacob ,creath and ,samuel ,rogers in ,virginia and ,kentucky1 and ,walter ,scott1 the ,haydens and ,john ,henry in ,northeastern ,ohio1 made the people understand that the plan of salvation is as simple as the primer of our childhood2 that it is all comprehended in this1 that we must bow to the authority of ,jesus1 that we must believe in him and keep his commandments1 and that the whole story is told in the four gospels and in the ,acts of the ,apostles with such simplicity that he that runs may read1 that he that reads may understand1 and that he that understands may act4 ,alexander ,campbell has said that a persecution made up of defamation1 proscription and slander may be as hard to hear as that which issues in bonds and imprisonments2 and this these early ,disciples had to bear4 ,but the world was ripe for reformation1 and the cause spread like fire on the prairies4 ,those who originally planted these churches in ,kansas were1 in large part1 men and women who had drawn their inspiration directly from the founders and leaders of this ,reformation4 ,to some of them it had been given to sit at the feet of ,alexander ,campbell4 ,others had listened to ,john ,smith1 and had been magnetized by the inimitable wit and wisdom of that marvelous man1 and their hearts had drawn heroic courage from his heart4 ,others still had been captivated by the boyish and unstudied drollery of ,walter ,scott1 only to be swept away by a whirlwind of passionate appeal and terrible invective1 or to be melted with the tenderness of his portrayal of the love of ,jesus4 ,and all these came to ,kansas bearing a great cause in their hearts1 and determined to build up here such churches as they had left behind them4 ,but this was not all4 ,here were not only people among the most refined1 well informed1 and pious in the nation1 but here were those who had been born in a storm of religious fanaticism1 and could only live in a whirlwind of excitement4 ,these were the big-meeting ,christians4 ,there were also those whose truthfulness was doubtful1 whose business methods were questionable1 who could1 on occasion1 indulge in coarse and vulgar jokes and smutty jests1 and whose religion scarce kept them outside the grog-shop4 ,added to all this1 there were many whose hearts were yet bleeding with wounds they had received in that terrible struggle out of which the nation had just emerged4 ,and now1 afflicted with poverty1 drouth1 grasshoppers and starvation1 we were left an agglomeration of heterogeneous materials1 to fight our own battle as best we might4 ,we might hope for help from the ,lord1 but not from our brethren in the older ,states4 ,they were too busy debating the divine plan of missionary operations to help us4 ,the reader may well believe that the writer of these ,recollections did not find himself carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease while this was going on1 nor did he find himself reposing on a couch soft as downy pillows4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiii4 ,whatever may have been thought by a certain class of men1 when the writer began his work in ,kansas1 it is now universally admitted among the ,disciples that temperance work is legitimate church work--that the saloon being an enemy to our homes and our families1 and the greatest peril that confronts the church and nation1 its extinction is a legitimate object of ,christian endeavor4 ,there was a young evangelist prominently engaged with us in our early work whose history is so sad1 and whose relations1 who are of the excellent of the earth1 have already had their hearts so wounded because of him1 that ,i have not been able to bring myself to write his name4 ,he was of ,irish descent1 and before he became a preacher1 or even a disciple1 and while learning his trade1 he had formed the drinking habit4 ,he was not a young man of brilliant gifts1 but they were solid4 ,moreover1 he was humble1 patient1 industrious and persevering1 and1 having excellent health and a good physical organization1 he gave promise of enduring usefulness4 ,in short1 he belonged to that class of young men that1 while the people do not spoil them with flattery1 yet the church set a great store by them4 ,i can not write the history of his fall1 for it was not made known even to his friends2 only this1 that the time came that he seemed hesitating whether he should continue a preacher1 and finally he wholly abandoned the ministry4 ,his wife1 who was a most estimable and ,christian lady1 was paralyzed with grief4 ,at length the shameful truth came out--he was a drunkard6 ,a brother undertook to admonish him of the awful fate that awaited him in the future world1 but this apostate and disgraced preacher turned fiercely around and said3 don't talk to me of hell6 ,i am in hell now6 ,there was living in the neighborhood of the writer a ,christian family--though not of the ,disciples--who had a boy that they regarded as of great promise1 and they did what they could to give him a good education4 ,after he had been for a while a school teacher1 he became a lawyer1 resident in ,atchison1 and finally became a politician4 ,he was talented1 social1 companionable and ambitious1 and soon made himself a man of mark1 and was petted and courted by the people1 and was the idol of his father and mother4 ,all this brought him much into company4 ,but at that time the brewers and saloonkeepers exercised a despotism over the politicians and public men of the city as absolute as is the despotism of the ,czar over the ,russians4 ,but there was this difference3 instead of being slaves to a great monarch1 these politicians were tools and lick-spittles to a set of coarse1 brutal1 low-bred liquor dealers1 who were exceptionally ignorant1 degraded and vile4 ,these wretched and vicious corrupters of the public morals insisted on controlling every caucus1 and that the candidates1 of whatever party1 should be men well pleasing in their sight4 ,if not1 then the fat was in the fire1 and the candidate was forthwith slaughtered4 ,the writer of these ,recollections has been a ,republican as long as there has been a ,republican party1 and has probably loved the party as well as it has deserved4 ,this party1 as is well known1 has assumed to be the party of moral and religious ideas4 ,now ,i have known1 in cases not a few1 men to be nominated for office by this party--men who were respectable and ,christian men1 and they have told me1 and they have made the confession with shame and humiliation--that the party managers have come to them and said1 ,you are assessed so much for campaign expenses4 ,the pretext was1 that this was for legitimate campaign work2 and yet they knew that the pretext was a lie1 and that it was to constitute a corruption fund1 to be put into the saloons4 ,and these men were thus made candidates1 to give respectability to the saloonkeepers' party1 and1 though they did not go into the saloons themselves1 they must pay toll to the devil all the same4 ,it was under such circumstances that this boy1 who had been raised in our neighborhood1 but had grown to be a man1 and had entered upon public life1 now became a center of attraction to the hale-fellows-well-met of the saloon and the caucus4 ,the reader need not be told that this gifted young lawyer was walking into the very jaws of death4 ,there were soon alarming rumors that he was becoming dangerously addicted to drink1 and his friends entreated him to save himself while he could1 and he made promise to his mother and wife to reform4 ,but1 alas6 it was too late6 ,i was traveling home from ,topeka1 and on the railroad train ,i met a gentleman from ,atchison--an intimate friend of this young lawyer--and ,i was congratulating him on the reformation of our mutual friend4 ,he shook his head1 and said3 don't deceive yourself4 ,he tells me that he can remain sober two or three months1 but that then he can held out no longer1 and1 not wishing to make a public spectacle of himself1 he buys a bottle of liquor1 locks himself up in his room1 and goes into a regular debauch4 ,then1 after three or four days1 he is able to appear on the streets again4 ,after a while the friends of this young man buried him4 ,the doctors gave his sickness a respectable name1 and reported that he had died of such a disease as decent people may die of1 but his friends1 with heart-breaking sorrow1 knew they were burying a man who had died of a drunken debauch4 ,i have spoken freely of the evils wrought by our border troubles2 but now we had to realize that1 taking all the men murdered in our early feuds1 and comparing them with the men murdered by strong drink in the city of ,atchison1 counting man for man1 there have been more men murdered by strong drink than by all our border troubles4 ,there have been more women that have had their hearts broken1 more children turned into the streets1 more fortunes squandered1 in the single city of ,atchison than in all the ,kansas war4 ,but there is another point of comparison4 ,the men who wrestled with each other in that early conflict verily thought they were right4 ,they may have been mistaken1 but they thought they were in the right2 they therefore maintained their own self-respect4 ,but those who have died in this battle of the bottles and the beer glasses have lost everything--self-respect1 reputation1 honor1 everything2 and they went to the dogs and their souls went to perdition4 ,i have been a somewhat voluminous writer on many subjects now for forty years1 but all this would scarce exceed in amount what ,i have written in ,kansas newspapers1 during a series of years1 on the single subject of temperance4 ,besides1 ,i spent much time in lecturing1 for the welfare of the church and of the nation was at stake2 and yet1 what was done by myself was only a drop in the bucket compared with what went to make up1 year after year1 a great agitation4 ,at length the people became so aroused that the lawmakers at ,topeka came to understand that something must be done in the way of temperance legislation2 and they gave us a local option law4 ,but crafty politicians obtained that cities of the first and second class should be exempted4 ,this was nothing but mockery4 ,the cities were the very places where the law was most needed1 for men from the country went into the city and there they encountered their old enemy1 the saloon4 ,and so we kept up the agitation1 and demanded that the saloon should be prohibited throughout the ,state4 ,at length the pressure became so great that the politicians understood a second time that something must be yielded to the popular demand1 and they tried another dodge4 ,they said3 ,we will give you the privilege to vote an amendment to the constitution incorporating prohibition into the constitution of the ,state4 ,this would at least put off the evil day for two years1 for it would take two years before such an amendment could go into operation4 ,but here again was seen the usual treachery4 ,the amendment to be voted on read as follows3 ,the manufacture and sale of intoxicating liquors shall be forever prohibited in this ,state1 except for medical1 scientific and mechanical purposes4 ,this was a stumbling-block laid in the way of feeble-minded ,christians1 for was not this an attack on their ,christian liberty to use intoxicating wine at the ,lord's table1 and would not this be awful8 ,moreover1 it forbade a farmer to manufacture hard cider from his own orchard1 and would not this be a hard and tyrannical law8 ,this was vexatious1 for we were fighting the saloon1 and were not seeking to palter with such frivolous and intermeddling legislation4 ,nevertheless1 in spite of these crafty attempts to excite popular odium against the amendment1 it was adopted by a majority of more than eight thousand1 and it became the duty of the next ,legislature to enact a law enforcing the amendment4 ,then some of us waited on these conscript fathers at ,topeka1 and entreated them1 and supplicated them1 and almost got down on our knees to them1 beseeching- them to use a little courage and common sense4 ,the ,house of ,representatives was largely made up of farmers and men from the country1 and was overwhelmingly in favor of an honest temperance law2 but the ,senate was largely made up of lawyers and men from the city1 and was full of treachery and open and secret enmity4 ,and so the ,senate took the lead in making the law1 and got up a bill that they purposely made as full of imperfections as a sieve is full of holes1 and sent it down to the lower house4 ,it was manifestly the duty of the ,house of ,representatives to amend the bill1 but now a great scare was got up4 ,the cry was raised3 ,there is treachery6 treachery6 ,you must adopt this ,senate bill without amending it1 to the extent of changing the dot of an i or the crossing of a t2 for if it goes back to the ,senate it will certainly be killed4 ,and yet the ,senate had adopted it by an almost four-fifths majority6 ,the fact was1 that these ,senators1 with all their bluster and bravado1 were trembling in their boots1 and dared not face their constituents at home while voting against any temperance law1 however stringent1 and this gave the friends of the law good warrant to make just such a law as was needed4 ,and so the bill became a law2 and then there followed such a farce in the courts as might make us lose faith in our ,christian civilization and in our civilized jurisprudence4 ,and it came to be understood that a coach-and-four could be driven through the loopholes that had been left in the law1 and saloonkeepers began to remark1 ,prohibition don't prohibit4 ,but from this evil we had what must be regarded a providential deliverance4 ,a judge was found who made up in his own integrity and courage whatever was imperfect in the provisions of the law1 and his good example was followed throughout the ,state4 ,john ,martin1 a lawyer1 resident in ,topeka1 is a solid1 sensible and honest man4 ,his brethren of the ,democratic persuasion wanted to make him a candidate for ,governor1 but because they would not insert in their platform a plank affirming that the law--because it was the law--ought to be enforced1 he declined to accept the nomination1 and ,geo4 ,w4 ,glick was nominated and elected4 ,then ,mr4 ,glick1 to reciprocate this courtesy1 appointed ,martin to a vacant judgeship in the ,topeka judicial district2 and a whisky case came before ,judge ,martin4 ,the principal witness undertook to play the usual dodge of perjury and equivocation1 but ,judge ,martin stopped the witness and said3 ,sir1 you are to tell whether the liquor you bought was whisky4 ,the witness again began to repeat his story of equivocation3 ,well1 ,i called for cold tea1 and ,i suppose ,i got what ,i called for4 ,stop6 said the ,judge in a voice of thunder4 ,this witness is lying6 ,sheriff1 take the witness and lock him up in jail4 ,the ,sheriff had got as far as the door when the witness called out3 ,judge1 are you going to lock me up8 ,yes1 and ,i will keep you there till you rot unless you tell the truth4 ,well1 ,i will tell4 ,the witness was placed again in the witness box4 ,now1 said the ,judge1 was it whisky you bought of this saloonkeeper8 ,yes1 it was whisky4 ,the example of ,judge ,martin was imitated by all the courts1 and incredible sums of money have been collected as fines from the saloonkeepers1 who1 with the brewers1 fought the battle to the bitter end1 and appealed their cases to the ,supreme ,court of the ,united ,states4 ,but it has ended in their absolute defeat1 and even these gentlemen do now admit that prohibition does prohibit--in ,kansas4 ,since that time the law has been greatly amended1 and the saloons have been driven out of the ,state4 ,one evil yet remains4 ,just across the ,missouri ,river from ,atchison is ,east ,atchison1 and here whisky and beer are as free as water4 ,of course1 this is a great calamity to us1 but we wait in expectation and hope that prohibition will yet be achieved in ,missouri4 ,john ,a4 ,brooks lives in ,missouri2 we live in ,kansas4 ,this man was once a rebel2 we were loyal men4 ,yet we pray the ,father of ,mercies to spare the life of this man1 to prosper him and keep him1 until he shall achieve this great good1 not only to ,missouri1 but to ourselves4 ,,chapter ,,xxxiv4 ,this reformation in the rapidity of its growth is without parallel in the history of ,protestant parties4 ,those acquainted with its history need not be told that a large number of its members were at first drawn from the ,baptists4 ,it is indeed a matter of wonder that a ,presbyterian minister1 but a short time identified with the ,baptists1 should exert such an influence over them as to induce a great multitude of churches and church members to resolve that when he was driven out of the ,baptist ,church they also would share his fortune1 and accept loss of reputation and exclusion from their former brotherhood for the sake of the principles they had learned from him4 ,now1 when we reflect that this embraced not only young men1 but old men--men already arrived at that period of life at which it is most difficult to change our habits of thinking and acting1 it becomes a question of profoundest interest2 were these men able to make a change so radical as to plant themselves completely on reformation principles1 and to abandon everything in their old ,baptist order incompatible therewith8 ,when we remember that this movement embraced gray-haired ,baptist ministers1 who all their lifetime had been accustomed to lead and not to follow1 we curiously inquire1 ,did they do this1 or did they locate themselves on a sort of half-way ground which was a compromise between reformation principles and old ,baptistism8 ,let us briefly notice wherein they changed1 and wherein they did not change4 #a4 ,they laid aside the name ,baptist and took the name ,christian4 #b4 ,they built upon the ,bible alone1 instead of the ,philadelphia ,confession of faith4 #c4 ,they taught that the church began at ,pentecost1 rather than with the preaching of ,john the ,baptist4 #d4 ,they baptized men into a profession of faith in the ,lord ,jesus1 that he is the ,messiah1 rather than into a ,christian experience1 made up of voices in the air1 marvelous and strange sights1 trances and rapturous feelings4 #e4 ,they taught that in conversion and sanctification1 the ,holy ,spirit operates through the truth4 ,thus far the change was radical1 but here a large minority paused and brought with them into the reformation their old ,baptist ,church usages4 ,the ,baptists in the ,great ,west and ,south are known as ,missionary ,baptists1 and ,old ,baptists1 or ,hardshell ,baptists4 ,adoniram ,judson and ,luther ,rice1 who had been sent to ,burmah by a ,congregational ,missionary ,society1 made known to the ,baptists that they themselves had become ,baptists1 and had been repudiated by their own society1 and asked for help4 ,the ,missionary ,baptists are by far the most enterprising in all that pertains to the spread of ,christianity4 ,they are the most numerous1 most wealthy1 best educated1 and most liberal4 ,in translating the ,bible into all languages1 in carrying it into all lands1 and in sending the gospel to all nations1 they have made some amends for that unrelenting bitterness which they have shown toward our brethren from the first day till now4 ,we shall glance at what has hitherto been their order by making certain extracts from the ,central ,baptist1 published in the year #ahgj4 ,the reader must bear in mind that we are writing of those old days3 ,in ,arkansas there are but four ,missionary ,baptist ,churches that sustain a regular pastor1 or sustain preaching more than once a month4 ,in ,north ,alabama1 two2 in the whole of ,alabama1 twelve2 in ,missouri1 twenty-seven4 ,missouri has six hundred white churches1 with a membership of fifty thousand1 which have preaching once a month4 ,once a month preaching by secularized ministry6 ,is it any wonder that the cause does not go forward faster8 ,not more than two dozen out of seven hundred churches in ,missouri have service every ,sunday4 ,let us pause a moment over this picture of ,southern and ,western ,baptist ,churches1 drawn by themselves4 ,in ,arkansas but four churches had at this time preaching every ,lord's day2 in ,alabama1 twelve1 and in ,missouri twenty-four out of seven hundred6 ,well may the writer ask1 ,is it any wonder that the cause does not go forward faster8 ,but if this was the order of the ,missionary ,baptists in the year #ahgj1 what must have been the order of the ,old ,baptists seventy years before1 when ,raccoon ,john ,smith was groping his way out of darkness into the light of the gospel1 all unconscious of his utter blindness1 that the reading of the ,scriptures would conduce1 either directly or indirectly1 to his regeneration or sanctification4 ,the people known as ,hardshell ,baptists do not wish to be called by that name4 ,they wish to be known as ,old ,baptists1 or ,united ,baptists1 for they allege that they are the lineal descendants of the ,united ,baptists1 and that the ,missionary ,baptists have apostatized1 and gone away after strange gods4 ,the ,old ,baptists had long been declaiming against college-bred preachers and a hireling ministry4 ,they had certain pet theories concerning man's inability and ,god's sovereignty concerning a certain special1 supernatural1 immediate and efficacious work of grace on the heart of the sinners4 ,they said1 ,if ,god wants a missionary1 he can send him1 and maintain him1 too4 ,he needs no human help in the conversion of sinners1 whether at home or abroad4 ,we can find no ,scripture for ,sunday-schools1 ,bible classes1 prayer-meetings1 weekly meetings1 hireling preachers1 missionaries or missionary societies4 ,so they kept to their monthly meetings and monthly preaching4 ,they have no schools of learning1 few educated men1 no well-educated men1 no missionaries1 no contributions for missionary purposes1 no weekly meetings1 no weekly preaching1 no weekly breaking of the loaf1 no ,sunday-schools1 no ,bible classes1 no prayer-meetings4 ,but they have monthly preaching1 by a man who is reputed a pastor over four churches1 and who1 in the nature of things1 can not reside in three of the four churches over which he professes to preside4 ,he obtains but meager pecuniary reward for his preaching4 ,he therefore provides for his own sustenance and that of his family by the labor of his own hands4 ,for this reason he must needs go to his appointments on ,saturday1 and return on ,monday morning1 and is therefore comparatively a stranger to the greater part of his four several flocks4 ,he can not know their daily life4 ,a few preachers among the old ,baptists preeminently godly1 self-sacrificing1 and devoted to the ,lord's cause1 have left their families to suffer poverty and want1 and have spent their lives in looking after the stray lambs of the flock2 but this is not the general rule4 ,this ,baptist bishop has no authority whatever in any matter of discipline1 his function being that of a moderator in a ,saturday business monthly meeting4 ,the sitting in judgment on the alleged acts of disorderly members belongs to the whole church1 men and women1 boys and girls4 ,we are now prepared to take the measure of the means of spiritual culture enjoyed by this people4 ,it is just one sermon a month2 or1 if they are peculiarly favored1 it is three sermons a month4 ,the children are left at home4 ,they run wild like so many young apes1 and wander along the streams or through the forests2 or1 if they are brought by their parents to the meeting1 there is nothing especially for them4 ,it will be well for us to ponder well the inevitable consumption and slow decay that is surely wearing out these ,old ,baptist churches4 ,like the house of ,saul1 they are growing weaker and weaker4 ,what a contrast between their condition now and seventy years ago4 ,then the ,united ,baptists were the most powerful religious body in the great ,west4 ,then ,jacob ,creath and ,jeremiah ,vardeman could1 if they had been so disposed1 have elected the ,governor of ,kentucky4 ,then the ,baptists were strong in the affections of the people1 and strong in the memory of those men who had1 through incredible toil1 obloquy1 poverty and loss of goods1 planted the ,baptist cause in the ,american wilderness4 ,alexander ,campbell1 with his eminent gifts of eloquence and learning1 was welcomed among the ,baptists almost as an angel from heaven4 ,but his well-meant efforts to work a reformation in the ,baptist churches were despised1 and he was thrust out as a heathen man and publican4 ,what treasures untold reside in the ,lord's house1 the ,lord's day1 the ,lord's book1 and the ordinances of the ,lord8 ,it is the glory of ,christianity4 ,now let the members of a ,christian ,church fail to meet at the ,lord's house for ,christian worship on the ,lord's day1 and to what snares and temptations do they not subject themselves and their children8 ,what temptations to idleness and to wasting the ,lord's day in visiting and gossiping1 or in drowsy lethargy6 ,the sanctification of the ,lord's day by meeting in honor of the resurrection of the ,saviour1 and especially with a reference to the celebration of the ,lord's supper1 is essential to the edification1 spirituality1 holiness1 usefulness and happiness of the ,christian community4 ,it is not designed to throw into the shade any other duties of the ,christian ,church while contending for those above stated2 but because no society save the ,disciples of ,christ so regard1 observe and celebrate the ,lord's day4 ,we endeavor to arrest the attention of our fellow professors to the great design of it and of the coming together of the members of ,christ's family on that day4 ,when assembled for this chief purpose1 the reading of the ,scriptures1 teaching1 exhortation1 prayer1 praise1 contributions for the poor1 and discipline when called for1 are all in order and necessary to the growth of the ,christian ,church in all the graces of the ,spirit1 and in all the fruits of holiness4--,,alex4 ,,campbell1 in ,millennial ,harbinger1 ,vol4 ,i41 p4 #ecd1 ,new ,series4 ,and what an audacious wrong and unutterable blunder would it be for ,god's chosen people to adopt an order that should defraud themselves1 their children1 their neighbors and their neighbor's children of such a glorious privilege4 ,if we could imagine two communities1 one of which should1 with their children and their children's children1 diligently devote the ,lord's day to purposes of moral1 religious and intellectual improvement1 while the other community should waste the day in idle and frivolous dissipation1 what unmeasured progress would ultimately be made by one beyond that made by the other4 ,and to which of these two classes will that favored people belong to whom will be awarded the high privilege of introducing among jarring sects and parties the true millennial church8 ,and do not these considerations go far to explain the contrast that is everywhere seen to exist between ,protestant and ,catholic countries8 ,among ,protestants the day is a day to be sanctified to purposes of religious worship1 among ,catholics it is a holiday4 ,the peculiarity of our position creates an invincible necessity that we shall make the largest possible provision for the moral1 intellectual and religious training and development of our people4 ,this provision is largely found in keeping the ordinances of the ,lord's house and the ,lord's day4 ,we have made a vow1 and that vow is recorded in heaven1 that we will meet together every first day of the week to break bread4 ,to do otherwise--to show a good-natured imbecility of purpose--to drift helplessly along in the usages of the ,old ,baptists1 conscious in our own hearts that this is not the ancient order of things1 and having sternly demanded conformity to the apostolic order1 at whatever sacrifice of peace1 now to suffer our own brethren to travel on in the old ruts1 rather than hazard the pain and trouble that will be the price of reform1 would be a folly so inexcusable1 a shame so unutterable1 that the very stones might well cry out against us4 ,,chapter ,,xxxv4 ,professor ,william ,h4 ,whitsitt1 of the ,southern ,baptist ,theological ,seminary1 at ,louisville1 ,ky41 has written a book that has for its leading feature to make it appear that the ,disciples are an offshoot from the ,sandemanians4 ,the ,sandemanians1 like the ,baptists1 had both faults and virtues4 ,they were one of the earliest sects of the ,scotch ,presbyterians to protest against a union of ,church and ,state2 they practiced a weekly breaking of the loaf2 held to a plurality of elders in every church1 and were exceptionally helpful to the poor2 and surely1 even ,dr4 ,whitsitt will not call these damnable heresies4 ,but they were also rigid separatists4 ,they were ,calvinists of the straitest sect1 and made all their opinions a bond of union4 ,in this they were like the ,baptists1 but essentially dissimilar to the ,disciples4 ,they exalted feet washing and the holy kiss into church ordinances1 and excluded all who did not agree with them in these opinions1 just as the ,baptists exclude from the ,lord's table all who are not of our faith and order1 though they admit that those persons thus excluded are regenerated1 accepted of the ,lord1 and enjoy the indwelling of the ,holy ,spirit4 ,differing from the ,sandemanians in the most essential element of our plea1 we hold a very remote relationship to them--that of fortieth cousin1 perhaps4 ,the ,disciples are just as evidently an offshoot from the ,baptists1 as children are an offshoot from the parental stock4 ,twenty years after the writer had begun his work in ,kansas1 he was able to count among fifty churches which had been organized within his knowledge1 twenty-five that were dead2 and there were six meeting-houses that were left unoccupied or sold for debt4 ,and the church members would say to me3 ,we can neither preach1 nor pray1 nor read the ,scriptures1 nor break the loaf to edification1 and we are too poor to hire a preacher4 ,what shall we do8 ,they had no training1 save that training they had obtained in the old ,baptist churches1 or one similar in our own1 and now that they were scattered over the great ,west1 and were poor in this world's goods1 they were indeed in a pitiably helpless condition4 ,i sometimes said1 ,get up a ,sunday-school4 ,but the old heads would get together and begin to debate where ,cain got his wife1 or who was the father of ,melchisedec1 or what was the thorn in the flesh that afflicted ,paul2 or they would dispute over the mode of baptism1 or the operation of the ,holy ,spirit1 and the boys1 verifying the old adage that the devil always finds work for idle hands to do1 and not appreciating this sort of thing1 would shoot paper balls at each other and at the old folks1 and the girls would do naughty things and grieve their mothers1 and the whole thing would go up in smoke4 ,nothing seemed to be left to these brethren1 only the protracted meeting and monthly preaching4 ,to many of them pastorating was one of the sorceries which1 with the mother of ,babylon1 had bewitched the world4 ,these brethren seemed to have forgotten that ,paul gives highest praise to that elder that not only rules well1 but so addicts himself to the ministry of the ,word and teaching as to require that he shall be sustained by the freewill offerings of the brethren4 ,and when we sought an arrangement by which all should give--each man1 according to his ability--we were alarmed with fearful prognostications of evil3 ,beware6 beware6 ,these brethren said1 ,you are making a veritable ,popish bull1 and he will gore you to death4 ,beware of missionary societies6 ,and when we turned to these men and besought them1 ,tell us1 dear brethren1 how we shall obtain1 without offense1 the means to send help to those perishing churches8 they were silent4 ,this was not their function4 ,their vocation was to warn the people against ,popish bulls and human missionary societies1 for which there can not be found a thus saith the ,lord1 in express terms or by an approved precedent4 ,meantime the churches in the older ,states had contributed one hundred thousand ,disciples--this has sometimes been the estimated number--as emigrants to the great ,west1 and these were scattered over its wide extended ,territories1 and it was to be shown how far this contribution1 more precious than gold or silver or costliest gems1 should be as water spilled on the ground1 or as treasure cast into the bottom of the sea1 or how far it should be as precious seed bearing fruit1 some thirty fold1 some sixty1 and some one hundred fold4 ,when our first churches were organized in ,kansas1 ,alexander ,campbell had become old and well-stricken in years4 ,i have already written of the missionary society that was created in #ahfd1 and of the great convention held in ,leavenworth ,city in #ahfe1 in which we sought to perfect the workings of that society4 ,within the following year ,mr4 ,campbell died1 and the always welcome ,millennial ,harbinger ceased its monthly visits4 ,the voice of ,mr4 ,c4 had been a bugle blast calling men to heroic deeds1 and his overshadowing influence had restrained from that tendency to division1 for opinion's sake1 which is our inheritance from our common ,protestantism4 ,but now a great emigration had come into ,kansas from every part of the ,united ,states1 and among these were many who looked with no favor on any innovation on the traditions of the fathers4 ,mr4 ,c4 had said in his notable debate with the ,rev4 ,n4 ,l4 ,rice1 at ,lexington1 ,ky43 ,men formerly of all persuasions1 and of all denominations and prejudices1 have been baptized on this good confession1 and have united in one community4 ,among them are found those who had been ,romanists1 ,episcopalians1 ,presbyterians1 ,methodists1 ,baptists1 ,restorationists1 ,quakers1 ,arians1 ,unitarians1 etc41 etc4 ,we have one ,lord1 one faith1 one baptism1 but various opinions4 ,all these persons1 of so many and contradictory opinions1 weekly meet around our ,lord's table in hundreds of churches all over the land4 ,our bond of union is faith in the slain ,messiah1 in his death for our sins and his resurrection for our justification4 ,it is perfectly apparent that to harmonize these elements--often opposite and conflicting--thus brought together in one body was no easy task1 but we had more than this to do2 we were also to harmonize the fierce antagonisms growing out of our early contests1 and then to make those brethren who had been heretofore averse to any combination whatever for religious work other than that of the single congregation--to make them feel the absolute necessity of united action and cooperation4 ,this was indeed a task most difficult4 ,and if the final good results have only slowly become apparent we are entitled to the judgment of charity4 ,it is admitted that every liberty that ,god has given to men may be abused1 and has been abused4 ,marriage1 religion1 civil government1 the rights of property1 eating and drinking--in short1 all liberty1 of whatever kind1 may be and has been abused4 ,still we must use our liberty1 our very existence depends upon it4 ,i have said it already1 and ,i say again1 if sixty millions of the ,american people can unite together to promote the public tranquillity1 and all citizens enjoy more of personal liberty than they could enjoy if every county were an independent principality1 then our whole brotherhood1 from the ,atlantic to the ,pacific1 may be trusted to meet together1 by their messengers or in person1 to promote necessary ,christian work without endangering our ,christian liberties4 ,if all the churches of ,macedonia could unite together to send relief to the poor saints at ,jerusalem1 then1 surely1 the brethren everywhere may combine together to send relief to people perishing for want of the word of life4 ,and so with much weariness and painfulness1 and often with gratuitous and unrequited labor1 with long rides by day and by night1 and much exposure to heat and cold1 to floods and storms1 and to rough treatment by wicked men--in short1 with that relentless and persistent toil which makes a man old before his time1 and in which one man has carried on the work of two men year after year1 ,i have labored on1 never doubting1 but always hoping for that good time coming1 when churches will be just1 and give honest pay to honest men who do honest work4 ,my hope has been that if ,i can not live to profit by that better order of things1 it will at least be better for the men that come after me4 ,the wife of a traveling evangelist will always be the proper object of pity and sympathy1 if pity and sympathy are to be given4 ,she is not cheered by the smiles of admiring crowds1 nor does she feel the intoxication of flattering tongues4 ,she dwells at home in the desolation and loneliness of a practical widowhood1 and often ekes out a meager support from a stingy and starveling salary4 ,but somebody has to do this frontier and pioneer work2 and might it not as well be me and my wife as any other man and his wife8 ,i have given a wide range to these ,recollections4 ,in doing so1 ,i have not followed the example of a cowardly1 corrupted and compromising ,christianity1 but rather have imitated the robust and manly courage of the writers of the ,old and ,new ,testament1 who tell of the deeds of good men and bad men1 and who also use the same freedom in speaking of the evil deeds of wicked rulers that they use in speaking of the things that more immediately concern the spiritual and eternal interests of men4 ,i have made the briefest possible mention of the hapless condition our churches were in twenty years ago4 ,the picture is neither flattering nor cheering2 but right royally are the churches now redeeming themselves from the reproach they were under then4 ,a pastor is now being settled in each church as fast as the pecuniary circumstances of the congregation will permit1 and a grand enthusiasm in ,sunday-school work1 simplifying and illustrating all its details1 has made it possible for the weakest and poorest church to keep itself alive4 ,wherever there are children with their young enthusiasm--and the children1 like the poor1 are always with us--and wherever there are parents ready to lead their children in the way in which they should go1 there the permanency of a church is assured4 ,and now1 with many misgivings as touching our immediate future1 but with an abiding hope of triumph in the end1 ,i bid the reader farewell4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvi4 ,,reminiscences4 ,,by ,,mrs4 ,,rosetta ,b4 ,,hastings4 ,when father went back to ,illinois1 after he was rafted1 we visited for several weeks among the churches where he had preached4 ,then we returned with him to ,kansas1 to visit my uncle1 and to stay on our claim awhile1 lest some person should jump it4 ,we left our goods at ,mt4 ,sterling1 for father had promised to preach there that winter2 but he told us that he had determined to move to ,kansas sooner than he had first expected4 ,we ferried the ,missouri ,river near ,jefferson ,city1 and crossed the ,kansas ,river in the woods1 where ,kansas ,city1 ,kansas1 now stands4 ,there was little of ,kansas ,city then1 except a few warehouses where freight was landed for ,independence1 which was the starting point of the ,santa ,fe trail4 ,claims were being taken so rapidly that we remained to hold ours1 while father returned to ,illinois to preach4 ,two families in one room made it rather crowded1 but we had a comfortable cabin4 ,it contained a twelve-paned window--the only one in the settlement2 cabins usually had no windows1 or very small ones4 ,mr4 ,may's folks had oiled paper over a narrow opening1 which they closed with a board shutter4 ,i asked their little girl why they did not have a larger window1 and she said the ,indians might get in4 ,but no ,indians troubled us4 ,when father came home1 ,april #cjth1 we all ran out to meet him4 ,but mother's quick eye detected something wrong4 ,why1 ,i look all right1 don't ,i8 he asked1 smiling4 ,when we reached the house she again questioned him1 and he sat down1 rolled up his sleeve1 and showed us his arm1 brown with tar1 and fuzzy with cotton4 ,then he told us his story4 ,they had not tarred his face1 except a spot on his forehead1 where1 he said1 they had stuck a bunch of cotton as large as his two fists4 ,the road to ,ocena1 as our post-office was called1 ran up the bluff now known to ,atchison people as ,sam ,kingstown4 ,on the top of that ridge he had stopped1 and pulled off his coat of tar and cotton1 put on his clothes and come home4 ,a few evenings after that1 we heard that a company of ,south ,carolinians had camped near ,mr4 ,may's house4 ,father said they had probably come after either himself or ,caleb ,may4 ,so he went up to ,mr4 ,may's1 to see what to do about it4 ,after he left1 uncle nailed shakes over the window1 and cleaned up his old flint-lock musket1 and loaded it carefully4 ,aunt moulded bullets1 while mother got the ax and butcher knife1 and then stuffed rags in the cracks1 and brought in the half-bushel to turn over the light1 so that they could not see where to shoot4 ,then we all took turns standing out in the darkness at the corner of the house1 to keep watch1 and listen for the sound of guns from ,mr4 ,may's4 ,father came home at eleven4 ,he said the ,south ,carolinians had asked permission to sleep in an empty cabin4 ,he and ,mr4 ,may had followed them1 and he had crept under the cabin floor and listened1 and they had seemed to be sleeping soundly4 ,so we all went to bed1 but father slept with a revolver under his head1 which ,mr4 ,may had insisted on lending him4 ,the next morning the ,south ,carolinians went quietly on their journey4 ,we learned afterwards that they were on their way to lay out the town of ,marysville1 in ,marshall ,county1 and did not know that they were in the same neighborhood with ,pardee ,butler and ,caleb ,may4 ,father wrote an account of the ,atchison mob1 and took it to ,lawrence to be published in the ,herald of ,freedom4 ,the ,congressional ,committee summoned him to give his testimony4 ,while there1 the ,lawrence people gave him a pistol1 and insisted that he must carry it4 ,father told us how the ,carolinians had sworn to kill him1 when they heard his testimony before the ,committee2 and as soon as he heard they were coming back1 after the destruction of ,lawrence1 he knew that he was in danger4 ,brave as he might be1 he saw no good in allowing himself to be butchered by those infuriated men1 and resolved to keep out of their way4 ,he kept his horse picketed on the grass near where he was at work1 with saddle and bridle close by4 ,one day as ,i was helping him drop sod corn on uncle's claim--two miles from our own--while uncle worked at his new cabin1 we saw some horsemen coming over the hill4 ,they are ,south ,carolinians1 said father1 and saddling his horse1 he rode in the opposite direction4 ,in the afternoon he came back1 saying that they had followed him all day1 and he had circled here and there over the hills1 and he had happened to meet two of them1 one at a time1 and recognized them as some of the men who had mobbed him2 and they knew him too1 but they had not dared to attack him single-handed4 ,he thought they were trying to get together1 to attack him the next time they saw him4-,he wanted uncle to change coats and hats with him1 so that1 if they saw him in the distance1 they would not know him4 ,he wore a black coat and hat1 and uncle wore a white palmleaf hat1 and had with him1 in case of rain1 an old-fashioned1 light gray overcoat4 ,these father put on1 and throwing a white cloth over his horse1 rode away1 telling us that he would not be at home that night1 and that we need not look for him until we saw him4 ,day after day those men followed him1 like hounds after a wolf4 ,through the day he rode here and there1 spending the night with first one neighbor1 then another4 ,one day1 when uncle was working at his cabin1 some ,south ,carolinians rode up1 and not seeing father1 they searched the woods and ravine near by1 and rode away4 ,father spent one night with ,mr4 ,duncan1 and had just gone out of sight in the morning1 when the ,south4 ,carolinians rode up4 ,does ,pardee ,butler ride a bay horse8 they asked4 ,no1 sir1 replied ,mr4 ,duncan4 ,we saw a man ride into the woods just now1 said they1 that looked like ,pardee ,butler1 but he was riding a bay horse4 ,pardee ,butler never rides a bay horse4 ,and so they went the other way4 ,father rode a spirited young copper-bottom horse1 named ,copper1 that looked either bay or gray at a distance1 as the light happened to shine4 ,one day1 father went to the post-office after his mail1 and two young neighbors riding up1 and seeing his horse hitched there1 thought to have some fun4 ,with loud shouts they galloped up1 and hearing them1 he stepped to the door1 sprang on his horse1 and dashed off over the hill1 with them after him4 ,but when they reached the top of the hill they found that he was standing on the ground behind his horse1 with his pistol levelled at them across his saddle4 ,they were glad to make themselves known1 and own up to the joke4 ,father slipped home a few minutes almost every day1 to let us know that he was yet alive1 and to see if we were safe4 ,every night we fastened up the house1 expecting that before morning the ,ruffians would try to burst in to search for father4 ,those were days of terrible anxiety for mother1 for she thought every time father rode away that it was probably their last parting4 ,yet she was brave and quiet1 and said little4 ,but father grew tired of being dogged1 and told us that he was going to ,lawrence4 ,he was gone some time and we did not know where he was4 ,my little four year old brother ,george heard much talk of ,border ,ruffians1 and he went around flourishing a long thorn for a dagger1 and boasting in childish accent3 ,bad ,border 'uffians s'an't get my pa4 ,i hit 'em in 'e eye wid my dagger4 ,one day ,i was helping uncle drop corn1 when ,george came running to us1 much excited4 ,i foun' a ,border 'uffian6 ,i foun' a ,border 'uffian6 ,i hit 'em in 'e eye6 ,i hit 'em in 'e eye6 ,we ran to see what he had found1 and he ran ahead1 picking up pebbles as he ran1 to fro at 'e bad ,border 'uffian4 ,what do you think he had found8 ,a mud turtle6 ,and that was his idea of a ,border ,ruffian4 ,but he had a chance to see one4 ,one day1 while father was away1 two men rode up to the house1 whom we knew to be ,border ,ruffians by their red shirts and the revolvers in their belts4 ,mother told ,george and me to hide behind the door1 while she talked to them4 ,they asked for a drink of water1 but while they waited for it1 one of them rode almost into the door1 and looked around the room--we had only one room--evidently looking for father4 ,george became impatient1 and kept whispering ,let me out1 let me see a ,border 'uffian4 ,i will see a ,border 'uffian4 ,and he pulled loose from me and peeped around the edge of the door4 ,when father came home he brought some type1 and some half-printed papers1 blackened with powder1 that he had picked up in the sand on the river bank at ,lawrence1 where the ,border ,ruffians had thrown the ,herald of ,freedom press and papers into the river4 ,on the printed side of the papers was the article he had written about his last mob41 ,years afterwards ,i asked father what he was doing when he was gone from home in ,may and ,june1 #ahef4 ,he replied3 ,i was organizing the ,republican party in northern ,kansas4 ,i first went to ,lawrence1 and there the leaders insisted that ,i ought to visit various points in the northern part of the ,state1 and organize the new party1 and ,i did so4 ,soon after father's return1 in ,june1 some of the neighbors announced a meeting for him at ,bro4 ,elliott's1 four miles from our house1 of which he speaks in ,chapter ,,xvii4 ,to that meeting the people came armed1 for the report of the appointment had reached ,atchison4 ,they left their guns in their wagons1 or set them in convenient corners1 while they listened to the preaching2 for they were determined to defend father in case of attack4 ,mr4 ,john ,quiett1 who is yet one of our neighbors1 was one of three men who stood guard at the fence1 watching for approaching enemies1 while father preached4 ,but no attack was made4 ,uncle ,milo had taken us to the meeting2 and mother asked father to go home with us1 and he replied1 ,yes1 ,i am going home once more4 ,mother told him she would be glad to have him go with us1 but she was afraid to have him stay all night4 ,i am going to stay at home for one night1 for ,i have some letters to write1 was his reply4 ,mother was very uneasy on the road home1 for she said the ,border ,ruffians would be watching for us in the woods4 ,but we reached home without molestation4 ,father sat up until after midnight1 writing letters1 and then went to bed and slept safely4 ,the next day one of our neighbors told us that just at dark that evening she saw a band of men ride into the woods between her house and ours1 but she was afraid to come over and tell us4 ,other neighbors saw them go out on ,monday morning1 and ride toward town4 ,a few days afterwards1 a neighbor1 who stood on both sides of the fence in regard to politics1 went to ,atchison1 and he told us that nine ,south ,carolinians hid in our woods to take father that night1 but they had seen his light burning so late that they were afraid1 and went back and told that he had forty armed men1 who stood guard all night1 and they could not take him4 ,but father was not by any means the only one whom the ,border ,ruffians molested4 ,they were continually riding around the country1 frightening the people1 and pressing horses--which was another name for stealing them4 ,and the ,free ,state man who made himself prominent was liable to be shot any time they could catch him4 ,the ,free ,state men kept their horses hidden in the brush1 and often hid there themselves4 ,every time any of the neighbors saw several horsemen riding over the prairie1 they thought it was the ,border ,ruffians4 ,one day ,caleb ,may saw quite a company of men riding toward his place4 ,he and his son and hired man stationed themselves under the bank1 where both the house and the ford would be within range of their guns4 ,mrs4 ,may was to talk to the horsemen as they rode past the house1 and1 if they were ,border ,ruffians1 she was to shut the door1 as a signal to the husband to be ready for attack4 ,when they rode up1 however1 they proved to be ,mr4 ,speck1 and about twenty other neighbors from the lower neighborhood1 who had brought their horses up to ,mr4 ,may's to guard them from the ,ruffians1 who stood in great fear of ,caleb ,may4 ,when the ,ruffians returned to ,missouri1 after one of their raids1 some of them told in ,de ,kalb1 where ,mr4 ,may lived before coming to ,kansas1 that they had killed him4 ,one of his old neighbors1 named ,jones1 rode into ,de ,kalb one day1 and was accosted by on e of the returned ,border ,ruffians with ,we've got ,caleb ,may this time2 got his head on a ten-foot pole4 ,anybody killed8 queried ,mr4 ,jones4 ,oh1 no4 ,anybody hurt8 ,no4 ,then it's a lie6 responded ,mr4 ,jones4 ,i know ,caleb ,may well enough to know that when you get him somebody 's going to get hurt4 ,mr4 ,may had for years been a temperance man1 in the midst of a drinking population of the frontiers of ,arkansas and ,missouri1 and made the first temperance speech ever made in ,de ,kalb4 ,his oldest son1 when fifteen1 had never tasted whisky4 ,one day1 when ,mr4 ,may had gone on a journey1 the boy was in town1 and loafers1 seeing him pass a saloon1 shouted1 ,cale ,may's gone2 let's have some fun with his boy4 ,so they dragged him into the saloon1 and poured whisky down his throat1 and sent him home drunk to his mother4 ,when ,mr4 ,may returned home they told him what had happened4 ,at that time there was a local option temperance law in ,missouri1 under which a majority of the people in a township1 by signing a petition to the court1 could have the saloons abolished as public nuisances4 ,de ,kalb was full of saloons1 and there was one on almost every road corner in the county4 ,years afterwards ,i heard ,mr4 ,may tell the incident1 and his eyes flashed1 as he said with his slow1 strong emphasis1 ,when ,i came home and heard what had happened1 you bet ,i ,,was wrathy6 ,i just jumped on my horse1 and ,i rode that township up and down1 and ,i never stopped until ,i had signers enough to my petition1 and ,i cleaned every saloon out of that township4 ,doubtless many a man signed that petition because he dared not refuse2 for1 although usually kind and quiet1 few dared to face his anger4 ,when ,lawrence was besieged1 in ,may1 a company of ,free ,state men was raised around here1 and they sent ,john ,quiett to ,lawrence to offer their services for the defense of the town1 but were refused by ,mr4 ,pomeroy4 ,soon after the return of the ,south ,carolinians from ,lawrence they found ,mr4 ,quiett in the ,atchison postoffice4 ,they at once seized him as a ,free ,state leader1 and began to debate whether to shoot or hang him4 ,but one of the ,pro-slavery merchants of ,atchison interfered1 and begged them to let him go4 ,he got out1 mounted his horse1 and started for home1 twelve miles away4 ,but the ,carolinians1 like ,pharaoh of old1 repented that they had let him go1 and soon started in pursuit4 ,it was a hot race1 for as ,mr4 ,quiett reached the top of each hill he could see his pursuers coming behind him4 ,but he reached home2 and when they came to the creek near his home1 they were afraid to pass through the woods--probably fearing an ambush--and returned to town4 ,but parties were sent out to take him when he was unprepared2 and1 finding that he was hunted1 he was afraid to stay at home nights4 ,i have heard ,mrs4 ,quiett say1 that one day1 when her husband had been away several days1 he came home for a little while1 and she gave him something to eat4 ,after eating he lay down to sleep on a lounge that stood along the front side of the bed4 ,she was rocking her baby in the middle of the cabin1 when the ,border ,ruffians rode up to the house1 and one of them1 riding so close that his horse's head was inside of the door1 leaned forward and looked around the cabin4 ,the door was at the foot of the bed1 and it so happened that the lounge on which ,mr4 ,quiett lay was so close to the bed1 and so low1 that the edge of the bed just hid his body4 ,the ,ruffian said not a word1 but looked until he seemed satisfied that there was no one in the room but ,mrs4 ,quiett1 and then they both rode away4 ,she said that she could not speak1 but felt as though she was frozen to her chair1 for she was sure that1 if they had seen ,mr4 ,quiett1 they would have shot him before her eyes4 ,not until they were out of sight did she speak or stir4 ,mr4 ,quiett and ,mr4 ,ross went with father to ,topeka1 when the ,free ,state ,legislature and ,convention met1 ,july #d1 #ahef1 of which father speaks in chapter ,,xvi4 ,mr4 ,quiett says that the ,free ,state men went there determined to defend the ,legislature4 ,there were several large companies of well-armed men stationed near1 awaiting orders from the ,convention2 and one company armed with ,sharp's rifles lay behind a board fence by the side of the road4 ,several speakers made excited speeches1 urging the members of the ,convention to be men1 and defend their lawful rights1 even at the risk of their lives4 ,the ,free ,state men were wrought up to the verge of desperation4 ,the vote was about to be taken1 whether or not to resist the troops4 ,there was much suppressed excitement2 and1 had the vote been taken then1 it would undoubtedly have been in favor of resistance4 ,father1 in the meanwhile1 was on a committee1 in a back room4 ,mr4 ,quiett began calling for ,pardee ,butler4 ,others took up the call1 and1 hearing it in the committee room1 he came out4 ,they demanded a speech on the question in debate4 ,he begged them to bear their wrongs patiently1 and to allow no provocation to cause them to resist the ,united ,states authorities4 ,he besought them to be loyal to their country1 and never fire on the old stars and stripes4 ,mr4 ,quiett said it was a powerful speech1 timely and eloquent4 ,when he sat down the tide had turned4 ,the vote was taken1 and it was decided not to resist the troops4 ,mr4 ,quiett says that without a doubt that speech not only saved them from a bloody battle that day1 but that it saved the ,territory from a long1 fierce war4 ,after they disbanded1 the members of the ,convention went out and sat down on the prairie grass to eat their dinner1 which each took from his pocket1 or his wagon4 ,mr4 ,quiett and ,mr4 ,ross took theirs from the wagon1 in which they had ridden to ,topeka2 but father had gone on horseback1 as he usually did1 and took his dinner from the capacious pocket of his preacher's saddle-bags4 ,mr4 ,quiett said that in getting out his dinner1 father took a pistol out of his saddlebags4 ,this created much merriment for them1 as they thought it would have been of little use to him in case of attack4 ,they told him that if that was where he carried it1 the ,south ,carolinians would shoot him some day before he could unbuckle his saddle-bags4 ,but father disliked very much to carry arms1 and ,i think he never did in his life1 except for about two months during that dreadful summer4 ,about two weeks afterwards we started to ,illinois1 in the buggy4 ,we crossed the ,river at ,iowa ,point4 ,about nine miles northeast of ,savannah1 in ,gentry county1 ,missouri1 father was taken very sick1 and we were obliged to stop at the nearest house4 ,the man at whose house we happened to stop was a ,mr4 ,brown1 from ,maine2 and he and his family were very kind to us4 ,there1 for four weeks1 father lay sick of a fever4 ,one day1 while mother was in father's room1 ,mrs4 ,brown questioned me about living in ,kansas1 and whether the ,border ,ruffians ever troubled us4 ,so ,i told her how father had been treated4 ,father called me into the bed-room1 and said that ,i ought not to have told that1 under the circumstances2 that it would be a dreadful thing for us to be attacked1 with him flat on his back1 and we among strangers4 ,i replied that ,i thought it would do no harm1 because ,mr4 ,brown's folks were from the ,north1 and our friends4 ,but he said it might bring trouble on ,mr4 ,brown if his neighbors should learn that he had harbored ,pardee ,butler4 ,when ,mr4 ,brown came in at noon1 his wife told him the news4 ,he went right in1 and told father that ,butler was such a common name1 that he had no idea that he had the honor of sheltering ,pardee ,butler4 ,now1 said he1 you need not be uneasy while you are here4 ,yonder hang four good ,sharp's rifles1 and ,i and my boys know how to use them2 and nobody shall touch you unless they walk over our dead bodies4 ,as soon as father was able to travel we finished our journey in safety4 ,we visited our old friends in ,illinois1 and father preached on ,sundays4 ,while we were at ,mt4 ,sterling1 he lectured on temperance one night1 and the bad fellows made a little disturbance4 ,the previous afternoon ,i had visited a little girl in the village1 and we had found and thrown away a nest full of rotten eggs4 ,the next time ,i saw her she said that her big brother was mad at us1 for he was saving those eggs1 and he and some other big boys had intended to throw them at ,pardee ,butler while he was making that temperance speech2 but when they went to the barn1 their eggs were gone4 ,the truth was1 that her big brother was one of many boys who were fast being made drunkards by the village saloons4 ,mother went to ,ohio on a visit1 and father went to ,iowa to attend to some business4 ,on his return he met one of the ,state ,republican ,committee1 who insisted on making arrangements for him to stay in ,illinois until the presidential election1 and speak for ,fremont4 ,it was raw ,november weather when we started back to ,kansas1 with a one-horse wagon1 drawn by ,copper1 and a heavily loaded mule team1 driven by a boy named ,henry ,whitaker1 who is now one of the merchants of ,atchison4 ,mother was sick1 and we had to stop a week4 ,then the mud became so deep that father had to buy a yoke of oxen and hitch on behind the mules4 ,then it froze up1 rough and hard1 and we stopped for a blacksmith to make shoes for the oxen1 and were directed to stay with a widow who had an empty house4 ,she had built a new house of hewed logs1 with a window in it1 and we were allowed to stay in the old cabin4 ,she could not keep from talking about that window4 ,i've lived all my days without ary winder1 an' got along mighty well1 said she4 ,for my part1 ,i don't like winders2 they make a house look so glarin'1 like4 ,we uns never had ary one where ,i had my raisin'4 ,but the childern is gettin' a heap o' stuck up notions these days1 an' they jes' set up that we had to have a winder in our new house4 ,the weather was very cold the rest of the way1 and father suffered severely from a felon on his hand4 ,when we reached ,st4 ,joseph the ,missouri ,river was frozen1 and our teams were the first to cross on the ice4 ,father took the teams to the top of the icy banks1 and hitched them to the ends of the wagon-tongues by means of long chains4 ,we traveled all day over unsettled prairie1 hoping to reach ,mr4 ,wymer's house1 on ,independence ,creek4 ,we reached the place at nine o'clock1 but no house2 it had been burned4 ,it was very dark1 and bitter cold1 but we traveled on4 ,at eleven o'clock we found ,mr4 ,snyder's cabin1 where ,lancaster is now built4 ,a little later and we should have seen no light4 ,a party of belated surveyors had found the house before the family went to bed2 and they were just lying down when we drove up4 ,in those days no one thought of refusing a traveler lodging4 ,the cabin was about fourteen feet square4 ,the family had crowded into one bed1 part of the surveyors occupied the other1 and the rest were on the floor4 ,we had not eaten a bite since morning4 ,the cooking stove was in a little1 cold1 floorless shed1 and there mother baked some corn griddle-cakes for our supper4 ,the surveyors gave their bed to mother and me1 and the men all crowded down on the floor--nineteen in one room4 ,the next morning we drove on to our own house before getting breakfast1 glad to find it had not been burned4 ,on ,sunday1 ,may #aj1 #aheg1 a meeting was held at our house1 at which it was agreed that a ,sunday-school should be organized the next ,sunday1 in ,mr4 ,cobb's grove1 near ,pardee4 ,there we met nearly every ,sunday that summer1 and father usually preached4 ,much of his time that summer was spent in improving forty acres of his farm1 on which he raised some sod corn and vegetables1 ,our corn for bread was ground in ,mr4 ,wigglesworth's treadmill1 turned by-oxen4 ,we had no fruit for many years1 but a few wild sorts1 and the vegetables were a welcome variation in our diet of meat and molasses4 ,august1 #bi1 #aheg1 the ,pardee church was organized1 at the house of ,bro4 ,a4 ,elliott1 with twenty-seven members4 ,in ,october a frame school-house was finished at ,pardee1 which was thereafter used for church purposes4 ,during father's absence the meetings were led by our elders1 ,dr4 ,moore1 ,bro4 ,elliott1 and ,bro4 ,brockman4 ,we often rode to meeting in the ox-wagon1 as did some of our neighbors4 ,,chapter ,,xxxvii4 ,,reminiscences--,,continued4 ,father again preached in ,illinois from ,october1 #aheg1 until ,new ,year4 ,he preached in ,pardee the rest of the winter2 but in the spring he began traveling and preaching in various parts of the ,territory4 ,it was the wettest summer ,i ever knew1 and he was continually swimming streams4 ,mother often told him that a man who could not swim ought not to swim a horse4 ,but he continued to do so until the streams were bridged1 many years later4 ,the last time he did so was in the spring of #ahga4 ,he was riding a little ,indian pony1 and carried some bundles4 ,the ,stranger ,creek was full1 and very cold1 and when his heavy overcoat became water-soaked1 he saw that the pony was about to be swept down the current4 ,sliding off from its back1 he kept his arm about its neck1 thinking the water would hold part of his weight4 ,but he soon saw that he was pulling it down stream1 so that it was likely to be tangled in some willows1 and he reached back and caught hold of its tail1 and it pulled him safely to shore4 ,he reached home very wet1 but with bundles and overcoat all safe4 ,he then determined to have a bridge on the road along his boundary line4 ,but every man1 up and down the creek1 wanted a bridge on his own line1 and so there was much opposition4 ,but he at length succeeded in obtaining a bridge4 ,this was the only one of father's many contests in which he contended for a personal benefit3 his other contests were all for the good of the public4 ,from this deviation ,i will now return to the year #aheh4 ,father was so busy preaching in other places1 that he only preached occasionally in ,pardee4 ,he has sometimes been accused of preaching politics4 ,a good brother who formerly lived in ,missouri1 said1 not long before father's death3 ,they used to tell me before ,i came to ,kansas that ,pardee ,butler preached politics1 and ,i said that if ever ,i heard him begin to preach politics1 ,i was going to get right up in meeting1 and ask him to show his ,scripture for preaching politics4 ,now ,i've been hearing him preach1 off and on1 for twenty years1 and ,i've never got up in meeting yet1 for ,i've never heard him preach any politics4 ,the only sermon that ,i can remember as containing any allusion to politics1 was one that he preached at ,pardee that summer of #aheh4 ,it was from the text1 ,woe unto you scribes and ,pharisees1 hypocrites6 for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin1 and have omitted the weightier matters of the law1 judgment1 mercy1 and faith3 these ought ye to have done1 and not to leave the other undone4 ,after speaking in a general manner of ,christian duties that are left undone by those who are precise about certain theological points1 he spoke plainly of the injustice and unmercifulness of slavery1 and besought ,christians to be careful how they upheld it in any manner1 lest they be condemned by the words of the text4 ,another sermon that he preached at ,pardee1 ,august #a1 #aheh1 was from ,i4 ,kings xviii4 #ba3 ,if the ,lord be ,god1 follow him3 but if ,baal1 then follow him4 ,after delineating very graphically the terrible drouth1 and the long contest of ,elijah with ,ahab and ,jezebel1 he told of the final triumph of religion1 and the merited defeat and punishment of wickedness4 ,he finished with an eloquent appeal from the text1 ,if the ,lord be ,god1 then serve him4 ,at the close two boys confessed their ,savior4 ,one of them was an orphan boy1 then making his home at my father's house1 and since known as ,judge ,j4 ,j4 ,locker1 of ,atchison1 who died last ,september4 ,but winter came1 and the co-operation that had engaged father that summer felt that they had paid all they could raise4 ,it had not been enough to pay a hired man1 and meet our frugal expenses4 ,yet that was the first money he had made for three and a half years1 except by his two trips to ,illinois4 ,he had appealed to the ,general ,missionary ,society1 and they had declined to support him1 unless he would promise not to say a word about slavery4 ,but the people were calling to him from every direction to come and organize churches4 ,he decided to appeal personally to the churches in the older ,states4 ,from ,december1 #aheh1 until ,may1 #ahei1 he preached constantly in ,illinois1 ,indiana1 ,michigan and ,ohio1 collecting what money he could4 ,he reported #cfe as the amount received1 expenses #aaj1 leaving a balance of #bee4 ,he received enough more during the summer to make his salary #big4db4 ,the next summer he preached in ,kansas2 but was not gone all the time1 as when in other ,states4 ,when preaching in distant counties he was sometimes gone four or five weeks1 but he was sometimes at home a part of every week4 ,when at home he worked very hard on the farm1 to accomplish what he saw must be done1 that he might go back to his preaching as soon as possible4 ,mother looked after the work in his absence1 and was a good manager1 but there was much to which she could not attend4 ,father was nervously energetic1 always working and walking rapidly4 ,even after he was sixty years old1 although he was a slender man1 only five feet nine inches in height1 with his right arm trembling with palsy1 ,i have known robust young men to complain that they did not like to work for ,pardee ,butler1 because he would work with them1 and they were ashamed to have such an old man do more than they did1 and he worked so hard that he wore them out4 ,he scarcely spent an idle moment4 ,other men could be content to pass their time in careless conversation1 but he never could4 ,unless he had some subject that he thought especially worthy of conversation1 he said little4 ,he seldom spoke of what he had done1 and scarcely ever related any of the many experiences of his trips away from home4 ,in his backwoods boyhood experiences he had learned to make or mend almost every article used by a farmer4 ,he was full of projects1 always improving something on the place4 ,every spare moment was used1 either in fixing something about the farm1 or in reading or writing4 ,he sometimes complained that the days were not half long enough to suit him4 ,he once told his sister that the ,border ,ruffians never knew what a service they did him when they rafted him1 for he had leisure to think while he was going down the river4 ,my brother ,charley once said that father was so greedy of time he was afraid he might lose a minute4 ,often in the evening we had to make room by the cooking stove for his shaving-horse1 or his leather and harness tools1 while he worked until ten or eleven o'clock making or mending some implement or harness4 ,and often1 after laboring all day1 he read or wrote until eleven or twelve o'clock at night4 ,he read a great variety of books and newspapers1 but was particularly fond of church history and religious books of a doctrinal nature4 ,he wrote much for various papers1 and was a painstaking writer4 ,he usually wrote his articles two or three times1 and the account of his second mob that was written for the ,herald of ,freedom he re-wrote seven times4 ,he could write best in the morning1 and frequently read and wrote half of the forenoon2 and then worked and chored until nine or ten at night1 to make up lost time4 ,few ever knew the strong desire that he constantly felt for a life devoted wholly to study and preaching4 ,living1 as we did in those days1 in a log house with only one room1 he had no private place for study1 but read or wrote in the midst of the family4 ,yet neither crying babies nor the noisy play of older children distracted him4 ,often he sat1 with a look of abstraction1 in the midst of our conversation2 and we frequently had to speak to him several times before we could attract his attention4 ,we have several hundred of his newspaper articles saved in scrap-books4 ,he preached altogether without notes1 and never seemed to make any especial preparation for preaching a sermon4 ,i once asked him how long it took him to prepare a sermon1 and he replied1 ,sometimes longer1 sometimes shorter1 generally two or three years4 ,of course ,i do not think of it all that time1 but ,i seldom preach on a subject when it first enters my mind1 but let it mature4 ,i always have several subjects on hand at once1 and when ,i am reading ,i retain whatever strikes me as pertaining to anyone of my subjects4 ,when do you do most of your thinking8 ,i asked4 ,whenever ,i can2 mostly on horseback4 ,his education was never finished2 he was a student to the day of his death4 ,even during his last sickness he asked me to return a volume of ,macaulay's ,history of ,england that ,i had borrowed1 so that some one could read to him from it4 ,in ,july1 #ahei1 he was sick for some time2 but in ,september reports thus3 ,since ,i recovered from my sickness ,i have held a series of meetings1--one near ,atchison1 which resulted in eight additions2 one at ,big ,springs1 at which four were added by baptism2 and one at ,pardee1 where there was one baptized4 ,november #a1 #ahei1 the ,northwestern ,christian ,missionary ,society was organized at ,indianapolis4 ,father attended it1 and remained preaching and collecting money until ,february4 ,he collected about the same amount as the previous year4 ,in ,march1 #ahfj1 father and ,bro4 ,hutchinson held the meeting at ,pardee1 of which he speaks in ,chapter ,,xxix41 at which there were forty-five additions4 ,father preached on ,sunday night4 ,the school-house was closely seated with planks1 and crowded almost to suffocation1 while a crowd stood outside at doors and windows4 ,father preached on the life of ,paul1 although he did not mention ,paul's name until near the close of the sermon4 ,he spoke of him as a talented young nobleman1 brought up in ease and luxury in a great city1 to whom were open the highest positions in his nation4 ,there were but few ,christians in the land1 and they were poor and despised4 ,but at length he felt the power of ,god1 and learned to love the ,savior4 ,he told how he gave up wealth and position1 and became poor and despised1 and went everywhere preaching ,christ and his mighty power to save4 ,he told of his wonderful zeal and energy1 as he traveled from country to country1 preaching ,christ to eager thousands4 ,he vividly depicted the courage with which he endured trials1 hardships1 and persecutions4 ,then he told of his last days--a feeble1 gray-haired old man1 ending his days in a prison1 his few faithful friends far away1 enemies on every hand1 and a painful1 violent death in store for him4 ,did he see the folly of his course8 ,and then he quoted ,paul's triumphant words3 ,i count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of ,jesus ,christ my ,lord1 for whom ,i have suffered the loss of all things4444 ,for ,i am now ready to be offered1 and the time of my departure is at hand4 ,i have fought a good fight1 ,i have finished my course1 ,i have kept the faith3 henceforth' there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness1 which the ,lord1 the righteous ,judge1 shall give me at that day1 and not to me only1 but unto all them also that love his appearing4 ,after speaking of the powerful effect of ,paul's life and teachings1 in helping to transform the world1 he eloquently appealed to the young men and women to turn their ambition to life's highest object1 to follow the example of that grand old hero1 and live a life of true heroism in this world1 and win honor and immortality in the world to come4 ,the house rang with that rousing old hymn1 ,come1 you sinners1 poor and needy1 and eleven young men and women rose to their feet and confessed their ,savior4 ,no sermon to which ,i have ever listened has impressed itself so deeply on my memory as that sermon twenty-nine years ago4 ,,chapter ,,xxxviii4 ,,reminiscences--,,continued4 ,in the spring of #ahfj father rented his farm1 so that he could devote his whole time to preaching4 ,he built a house in ,pardee1 that we might live near school and meeting until ,george should be old enough to do the work on the farm4 ,there was plenty of open prairie to pasture the cows1 and ,george and ,i tended them1 while mother made cheese to help support the family4 ,father traveled and preached almost constantly that summer1 sometimes alone1 sometimes in company with ,bro4 ,hutchinson4 ,at many of the points at which he organized churches1 the old members are now either dead or scattered4 ,but ,bro4 ,john ,a4 ,campbell1 of ,big ,springs1 where he built up a strong church1 writes as follows of his work there3 ,he told me that his first visit to ,big ,springs was in ,may1 #aheh4 ,my first recollection of him was that he preached there on the #dth day of ,july1 of that year1 when he organized the church with twenty-eight members1 my father 7,l4 ,r4 ,campbell7 and ,c4 ,m4 ,mock being appointed elders4 ,his subject on that occasion was the ,unity of all ,christians1 and he spoke with great power4 ,he again preached there on the #bith day of ,august1 #aheh1 and his subject was ,faith4 ,on that day the first addition to the church was made by baptism4 ,he continued to preach for the church about once each month through #aheh-i1 and a part of #ahfj4 ,during that time very many were added1 but ,i have no means of knowing the number4 ,in the fall of #ahei he held a successful protracted meeting1 and another in the winter with ,bro4 ,g4 ,w4 ,hutchinson4 ,in #ahfj1 he was at the ,state meeting at ,big ,springs1 at which the ground plan of our present co-operative plan of missionary work was laid4 ,there was also raised at that meeting money to buy a large tent1 with which ,bro4 ,butler was to travel and preach as ,state evangelist4 ,again1 in the year #ahgg or #ahgh he preached once per month at ,big ,springs and some adjacent points--once on the ,waukarusa1 oft the subject of the ,seventh-day ,sabbath1 out of which grew a correspondence for a debate1 but it was not2 held1 owing to a failure to get a suitable house4 ,in the forepart of ,december past our church held a memorial service for him1 and many pleasant things about his relation to dear brethren and sisters were spoken of4 ,the relation between him and myself was always very pleasant1 and ,i delight to bear testimony to his great ability and grand life and character4 ,i regarded him as my father in the gospel1 and he was a source of great help and strength to me4 ,the tent of which ,bro4 ,campbell speaks was made by the ladies in the ,pardee school-house4 ,in size it was forty by sixty feet1 the roof being shaped like the roof of a house4 ,the second ,state meeting1 and many district meetings1 were held in it2 and father used it in his meetings for nearly ten years1 when it was finally torn up by a storm4 ,in the fall of #ahfj the ,missionary ,society wished him to visit ,indiana again1 to stir up an interest1 and collect his salary4 ,i find no report of his work that winter1 except this item from one of his letters3 ,there have been seventeen additions at meetings which ,i have recently attended--six at ,brownsburg1 ,hendricks county1 and eleven at ,springville1 ,lawrence county1 ,ind4 ,i have found the note-book which he kept from ,november1 #ahfj1 to ,november1 #ahfa1 in which ,i find this account3 ,he received #cfh4ej2 traveling expenses1 #gb4ee1 leaving for his year's work1 #bie4ie4 ,that was the year of the drouth1 and he apprised the brethren where he preached of the destitution in ,kansas4 ,dr4 ,s4 ,g4 ,moore and my uncle1 ,prof4 ,n4 ,dunshee1 of ,pardee1 had been appointed to receive contributions for destitute brethren2 and they reported the receipt and distribution of #fgj4if1 besides boxes of clothing4 ,after father's return1 in ,march1 #ahfa1 he traveled almost constantly4 ,i have found1 in the note-book mentioned above1 the time and place1 and either the subject or text of each sermon he preached that year1 one hundred and fifty-three in all4 ,here are some of the subjects named3 ,the ,gospel2 ,christian ,union2 ,kings of ,israel2 ,noah and the ,deluge2 ,types of the ,law2 ,for ,what ,did ,jesus ,die8 ,baptism1 its ,authority and ,design2 ,from ,whence ,ami8 and ,whither ,am ,i ,going8 ,the ,material ,results of ,christianity2 and ,the ,kingdom of ,heaven4 ,father had spent all of the money that was due him from property sold in ,iowa1 except a thousand dollars1 with which he intended to pay his debts1 and finish paying for land in ,kansas4 ,while he was in ,indiana that spring that amount was forwarded in a draft to mother4 ,the war was just breaking out1 and by the time she could write to father and receive his instructions as to its disposal1 the bank broke1 and he lost a large part of it4 ,he had already been running in debt for necessary expenses1 hoping each year that his support would be increased1 and the loss in the bank threw him so much in debt that he felt it would be impossible for him to preach much longer4 ,in ,september1 #ahfa1 he attended the ,state meeting in ,prairie ,city4 ,on ,thursday the meeting was held in an empty store-room1 for the poles had not yet been cut to raise the tent4 ,after some preliminary business father made a short speech1 telling them that he must soon quit preaching for them4 ,he told them how necessary it was that churches should be planted at once in this new ,state1 and how he had tried in vain to arouse the brethren at the ,east to their responsibility in the matter1 but that he was at last obliged to give up and go to work1 like an honest man1 and pay his debts4 ,he told them how he had loved the work1 and how willingly he had toiled and suffered hardships1 and begged them to hold out faithfully and do what they could2 and when his debts were paid1 he would return again to the work4 ,when he closed his hearers were nearly all in tears4 ,many went long distances to that meeting1 the brethren and sisters from ,emporia going in a covered wagon1 and camping out on the road4 ,father continued to preach1 however1 much of the time that winter4 ,that part of his farm that was improved was rented for five years1 and he had no money to improve the rest4 ,the renter proved an indifferent farmer1 and the rent scarcely sufficed to pay the taxes and winter the cattle4 ,so father entered the only paying business1 that of freighting1 as he relates in ,chap ,,xxxi4 ,perhaps some may think from reading that chapter that he only took one trip1 but he crossed the plains five times4 ,he first went in the spring of #ahfb1 in ,bro4 ,butcher's train1 taking ,george1 who was only ten years old1 along to drive one of his teams1 because he could not afford to hire a driver4 ,it was a hard1 monotonous life1 driving all day and camping at night through all weather2 but the hardest part of it was that men and boys all had to take their turn standing guard over their cattle at night4 ,after ,bro4 ,butcher was taken sick on that first trip1 father acted as his boss1 and on all his later trips he went as wagon-boss of some large train owned by ,atchison freighters1 also taking along two teams of his own4 ,the wagon-bosses were frequently rough1 overbearing men1 who not only went armed1 but who often treated their drivers tyrannically4 ,they not only cowed the boys with abusive language1 but with frequent threats of whipping1 or shooting1 which they sometimes fulfilled4 ,father never carried arms about his person in any of his trips across the plains4 ,but there was something in his quiet1 determined manner that enabled him to rule even the most headstrong of the wild young fellows who usually drove the freighting teams4 ,he was once traveling along1 for a short time1 in company with a train much larger than his own1 whose wagon-boss was a big1 burly1 swaggering fellow1 who was drunk much of the time4 ,each train was driving along behind it such oxen as were unfit for work1 and some of the other cattle became accidentally mixed with father's drove4 ,the boss1 who was already partially drunk1 had ridden on to a ranch to get more whisky4 ,father called on his own boys1 and the boys of the other train--on the plains the drivers were often called boys1 even though they were middle aged men--to help separate them4 ,but those of the other train refused to help4 ,they tried in vain to separate them1 until they were tired out4 ,as they neared the ranch father walked up to the well to get a drink1 and there sat the drunken boss on his horse4 ,when he saw father1 he exclaimed1 with a great oath1 ---- ---- ----1 what you driving my cattle off for8 ,i asked your boys to help separate them1 replied father1 but they refused1 and ,i and my boys have worried ourselves out at it4 ,if you will order your boys to help we will try again4 ---- ---- you1 go back and get them cattle out1 or ,i'll send you to ---- 6 ,father looked him steadily in the face1 and said quietly1 ,i would like to see the irons you would do it with4 ---- ---- go back and get them cattle out1 or ,i'll shoot you as sure as ---- 6 shouted the fellow1 jerking out a revolver with a great flourish4 ,the frightened boys stood back1 expecting to see him shoot1 but father1 without moving1 coolly replied1 ,if you want your cattle out1 you will get them out yourself2 ,i will do nothing more about it4 ,the fellow1 cowed by father's cool1 determined gaze1 put his revolver back in his belt1 rode off1 called his men1 and they drove the cattle out themselves4 ,in ,october1 #ahfb1 father decided to make a winter trip1 because he could earn more money than in the summer4 ,the owners of the train intended wintering their cattle on the buffalo grass in the ,colorado valleys1 which they found cheaper than wintering them on corn in ,kansas4 ,the drivers were mostly ,ohio boys1 who drove teams because they wanted to reach the ,pike's ,peak gold mines4 ,the oxen were a lot of wild ,texas steers1 and it took about half a day to get them yoked up the first time1 so that they only traveled about eight miles out from ,atchison the first day4 ,george did not go that trip1 but father took him to town to help them start--because he said that if ,george was only ten1 he knew more about handling wild oxen than all those green ,ohio boys--and sent him home the second day out4 ,it had been a very pleasant fall2 but ,i never saw it turn cold so suddenly as it did that day4 ,i remember that ,i spent several hours gathering in squashes and covering up potatoes2 and when ,i returned to the house at #c p4 ,m4 every leaf on the trees and every flower in the garden was frozen stiff1 pointing straight out to the southeast4 ,it was the only time ,i ever saw a frozen flower garden in full bloom4 ,it sleeted nearly all night1 and the ,texas cattle1 frightened and chilled by wind and sleet1 were so wild that father and all the boys had to herd them all night to keep them from stampeding4 ,their clothes were wet and frozen1 for they were not very warmly dressed1 and ,george said he never suffered so much with the cold in his life as he did that night4 ,it was a hard and stormy winter1 and the ,ohio boys1 unused to such a life1 suffered badly1 many of them freezing their hands and feet4 ,when they reached ,denver the cattle were taken to the valleys1 and father traded his own cattle for mules4 ,loading his two wagons with hides1 so as to make money both ways1 he and the two boys who had driven his teams started for home4 ,i have heard him say that he never saw weather so cold1 but that he could keep from freezing by walking4 ,so by dint of much walking he succeeded in reaching home without being frozen4 ,their wagons were so full of hides that they had to sleep on the ground1 and he said that on waking in the morning he often found himself buried in snow4 ,wood was scarce1 and they sometimes had to haul it quite a distance to build their camp fires at night1 and it was sometimes so stormy that they could scarcely cook4 ,during the journey one wagon-load after another of returning ,pike's ,peak adventurers had fallen in with them1 and kept together for the sake of company and protection against the ,indians1 until they made quite a train4 ,by common consent--accordin' to the human nature of the thing1 as they say on the plains--father came to be considered the boss of the train4 ,there was a ranch near the road1 kept by a ,frenchman1 who had an ,indian wife4 ,he had grown rich selling whisky and provisions1 and wood and hay4 ,when the half-frozen men1 with their hungry teams1 came by1 he charged them extravagant prices2 if they objected he blustered and threatened until he usually scared them into paying what he asked4 ,father and his train camped there one cold night1 and some of the men went up to buy wood and hay2 but he asked such high prices for them that they went back and asked father to go up4 ,he was busy1 and knowing the ,frenchman's reputation1 told them to go back and tell him that the boss said he could not pay such exorbitant prices1 but to let them have the wood and hay1 and he would come after awhile and pay a good round price for them4 ,the men returned1 and told what he said1 but the ,frenchman ordered them to clear out1 and threatened to shoot them if they came back again without the money he demanded4 ,he would not even allow them to draw water from the well4 ,again they begged father to go up1 but he said he was too busy1 and told them to go right back and take the wood1 hay and water1 and if the ,frenchman said anything1 to tell him that ,pardee ,butler told them to do it1 and he would settle the bill4 ,they went back1 the one drawing water1 the others getting wood and hay4 ,out ran the ,frenchman1 very wrathy1 leveling his gun at them4 ,the boss told us to take them1 and he'd settle1 they said4 ,who's your boss8 he asked in surprise4 ,pardee ,butler4 ,pardee ,butler6 ,oh6 ,oh6 ,pardee ,butler8 ,take 'em6 ,take 'em6 he exclaimed1 dropping his gun and throwing up his hands4 ,oh6 ,pardee ,butler6 ,take 'em6 ,take 'em6 he continued1 fairly dancing around1 white with fright1 and gesticulating as only a ,frenchman can4 ,why1 what's the matter8 ,he wont hurt you1 said one of the boys4 ,oh6 ,pardee ,butler6 ,he bad man4 ,oh6 ,oh6 he answered1 still dancing and gesticulating4 ,oh1 no2 he is not a bad man2 he never hurt anybody in his life4 ,oh1 yees1 ,pardee ,butler one veree bad man6 ,he must be one bad man1 'cause they put heem down the river on one raft1 down in ,kansas4 ,pardee ,butler must be one veree bad man6 ,father made no more winter trips1 but spent his winters at lumbering4 ,when he first came to ,kansas he had bought eighty acres of timber land in the river bottoms1 in ,missouri1 two miles below ,atchison4 ,mills had been erected along the river1 and lumber was at last in good demand4 ,so he found profitable use for his teams1 and large freighting wagons1 in working that timber into lumber4 ,he crossed the plains twice more in the springs of #ahfc and #ahfd4 ,the ,indians often visited their camps1 begging for bread1 or for sugar or tobacco4 ,father said that on his winter trip it made his heart ache to see the pitiable condition of the women and children1 chilling around in the loose wigwams during the winter storms4 ,he often saw the women out in the snow gathering up and carrying great loads of wood on their shoulders4 ,but he said the most pitiable sight he ever saw was little half-starved1 half-naked children1 too small to walk1 creeping around under his mule's heels1 eagerly eating the grains of corn that they had dropped4 ,but the ,indians were every year growing more restless1 and often attacked the trains1 to obtain provisions1 and cattle and mules4 ,father often saw them peering around the bluffs1 or along the river banks1 watching his movements4 ,but he was very careful1 never allowing the boys or stock to wander off alone1 and keeping guards out at night4 ,knowing that the ,indians were growing dangerous1 ,bro4 ,butcher had insisted on lending him a rifle for his later trips4 ,one day they were traveling along the ,platte ,river bottoms1 the river half a mile to one side1 the bluffs a mile or two back on the other4 ,it seemed impossible for anything to hide in the low grass around them2 but father knew that here and there in the grass were wet-weather gullies1 deep enough for an ,indian to lie in2 and his watchful eye detected the grass moving occasionally1 here and there4 ,he halted1 telling the men there were ,indians in the grass4 ,at first they made light of it1 saying they knew no ,indian could hide in that low grass4 ,but he told them that he had been watching for some time1 and thought the ,indians were creeping up on them from the river4 ,he took ,bro4 ,butcher's rifle out of the wagon1 saying1 ,i am going down there to see2 who will go with me8 ,but none of them offered to go1 except a boy of sixteen1 who1 seeing the rest would not go1 shouldered another gun1 saying1 ,for shame6 ,i wont see the old man go alone6 ,the two went down through the grass1 and when they reached the river1 they saw a number of ,indians running away under shelter of the bank4 ,the ,indians seldom attack determined men1 who are on their guard--unless they are on the war-path with a large force--and they saw that father was such a man1 and gave him no more trouble4 ,it was on his last trip1 in #ahfd1 that the ,indian raid occurred1 which he mentioned in ,chapter ,,xxxi4 ,on their return they found that armed bands of ,indians were still riding about the country4 ,one afternoon1 when they were within a little over a day's drive of ,fort ,kearney1 they saw a band of ,indians prowling about1 first in one direction1 then in another4 ,the boys were badly frightened1 and wanted to run their teams all night1 in order to reach the fort4 ,the weather was hot1 and the oxen already tired1 and father feared that such a forced drive would kill them4 ,so he ordered the boys to camp for the night4 ,they kept out a strong guard1 and were not attacked2 but reached the fort in safety the next day4 ,the ,district ,missionary ,society of ,northeastern ,kansas had held two yearly meetings in the tent at ,pardee1 in ,august1 #ahfb1 and ,august1 #ahfc1 just after father's return each year from his summer trips across the plains4 ,in ,august1 #ahfd1 soon after his return from his last trip1 another district meeting was held at ,wolf ,creek1 ,doniphan county1 which was the home of ,bro4 ,beeler1 and of ,brethren ,jonathan and ,nathan ,springer4 ,father had held a number of good meetings there1 and built up quite a church4 ,but when the railroads went through there the town of ,severance was built up on one side2 and ,highland1 seven or eight miles on the other side1 which was already a ,presbyterian stronghold1 received a new impetus4 ,so the church at ,wolf ,creek was broken up1 and one was organized at ,severance1 and one has since been built up at ,highland1 of which ,bro4 ,beeler is the leading member4 ,bro4 ,jonathan ,springer--who has moved to ,goffs1 where he still maintains his old-time zeal--relates an incident which occurred a year or two before that district meeting4 ,father was holding a protracted meeting1 when there came into the neighborhood a young preaching brother from one of the ,southern ,states1 running away from the ,union soldiers4 ,upon learning who he was1 father invited him to preach1 and they continued preaching together for a week1 holding an excellent meeting1 and father said not a word to him about the questions dividing ,north and ,south4 ,bro4 ,springer said1 ,i always thought that ,bro4 ,butler was a peculiar1 a wonderful1 and a powerful preacher4 ,speaking of his ability to attract and hold the attention of an audience1 ,bro4 ,springer said1 ,i once heard him begin a sermon with the question1 ',are we dogs1 or are we men8' ,at the district meeting his sermon was on his favorite theme1 ,christian ,union2 and it was two hours in length1 yet he held the close attention of the audience to the end4 ,although he often preached on that subject1 he always had something fresh to say4 ,he could not crowd all that he had to say about it into one sermon4 ,he was constantly reading of the change of sentiment on ,christian union among other denominations1 and referring to it in his sermons4 ,a few years ago he preached a series of discourses on that subject at ,pardee1 closing as follows3 ,the ,protestant denominations will all become one yet1 not by other churches coming to any one church1 but their differences will almost imperceptibly disappear1 and they will all melt into one1 and no one will be able to tell how it was done4 ,in the spring of #ahfe he moved back to the farm1 and spent much of the summer in preaching4 ,for the next four years his winters were spent in lumbering1 and his summers in preaching1 and improving his farm4 ,even while lumbering he preached somewhere nearly every ,sunday2 sometimes at home1 sometimes in the schoolhouse near his timber1 and sometimes he landed a raft at ,port ,william on ,saturday1 and went across and preached for the church at ,pleasant ,ridge1 ,leavenworth county4 ,and other ,sundays he preached at various points easy to reach on ,saturday evening1 and return to his work on ,monday morning4 ,he rafted many of his logs to ,port ,william or ,leavenworth1 and usually helped to take them down2 and there was much joking about where he learned the rafting business4 ,it was dangerous1 however1 for rafts sometimes struck snags1 or became unmanageable in the swift current1 and went to pieces4 ,when the ,central ,branch ,railroad was built1 the company took corn of settlers in payment for lands1 cribbing it by the road4 ,instead of shipping off the corn1 they shipped ,texas cattle to the cribs1 to eat it up4 ,they soon came to father in great perplexity4 ,their cattle broke every fence they could build1 and they did not know what to do with them4 ,so he told them how to build a fence the cattle could not break1 and he had a quantity of extra strong lumber sawed for that purpose4 ,when he called at the railroad office to receive pay for his lumber1 the clerk paid him in rolls of bills sealed up in paper1 with the value marked on the outside4 ,after leaving the office he counted his money1 and found that one of the rolls that was marked #ajj1 really contained #a1jjj4 ,returning1 he told the clerk he had made a mistake4 ,we correct no mistakes1 was the gruff reply4 ,young man1 you are not doing business for yourself1 but for the railroad company2 come here and help me count the money4 ,the label had been misplaced4 ,the greater part of father's lumber was sawed at ,winthrop1 now called ,east ,atchison1 and he did much hauling across the river on the ice4 ,his teams were usually the first to cross when the river froze up1 and the last to quit crossing in the spring2 but as he was a good judge of the condition of the ice1 he never lost a team4 ,i have heard my brother ,george say that four or five times1 when father or himself had1 by careful driving1 crossed in safety with large double teams and heavy loads1 others1 trying to cross behind them with light wagons1 had broken through1 and either lost their teams or been saved with difficulty4 ,one spring the ice was thawing rapidly1 and had become quite rotten2 but father wanted to take one more heavy load across1 and he drove it himself4 ,it was drawn by several yoke of oxen1 and their weight sunk the ice so that the water spouted through the air-holes and frightened them4 ,he knew that the beaten track1 where the teams had trodden the ice solid1 and the accumulated mud had shaded it1 had not thawed as fast as the surrounding ice1 and that to allow his wagon to swerve a foot1 one way or the other1 was to risk breaking in4 ,he ran along by the lead yoke1 watching them so closely that he did not notice where he was walking1 and several times he stepped off1 knee-deep in little air-holes2 but he took his load safely over4 ,as he went up the bank some half-drunken ,germans in a sleigh dashed down on the ice and broke through1 but were so near the shore that they easily got out4 ,but one of father's wagons ever broke through1 and it was driven by a careless hired man4 ,father was ahead with another team4 ,he called back to the man to unhitch quickly and hitch on to the end of the tongue1 for fear the team would break through1 too1 and running back1 he put lumber under the wheels1 and they pulled the wagon out4 ,father gave away a great deal of wood over there4 ,in those days coal was scarce and high1 and1 consequently1 wood was high also4 ,many families were so glad to receive the wood as a gift1 that they were willing to haul it twelve or fourteen miles4 ,and1 winter after winter1 he also kept two or three poor families supplied with wood from his timber at home1 allowing them to come and help themselves4 ,father and mother were always very generous1 giving freely of money1 wood1 fruits1 vegetables1 milk1 or whatever they had to spare1 to those more needy than themselves4 ,i can not remember of ever seeing them charge any one for a night's lodging1 or turn any one away4 ,when father had anything to sell1 he often refused to accept its market value1 because he thought it was not really worth the price4 ,a friend once noticed him selling seed potatoes much below the market price1 and told him that his generous habit of selling to his neighbors so cheaply would keep him poor4 ,he replied that the market price was extortionate1 and that his conscience would not allow him to accept it4 ,in his later years he gave freely to help build various churches2 and to ,state and ,general ,missionary ,societies1 and to the many calls for money4 ,he could never stand by and order men around1 but always took hold and did the hardest of the work himself2 and the excessively heavy work of logging injured his health4 ,he had several severe spells of nervous rheumatism1 and from that time his right arm was troubled with the trembling palsy1 which grew worse until his death4 ,he had not been able to write with a pen for several years1 and his ,recollections were all written by holding a pencil in his right hand1 and steadying that with the left hand4 ,once1 while he was lumbering1 mother remonstrated with him for wearing himself out so fast4 ,he replied that he saw so much needing to be done1 and done at once1 he felt compelled to push his work off his hands as fast as possible4 ,if it shortened his life1 he said it made no difference to him1 provided he could accomplish more than in a long life of easy work4 ,i heard him say once that we ought to make our life-work of so much importance1 that neither cold1 nor storm1 nor any other hindrance should be allowed to interfere with the performance of duty4 ,and ,i seldom knew him to stop for bad weather of any kind4 ,in ,december1 #ahfe1 ,i had concluded to go to school a term at ,manhattan1 and asked father to take me there1 for it was a hundred miles1 and there was not a railroad in the ,state4 ,he sent an appointment to hold a meeting there at that time4 ,the morning that we were to start the thermometer was eighteen degrees below zero1 and the wind blowing keenly from the northwest4 ,but if we postponed our journey he would miss an appointment1 and so we started4 ,there was no snow1 the roads were rough1 and we had to travel in a lumber wagon1 and were three days on the way4 ,i was well wrapped in blankets1 and did not suffer severely1 but father1 on account of driving1 could not wrap up so much1 and had to walk nearly half of the time to keep from freezing4 ,his nose and cheeks were slightly frozen the second day1 for it did not begin to moderate until the third day4 ,he held a good meeting of eight or ten days4 ,there were about a dozen baptisms1 the ice being cut in the river for that purpose4 ,,chapter ,,xxxix4 ,,reminiscences--,,continued4 ,in ,may1 #ahfg1 my two-year-old brother1 ,ernest1 was accidentally scalded4 ,he lingered a week1 then death claimed the youngest of the flock4 ,when the ,central ,branch ,railroad was built the little town of ,farmington was laid out1 a mile to the northwest of father's house--,pardee being two miles to the southeast4 ,many of the original members of the ,pardee ,church had helped to organize the ,pleasant ,grove ,church1 six miles west4 ,father thought it would be wise to break up at ,pardee41 and move church and village to the railroad town1 but some objected4 ,thinking that the rest would soon follow1 he left ,pardee1 and organized a church of twenty-three members at ,farmington1 ,october #f1 #ahfg4 ,bro4 ,mc,cleery held a successful meeting here the next ,december1 and preached once a month during the following year4 ,for several years much of father's time was given 7gratuitously71 in caring for this church and ,sunday-school1 and the church soon numbered a hundred members4 ,after the war many colored people came to ,kansas1 and a number of them settled in the neighborhood4 ,they had heard of father1 as a friend to the colored people1 and some of them wanted to work for him4 ,he frequently employed them1 and usually found them faithful and efficient4 ,they liked to work for him because he treated them as he treated white men4 ,as there were not enough of them in the country places to form churches of their own1 they attended our ,sunday-schools and meetings4 ,we were much surprised to find that some of our brethren objected to colored children being in the classes4 ,one good old colored man1 who had been a member of the church in ,missouri1 was much respected by the community4 ,a white brother requested our deacon1 ,w4 ,j4 ,may1 a son of ,caleb ,may1 to ask this colored brother to take a back seat1 and to pass the bread and wine to him last4 ,bro4 ,may replied3 ,i shall do no such thing2 as long as ,i am deacon in this church there shall be no respect of persons4 ,a colored man1 who had been a servant in the family of one of the governors of ,virginia1 presented himself for membership4 ,he was a neat1 good-looking man1 with pleasant manners1 and had been a member of ,col4 ,shaw's colored regiment1 when they so valiantly stormed ,fort ,wagner4 ,a white sister borrowed a pair of gloves1 when she went up to give him the hand of fellowship1 so that she wouldn't have to touch a nigger's hand4 ,father wanted to teach them1 without giving undue offense1 their ,christian duty to the colored people4 ,he preached a sermon on the parable of the ,good ,samaritan1 telling how the ,jews and ,samaritans hated each other1 and how ,jesus taught in that parable that even the most despised of earth's races are our neighbors4 ,he also told the story of ,peter's vision at the house of ,simon1 and how ,god taught him not to call any man or nation of men common or unclean1 but to carry the gospel to all nations4 ,the nearest that he came to modern times1 in that sermon1 was the remark that the ,jews despised the ,samaritans as much as the ,americans despised the ,africans4 ,he left them to make their own applications of the ,bible teachings4 ,what an excitement it raised6 ,many said the colored people had to be turned out of the ,sunday-school1 or they would leave2 and some did leave4 ,in nearly all our churches father had to meet this prejudice1 but he remained firm in his position1 that in church and ,sunday-school there should be neither white nor black1 but all should have equal rights4 ,in the spring of #ahfi father sold his timber land in ,missouri1 and paid the last of his debts4 ,he had some money left1 and the first thing he did was to go into a book store1 and spend forty dollars for ,barnes' ,notes1 and ,motley's ,united ,netherlands1 and ,history of the ,dutch ,republic4 ,he remarked as he did so1 ,i have felt the need of these books for years1 and this is the first money ,i could spare for them4 ,men who had seen father working with tireless energy on his farm1 or the plains1 or logging in the timber1 sometimes said3 ,he is craving to get rich4 ,he has often been misunderstood1 but in no point more than this4 ,i never knew a man who cared less for wealth than he4 ,the one all-absorbing object of his life was to preach the gospel4 ,but he had also resolved to have the means to pay his debts1 and to have a home for his family4 ,about that time he spoke to me1 in substance1 as follows3 ,the one great anxiety of my life has been to preach4 ,i had intended to go to ,bethany1 and devote my life entirely to preaching4 ,my sore throat caused me to give that up1 but going to ,iowa improved my health1 and ,i began to preach again4 ,when ,i took my claim in ,kansas it was with the intention of holding on to the land1 while ,i preached in ,illinois1 until ,kansas should be thickly enough settled to furnish me preaching here4 ,but you know how necessity has driven me1 and how preaching for a meager salary1 and neglecting my farm1 ran me in debt2 and what a hard necessity has been laid on me to pay those debts1 and to improve my farm1 so that you and your mother and the boys can make a living from it4 ,you have no idea what a sore and bitter trial it has been to me the last six or eight years to see the old churches going to pieces before my eyes1 and so many opportunities for planting new churches being lost to us4 ,there is only one thing more ,i must do1 and then ,i am determined to give myself wholly to preaching4 ,as for myself1 ,i would live in a log house all my days before ,i would take from my preaching the time necessary to earn and build a better house4 ,but ,sybil has been a good and faithful wife1 and has borne with commendable patience all the trials of the hard life through which ,i have led her2 and it worries her to entertain so much company as we have in her log house4 ,with the lumber and saleable stock ,i have on hand1 ,i can build it without incurring any further debt4 ,and then ,i will be ready to preach without being dependent on any man4 ,the house was built2 but before it was finished a series of misfortunes befell him1 that threw him in debt nearly as badly as before4 ,from snake-bites1 disease1 and accidents1 he lost four or five horses1 and several head of cattle1 and the cholera killed nearly a thousand dollars' worth of his hogs4 ,he went to work again1 but somewhat discouraged1 for he saw that his long-deferred hope of devoting his entire time to study and preaching1 could never be realized4 ,he was nearly sixty1 and had broken his constitution by hard work1 and could not much longer have endured the incessant riding and preaching of a traveling evangelist1 even could he have been supported4 ,the boys were then old enough to do much of the farm work1 and from that time he preached more constantly1 but spent more or less time at hard labor4 ,for several years he was employed1 for a small salary1 at monthly preaching1 by churches at ,big ,springs1 ,valley ,falls1 ,round ,prairie1 and other points4 ,in the fall of #ahge he concluded to visit once more the churches for which he had preached before coming to ,kansas1 and bid farewell to his old friends4 ,he accordingly spent the following winter in a preaching tour throughout ,iowa and ,illinois4 ,the ,state ,meeting at ,emporia1 in #ahgg1 in his absence1 elected him ,president of the ,society4 ,unable to find a ,state evangelist who would undertake the difficult task of reviving the old churches that had perished--which he thought was the work most needed at that time--he took the field himself4 ,at the ,state meeting held at ,yates ,center the next year1 he made the following report3 ,time spent1 five months2 sermons preached1 one hundred and fifty2 churches organized1 two2 compensation received1 #ahf4cf4 ,he also revived many scattered churches and ,sunday-schools1 and obtained regular preaching for some of them4 ,he was greatly worried over the churches of this part of the ,state4 ,they had been much weakened1 and some of them nearly broken up by the tide of emigration that set into the southern and western counties4 ,attempts at co-operative ,state and district work were impeded by conservative papers1 which prejudiced the brethren against missionary societies1 and hireling pastors4 ,he spent much time1 both with tongue and pen1 in answering these sophistries1 and teaching the churches their duties4 ,many of the churches were really too poor to support regular preaching1 and many that were able1 thought themselves unable to do so4 ,yet someone must care for them1 or they would perish4 ,he resolved for the rest of his life to preach1 without remuneration1 where such preaching was most needed4 ,and so the last eight or nine years of his life were spent in preaching on ,saturdays and ,sundays for weak churches1 and the remainder of the time in working and writing4 ,if a church was building a meeting house1 and felt unable to support a preacher while doing so1 he preached for it until it was built4 ,if a church had already built1 and felt oppressed with debt1 he preached for it until the debt was paid4 ,if1 from any cause1 a church was weak or disorderly1 he preached for it until it was again in good order4 ,then he said to the brethren3 ,i have helped you on your feet1 now raise the money and hire some one else to preach for you1 and let me go and help some other needy church4 ,mr4 ,hastings and ,i were married in #ahgj1 and had settled at ,farmington4 ,from that time ,mr4 ,hastings had taken much of the care of the ,farmington church4 ,the church at ,pardee had revived1 and had been doing well under the care of ,prof4 ,n4 ,dunshee2 and1 later on1 by the assistance of ,prof4 ,j4 ,m4 ,reid1 and of ,mr4 ,hastings4 ,but1 about six years ago1 being left without a leader1 they begged father to take charge of them1 although they were unable to offer him much remuneration4 ,he told them that it would cost them nothing1 so far as he was concerned2 but that1 if he took charge of them1 they must promise to support the ,sunday-school liberally1 and to build a church4 ,he1 and his family1 therefore1 changed their membership from ,farmington back to ,pardee1 where he was elected elder--for he believed that every pastor of a church should be one of its elders--and he preached for them five years4 ,he not only gave largely of his means to build the church1 but spent the whole summer in collecting the money1 and overseeing the building of the house4 ,he looked after the buying of the materials1 and sent his teams to do much of the hauling1 and never stopped until the building was furnished1 the insurance paid1 and his own hands had put the stoves in place4 ,about a year before his death1 however1 owing to disagreements about the manner of conducting the ,sunday-school1 father resigned his eldership1 and preached at other points until his death4 ,but his work for others was not confined to preaching1 or church work4 ,he had never tried to make a large town of either ,farmington or ,pardee4 ,he knew too well the perils of the city4 ,when he helped to lay out ,pardee he made it a part of the charter that if liquor should ever be sold on any lot of the town the deed to that lot should be forfeited4 ,his idea was to have a small village1 with a good church and school1 as the center of a moral and intelligent farming community4 ,he took great interest in schools1 ,sunday-schools1 literary societies1 and temperance work2 in everything1 in fact1 which tended to the moral and intellectual improvement of the young1 or to the well-being of society in general4 ,he spent much time in writing and lecturing on temperance1 both before and after the passage of the ,prohibitory ,amendment4 ,his articles in the papers denouncing the violation of the prohibitory law as rebellion against the ,constitution1 and all the sympathizers with the law-breakers1 as rebels1 stirred up such an excitement that when he went to ,atchison he could scarcely walk the streets on account of the people1 both friends and opponents1 who stopped him on every turn1 to talk of prohibition4 ,the ,germans all wanted to discuss the matter with him2 but one of the leading ,germans said to him one day1 ,you must not expect us old ,germans1 who have brought our habits from the old country1 to change2 but go ahead1 ,mr4 ,butler6 ,go ahead6 ,the young men are with you4 ,father was sometimes accused of dabbling in politics4 ,if that means that he was an office-seeker1 the charge is false4 ,though often urged by his friends to run for office1 he invariably refused1 telling them that he considered the office of a ,christian preacher the highest office on earth4 ,but he did think it his duty to attend elections and primary meetings1 and work against the whisky ring4 ,he often spent much time1 in the fall1 speaking and writing to secure the election of temperance men for county officers4 ,the final effort by which he succeeded in arousing a public sentiment strong enough to compel the county officers to close the saloons1 was a stirring speech he made at a temperance meeting in ,atchison1 in the spring of #ahhe1 ,some have thought that father was hard-hearted4 ,plain-spoken he certainly was1 and sometimes harsh in dealing with those whom he thought to be doing wrong4 ,he was so thoroughly in earnest that when he thought a certain way right or wrong1 it was hard for him to understand that some other way might be equally right or wrong4 ,naturally high-tempered1 with a very excitable1 nervous organization1 it was often a matter of wonder to me to see how much self-control he exercised1 under irritating circumstances4 ,he sometimes lost his self-control1 and said things that would better have been left unsaid2 but when he saw that he had done so he was ready to beg pardon for the offense4 ,but he was kind-hearted and forgiving1 and ready to forget injuries done to him4 ,no matter how harshly he might speak of an opponent1 or wrong-doer1 he would often turn right around and do him a kindness4 ,one of the men who helped to raft him wrote to him three or four years ago1 saying that he was writing an account of the ,kansas troubles1 and asking him for some information on points that he had forgotten4 ,father readily complied with his request1 telling him that he freely forgave him1 and all the rest of his old-time enemies4 ,father was always ready to help the poor1 the oppressed1 or unfortunate4 ,it was that spirit of sympathy for the weaker party that led him to side with ,horace ,greely in #ahgb1 because he thought the ,republicans were too hard on the conquered ,southerners4 ,but when he heard of the widespread ,ku-,klux outrages1 he concluded that he had been mistaken1 and returned heartily to the ,republican party4 ,i heard a neighbor say a few years ago3 ,if any one needs help1 just go to ,bro4 ,butler4 ,i never heard of him refusing to help anybody that was in trouble1 no matter how much time or trouble it cost him4 ,another neighbor had his house burned4 ,he was old and feeble1 and unable to rebuild4 ,other neighbors thought they had done their part when they raised a subscription to build him a new house4 ,but cold weather was coming on1 necessitating haste4 ,father1 not content with giving money1 looked after buying materials1 and putting up the building2 sent his teams to do the hauling2 and1 because the ground was freezing up1 worked until late at night1 digging out sand to plaster it4 ,and this was but one of the many instances of his practical kind-heartedness4 ,he attended the ,state ,meeting at ,hutchinson about a year before his death1 where he had been invited to deliver a historical address1 sketching his own life and work1 and the history of our churches in ,kansas4 ,he was urgently requested to publish it1 and from that circumstance came the publication1 in the ,christian ,standard1 of his ,recollections4 ,bro4 ,f4 ,m4 ,rains said of that address1 ,that was the grandest speech ever delivered on ,kansas soil4 ,the ,hutchinson ,daily ,news spoke of it as follows3 ,the address was a happy blending of church history1 and personal reminiscence1 full of fact1 humor and pathos1 and1 most of all1 devotion to freedom1 morality1 temperance1 and godliness4 ,few people of today are able to appreciate the privations1 and sacrifices1 and dangers1 with which the pioneer was beset1 and these dangers came with special nearness to the man whose mission1 courage and conscience made him the open and avowed foe of all sorts of wickedness4 ,the house was packed with intense listeners1 and from beginning to end he held the great audience in close attention1 and when he finished1 the hope that grand old ,pardee ,butler might live a hundred years was the unexpressed wish of all4 ,father was always fluent in prayer1 and his petitions earnest and timely2 but in the last year or two of his life his prayers seemed to grow more fervent and impressive4 ,mrs4 ,hendryx1 of ,wichita1 writing to me since his death1 speaks thus of a prayer offered by him at the ,hutchinson ,convention3 ,never1 while consciousness shall last1 will ,i forget the ring of your father's voice in prayer1 at ,hutchinson4 ,i asked1 ',who is that aged veteran8 he seems almost inspired4' ,and they told me it was ,pardee ,butler4 ,the earnestness and appropriateness of his prayers were most noticeable on several funeral occasions1 and numbers spoke of being affected by them1 particularly at ,bro4 ,locker's funeral4 ,he preached his last sermon at ,north ,cedar1 a week and a half before his accident4 ,the following ,saturday1 ,september #ae1 he attended ,bro4 ,locker's funeral4 ,the next day he attended ,bro4 ,parker's meeting at ,pleasant ,grove1 where he presided at the ,lord's table4 ,he had several appointments ahead at the time he was hurt4 ,one of these was to preach the funeral of his old friend1 ,caleb ,may1 who had died in ,florida1 ,august #bg4 ,his children in ,florida had sent a request to his son1 ,e4 ,e4 ,may1 of ,farmington1 that father should preach a memorial sermon at ,pardee4 ,father had not done any heavy work for two years1 but he still did much light work1 and choring1 although his health was gradually failing1 milking eight or ten cows a day1 and driving a young team from ten to twenty miles to his appointments1 almost every ,sunday1 seldom stopping for bad weather4 ,it was reported that he was thrown from a colt at the time he was hurt4 ,my brothers wish that report corrected4 ,they think he never was thrown from a horse in his life4 ,they had seen him break many colts1 and had never seen him thrown4 ,he had been using the most spirited colt on the place for his riding horse all summer2 but that day1 ,september #ai1 it was in a distant pasture1 and finding my brother ,charley's colt in the stable1 he thought he would ride it to the post-office4 ,it would not stand for him to mount1 and he put the halter around a post1 holding the end in his hand4 ,as he mounted the saddle the colt jerked both halter and bridle from his hand and trotted off4 ,unable to reach the bridle he hastily dismounted4 ,as he swung his right foot around to the ground the colt kicked it1 crushing the ankle joint4 ,he quietly called mother2 and ,brother ,may1 who happened to be passing1 helped him into the house1 and sent for a surgeon4 ,we feared no worse result at the first than a crippled ankle4 ,he said to ,bro4 ,white1 who visited him a few days after he was hurt1 ,oh1 ,i will get up all right2 a ,butler never was conquered1 you know4 ,my only concern is that ,i shall not become a permanent cripple4 ,the first week he was hopeful1 though suffering much pain4 ,the second week he was delirious1 with high fever4 ,then he was prostrated with a severe nervous chill--his already over-wrought nervous system was exhausted by pain4 ,from that time he lay in an unconscious stupor the greater part of the time4 ,he passed quietly away at half-past three ,a4 ,m41 ,october #ai1 #ahhh1 at the age of seventy-two4 ,his funeral took place the following day in the church at ,pardee4 ,the services were conducted by ,elders ,john ,boggs1 of ,clyde1 and ,j4 ,b4 ,mc,cleery1 of ,fort ,leavenworth4 ,the house was full1 notwithstanding it was a stormy day1 raining continuously from morning until night4 ,word had been sent to all the churches in this and adjacent counties1 and hundreds who were preparing to attend the funeral were disappointed by the inclement weather4 ,,chapter ,,xl4 ,,pro-,,slavery ,,hindrances4 ,,by ,,elder ,,john ,,boggs4 ,although our dear departed brother1 ,elder ,pardee ,butler1 was never classed with the ,garrisonian ,abolitionists1 he began his ministerial life when the demands of the ,south were being felt in all the ,north1 both in church and ,state4 ,if slavery could not be advocated by the ,northern conscience it must at least be ignored by all candidates for popular favor4 ,it had divided some of the most popular religious denominations2 and was the most exciting subject of discussion known to the religious world at the middle of the present century4 ,among the ,disciples of ,christ the slavery question was peculiarly perplexing1 as there was a large per cent1 of the membership who were actual slaveholders1 and the leaders among us1 although publicly committed against slavery in the abstract1 were endeavoring to soften the hard features of slavery in the ,southern ,states by arguing that the relation of master and slave was not sinful per se1 as it was recognized and regulated both in the ,jewish and ,christian scriptures4 ,bro4 ,butler was ordained as a minister of the gospel of ,christ1 among the4 ,disciples1 at ,sullivan1 ,ohio1 some time in the year #ahdd1 by ,a4 ,b4 ,green and ,j4 ,h4 ,jones1 at that time two of the most efficient evangelists in ,northern ,ohio ,he had a good conscience1 which passed judgment upon his actions in accordance with the great law of love inculcated by the ,lord himself and his apostles1 and he did not allow the application of any hot iron so as to sear it4 ,although he did not come in direct antagonism with the pro-slavery power while he labored in the gospel ministry east of the ,missouri ,river1 yet it is evident that the slavery question was a most important factor in making up his decision to leave his field of labor in the ,military ,tract in ,illinois1 where he gave up present usefulness and ministerial blessedness for a prospective missionary field and a humble home for his family4 ,he had spent four years there in active ministerial labor2 and in the second number of his ,personal ,recollections he calls them the golden days of my life6 ,that the hand of ,god directed the footsteps of ,pardee ,butler to ,kansas just at the time he went there1 and to the place where he took a homestead and improved it1 and lived on it with his family for a third of a century1 no one who believes in an overruling providence can for a moment doubt4 ,at the risk of his life1 and at the cost of great privation in his own person1 and that of his wife and children1 he unfurled the blood-stained banner of the cross1 and never allowed it to trail beneath his feet through the long years of border ruffianism1 and the dark days of detraction and misrepresentation4 ,he was the man for the hour2 while on the one hand he was not forgetful of the obligations resting upon him to his family--he laid the foundation for a happy home--on the other hand1 he was always ready1 both in season and out of season1 at home and abroad1 to preach the unsearchable riches of ,jesus ,christ to a lost and dying world4 ,to him more than to any other human instrumentality is the brotherhood of ,christ's disciples indebted for the early introduction of ,christianity in the now grand ,state of ,kansas2 and his name will be honorably and lovingly remembered by all the good and the true1 who shall learn of his unselfish life and his untiring devotion to the cause of the ,master4 ,in the summer of #aheh1 after he had been in the new ,territory over three years1 ,bro4 ,butler1 in the ,luminary1 writes as follows3 ,to teach1 discipline1 and perfect the churches we have already organized2 to gather into churches the lost sheep of the house of ,israel1 scattered over this great wilderness of sin2 to watch over those who are still purposing to tempt its dangers1 and to lay broad and deep the foundations of a future operation and co-operation1 that shall ultimate in spreading the gospel from pole to pole1 and across the great sea to the farthest domicile of man--this is the purpose which we set before us4 ,this brief quotation shows the broadness and completeness of the work1 as contemplated by him1 and which is now going forward to its accomplishment as never before2 and to his almost alone labors at first the work in ,kansas can be legitimately traced4 ,during this year a ,territorial ,board was formed1 and ,bro4 ,butler was appointed as their evangelist2 and a correspondence was had between him and the corresponding secretary of the ,general ,missionary ,society in reference to affording aid to the ,kansas ,board to help sustain him in his evangelical labors4 ,it was conducted in the most friendly manner and in a true ,christian spirit1 until the slavery question came to the front and prevented the accomplishment of what was hoped for on the one hand1 and contemplated on the other4 ,the following extract from ,bro4 ,butler's third letter will present the issue in the briefest manner possible3 ,,dear ,,sir3--,you say in letter before me1 ,it must1 therefore1 be distinctly understood that if we embark in a missionary enterprise in ,kansas1 this question of slavery and anti-slavery must be ignored4 ,i respond3 ,this reformation is pledged before heaven and earth1 and under covenants the most solemn and binding into which men can enter1 to guarantee freedom of thought and speech to our brotherhood-i--not indeed on subjects purely abstract1 speculative and inoperative1 but on ,bible questions--questions which involve the well-being of humanity4 ,this matter of slavery is a ,bible question--a question of justice between man and man--of mercy and humanity4 ,it is what ,jesus would call one of the weightier matters of the law1 and demands1 therefore1 a large place in our investigations4 99 99 99 ,the brethren here in ,kansas have made no such stipulations with me ,they have left me to my own discretion in preaching the gospel to sinners1 and teaching the saints according to the ,bible4 ,they have shown themselves too magnanimous to impose on my conscience a restriction which their own manhood would forbid1 under similar circumstances1 that they should suffer to be imposed on themselves4 ,for myself1 ,i will be no party1 now or hereafter1 to such an arrangement as that contemplated in your letter now before me4 ,i would not make this ,reformation of the nineteenth century a withered and blasted trunk1 scattered by the lightnings of heaven1 because it took part with the rich and powerful against the poor and oppressed1 and because we have been recreant to those maxims of free discussion which we have so ostentatiously heralded to the world as our cherished principles4 ,in explanation of the first letter received by ,bro4 ,butler from the corresponding secretary1 a second one was sent1 from which it is necessary to make the following extracts3 ,i reply1 that nothing has been said against teaching a master his duties according to the ,bible1 nor 7what is just as important7 against teaching servants their duties to their masters1 according to the ,bible--according to the instructions given to evangelists--,i4 ,tim4 vi4 #a-d4 ,my remarks1 as the whole letter will show1 had reference to the question of slavery in ,kansas4 ,the forms it takes on there are very different from the duties masters owe their servants according to the ,bible4 ,it is whether a slaveholder is necessarily a sinner1 unfit for membership in the ,christian ,church--a blood-thirsty oppressor1 whose money is the price of blood1 and would pollute the treasury of the ,lord1 etc4 etc4 ,and1 on the other hand1 whether ,american slavery is a divine institution1 the perfection of society for the ,african race1 and essential to their happiness--while all ,abolitionists are fit only for the madhouse or the penitentiary4 ,these and such like are the forms the question of slavery assumes in ,kansas1 as well as in many of the free ,states1 where there are no masters and servants in that sense to be taught their duties1 in reference to which it was said the question must be entirely ignored4 ,and we can not consent that on one side or the other such pleas shall be made under the sanction of the ,american ,christian ,missionary ,society4 ,i did not then1 nor do ,i now1 suppose that if you were employed by the ,a4 ,c4 ,m4 ,s4 to preach the gospel in ,kansas1 it would fall to your lot to furnish instructions to many masters and servants4 ,if in any churches you may raise up in ,kansas--evidently destined to be free--you find masters and slaves1 of course it will be your duty to instruct them both according to the ,bible4 ,but to furnish such instruction1 and to go through ,kansas lecturing on anti-slavery1 or mixing up any pro-slavery or any anti-slavery theories and dogmas with the gospel1 or to plant churches with the express understanding that no master shall be allowed to have membership in it1 are very different things4 ,and ,i had this very matter in view when ,i wrote to you1 for ,i had some-how heard that the church of which you were a member was about to take just such a stand1 and ,i wanted to have it distinctly understood that so far as action under the direction of the ,a4 ,c4 ,m4 ,s4 was concerned1 all such ultraisms must be ignored4 4 4 4 ,you felt anxious to have help to preach the gospel in ,kansas4 ,i felt anxious to assist you4 ,i saw danger in the way1 growing out of the fact that ,i represent a society whose membership is in the ,south as well as in the ,north1 and that some factious ultraists are constantly on the watch to sow the seeds of discord4 ,i knew the state of things in ,kansas as bearing on the slavery question4 ,i knew something1 too1 of your treatment there1 and of your feelings4 ,i saw that if you were employed to preach there1 an effort would be made to herald it1 as in ,bro4 ,beardslee's ,case1 as an anti-slavery triumph4 ,this would be unjust to us4 ,and as the practical question of master and slave does not exist there to any extent1 ,i spoke of ignoring the question altogether4 ,if you still insist on the right to urge that question1 and take part in the controversy raging in ,kansas1 under the patronage of the ,a4 ,c4 ,m4 ,s41 ,i have only to say it is outside the objects contemplated in our constitution4 ,but if you wish simply to preach the gospel and instruct converts in a knowledge of ,christian duties1 according to the ,scriptures1 there was certainly no occasion for your second letter to be written4 ,to the foregoing a rejoinder was written by ,bro4 ,butler1 which closed the correspondence with the ,a4 ,c4 ,m4 ,s41 and from which the following extracts are taken1 that the readers may understand his position correctly3 ,i reply1 #a4 ,in your former letter ,i find no reference to the forms the agitation of this question assumes in ,kansas4 ,i presume you had not a copy of that letter before you when you wrote this one4 ,but you do allude to forms the agitation of this question had assumed in ,cincinnati1 and in reference to ,bro4 ,beardslee and the ,jamaica mission4 ,i was also instructed that our missionaries must not be ensnared into such utterances as the ,luminary can publish to the world1 to add fuel to the flame4 ,the utterances against which ,i was guarded seemed to be in ,cincinnati rather than in ,kansas4 ,i had already published a piece indicative of my views in the ,northwestern ,christian ,magazine1 and that appeared to be the obnoxious utterance4 #b4 ,you are misinformed relative to the forms the agitation of this question assumes in ,kansas4 ,the question1 ,shall slaveholders be received as church members8 has hardly been debated at all4 #c4 ,neither myself nor any person associated with me has at time proposed to organize a church to exclude slaveholders4 #d4 ,slaveholders have been members of our churches from the first day until now4 ,how1 then1 could ,i understand you as referring to anything else than to my own published ,cincinnati utterances8 99 99 99 ,as respects slavery1 the whole power of the master and the obligation of the servant is found in the proper meaning of the words of such precepts as these ,masters1 render unto your servants that which is just and equal2 servants1 obey your masters1 etc4 ,all within such limits is the doctrine which is according to godliness--all beyond1 whether on the part of the master or the slave1 and which is attempted to be foisted into the church as a part of the apostolic doctrine1 is schismatical1 and essentially fills up the picture drawn by ,paul3 ,if any man teach otherwise1 and consent not to wholesome words1 even the words of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 and to the doctrine which is according to godliness2 he is proud1 knowing nothing'--from such withdraw thyself4 ,in these precepts no right is given to the masters to buy and sell1 to traffic in slaves2 no right to enslave the children1 and the children's children of his servants2 no right to hold them in a relentless bondage which knows no limit but the grave1 and in which the heritage transmitted by the slave to his children1 is a heritage of bondage to all generations4 ,on the #bfth of ,august1 #aheh1 the same season that the foregoing correspondence took place1 ,bro4 ,butler wrote to the editor of the ,christian ,luminary the following letter1 which is given entire1 as showing the exact position which he occupied ministerially at that time3 ,,ocena1 ,,atchison ,,co41 ,,kan41 ,aug4 #bf1 #aheh4 ,,dear ,,sir3--,three churches--one meeting at ,leavenworth ,city1 another at ,mount ,pleasant1 ,atchison county1 and a third at ,pardee1 same county--have formed an organization for the purpose of propagating the gospel in ,kansas4 ,for four months ,i have been in the employ of these churches4 ,my first business was to travel over the ,territory and ascertain where we have brethren in sufficient numbers to make it expedient to organize churches4 ,to that end ,i have traveled over that portion of the ,territory north of the ,kansas ,river1 and embraced in the counties of ,leavenworth1 ,atchison1 ,doniphan1 ,jefferson1 and ,calhoun2 also1 to some extent south of the ,kansas ,river4 ,i will not say that this has been the pleasantest labor of my life4 ,a long and wearisome ride across wide prairies1 under a burning sun1 has often been followed by a fruitless effort to excite interest enough to justify established preaching4 ,i would not convey the idea that this region is not full of promise to the missionary1 notwithstanding ,i am fully persuaded that we are not to expect such immediate results as have followed my own labors elsewhere4 ,we must first sow1 and then1 in due time1 we shall reap1 if we faint not4 ,the ,m4 ,e4 ,church reports #abj preachers in ,kansas and ,nebraska2 the ,u4 ,b4 ,church1 #i1 sustained in part by contributions from abroad4 ,the ,missionary ,baptists make good their right to the name they have chosen1 by sustaining four missionaries4 ,i confess it is a matter of profound humiliation to me that the demonstration that ours is primitive apostolic ,christianity1 is found in the fact that we can afford but one missionary in ,kansas1 and that to his support not one dime has been contributed from abroad4 ,the brethren in the ,territory1 under an unexampled pecuniary pressure1 and out of their deep poverty1 have done all that has been done4 ,two new churches have been organized--one at ,big ,springs1 ,douglas county1 numbering twenty-eight members2 the other at ,cedar ,creek1 ,jefferson county1 of eleven members4 ,we have also the nucleus of a congregation at ,atchison1 and another at ,elk ,city1 ,calhoun county4 ,thus we have in this part of ,kansas the foundation laid for eight churches1 all of which are steadily increasing in numbers2 and the brethren composing them1 in all the elements of future growth1 and in moral and in religious excellence1 are at par value with the brotherhood in any of our ,states or ,territories4 ,if the older churches1 blessed with such abundant means1 would aid us in this hour of our need1 it is my opinion they would be no poorer on earth and much richer in heaven4 ,but whether they aid us or not1 ,i trust we shall hold our own1 and ultimately prove that the weapons of our warfare are not carnal1 but mighty through ,god to the pulling down of strongholds1 casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of ,god4 ,we have a number of young preachers1 who are giving promise of future usefulness4 ,very truly1 your brother1 ,,pardee ,,butler4 ,p4 ,s4--,five persons in this congregation1 and one at ,big ,springs have been recently added by baptism2 also two from other denominations4 ,on the #ast day of ,july1 #ahei1 ,bro4 ,butler made a very interesting report of his labors1 and especially of his tour in several of the free ,states--mostly where he had labored in the gospel before his removal to ,kansas4 ,as the document is too long for publication entire in this volume1 only the more important extracts can be given4 ,the first two paragraphs being only a fuller statement of what is already written1 the first extract will show the voluntary indorsement of ,bro4 ,butler by the churches for which he had been laboring1 as follows3 ,,whereas1 ,bro4 ,butler has faithfully and diligently performed the labor assigned him as our evangelist2 therefore1 ,resolved1 ,i4 ,that we do most heartily approve of his labors and general course of conduct during his term of service4 #b4 ,that the officers of this ,board be directed to procure the services of ,bro4 ,butler1 or some other suitable person1 to solicit aid in the ,states for this society4 ,bro4 ,humber1 as president of the ,board1 did not call it together to complete the arrangement contemplated4 ,on my own part1 ,i felt unwilling to importune him4 ,i went on my tour1 therefore1 simply under the indorsement and approval of my own congregation4 ,i left home ,december #af1 #aheh1 and returned ,may #ab1 #ahei4 ,i visited the ,military ,tract of ,illinois1 ,northeast ,iowa1 ,southwest ,michigan1 ,central and ,eastern ,indiana1 and ,northern ,ohio4 ,the amount of money realized was #cfe2 expenses1 #aaj1 leaving a balance on hand of #bee1 as the first installment of the fund of our begun mission4 ,of all the churches in which ,i sought a hearing only one1 the church at ,bedford1 ,ohio1 gave me the cold shoulder4 ,in response to my request for the privilege of delivering a lecture before them1 in development of our wants and condition in ,kansas1 they responded that they considered it political1 and they had resolved that their house should not be used for political lectures64444 ,in all the localities visited by me1 ,i found the masses of the people with such convictions as will constrain them to treat slavery in the ,united ,states as a moral evil1 and to patronize only such societies as assume toward it a similar position4 ,it is asked3 ,what have we to do with slavery8 ,i reply3 ,we1 as ,christians1 should have nothing to do with it4 ,but we in ,kansas are placed under compulsion to have something to do with it4 ,we have slaveholders in our churches2 and if the time should come when there will be no slaves in ,kansas1 still we have something to do with it1 for within one day's ride of us in ,platte county1 ,mo41 is the largest body of slaveholders in that ,state4 ,discipline is special to each congregation1 but that sense of justice which always stands as the basis of discipline1 is common to all the churches of one communion4 ,this public opinion is created by a mutual interchange of sentiment--the books we read and the preachers we hear4 ,for years past slaveholders have ceased to hear those suspected of abolitionism or to read their writings4 ,i will bear very long with error where mutual discussion and free interchange of sentiment promise ultimately to bring all to be of the same mind4 ,am ,i told that the safety of slave property requires that ,abolitionists should not be heard in the slave ,states8 ,i reply3 ,the more shame to those who perpetuate an institution that demands for its security the tyranny of such proscription2 and that the human soul of the black man should be so cruelly dwarfed and robbed of his manhood4 4 4 4 ,such are the not very flattering impressions made on my mind during a five months' tour in ,northern ,ohio1 after an absence of nine years4 ,there must and will be a reform2 it has become a public necessity4 ,temporizers are proverbially short-sighted4 ,god gives only to the pure-hearted the divine privilege of foreseeing the coming of those beneficent revolutions1 which exalt and dignify humanity4 ,ambitious and selfish men are left to go blindly on and fall into their own pit4 ,at present there will be chaos ,i ,the people will not follow those who have been accustomed to lead1 notwithstanding those leaders will have power greatly to embarrass the action of those who do not follow them4 ,we have three pressing wants3 #a4 ,a sustained paper that will not bow the knee to the image of this modern ,baal4 ,such a paper we have1 but it should not be concealed1 that it must pass through a fiery ordeal1 and can only be sustained by the timely efforts of its friends4 #b4 ,we need a convention made up of men who regard slavery as a moral evil1 and are disposed to make their own consciences the rule of their action4 #c4 ,we need a missionary fund1 which shall be placed in such hands that it shall not be prostituted to the vile purpose of bribing men into silence on the subject of slavery4 ,i am not commissioned specially to speak for the ,luminary1 nor to prophesy concerning any convention which may hereafter assemble4 ,i only speak for myself4 ,let it then be candidly admitted that the fund which ,i have been able to collect is a rather unpromising beginning1 and that it does not augur that this mission will be well sustained4 ,i remark1 then1 ,i never was adequately sustained4 ,i have been a frontier and a pioneer preacher1 and have shared the fortunes of such men4 ,to keep myself in the field ,i have labored very hard1 ,i have toiled by day1 and have subjected my family to the necessity of such labor1 privation1 and close economy as1 perhaps1 calls for rebuke instead of praise4 ,the churches at ,davenport1 ,long ,grove1 ,de ,witt1 ,marion1 and ,highland ,grove1 in ,iowa2 and ,camp ,point1 ,mt4 ,sterling1 and ,rushville1 in ,illinois1 can be addressed as to my former manner of life4 ,i would speak modestly of myself2 and have not obtruded these matters before the brethren until rudely assailed as though ,i never made any sacrifices4 ,i do not complain1 and what ,i have said is offered1 as evidence1 in some sort1 that money appropriated to this mission will not be squandered4 ,in this connection it is thought proper to insert a single quotation from a letter which appeared in the ,review1 a paper which published editorially1 the most unscrupulous slanders in reference to ,bro4 ,butler's work in ,kansas1 which letter was written by ,bro4 ,s4 ,a4 ,marshall1 of ,leavenworth--both an ,m4 ,d4 and a preacher1 and than whom no more honorable gentleman ever lived in that city4 ,his testimony is incidental1 and therefore so much the stronger3 ,the brethren of the four churches named have tried to co-operate together to sustain ,bro4 ,pardee ,butler as home missionary for a little while4 ,he is an able evangelist and generally beloved3 and being on the ground and well acquainted with the country1 and the manners and customs of the people1 could be obtained at much less expense1 and perhaps be as useful and acceptable to the people as any other available evangelist4 ,in harmony with the suggestion made by ,bro4 ,butler in his report1 for a convention of our brethren who look upon slavery as a moral evil1 call was made for such a meeting to convene in the city of ,indianapolis on the #ast day of ,november1 #ahei4 ,about six hundred signatures were attached to the call1 including many of the most intelligent and influential members of our churches in the ,north4 ,after much misrepresentation and denunciation1 the convention was held in the ,christian chapel in ,indianapolis2 a constitution for a missionary society adopted and the necessary officers appointed4 ,many of the churches gave it a most hearty endorsement4 ,it was deemed expedient that ,bro4 ,butler1 before returning to ,kansas1 should visit as many churches as practicable4 ,accordingly1 he wrote to the ,luminary under date of ,december #bf1 #ahei1 from ,springville1 ,ind41 as follows3 ,i have thought best1 before returning to ,kansas1 to make a short visit to this part of ,indiana1 where1 according to report1 almost all the brethren are opposed to our recent missionary movement4 ,in twenty-three days ,i have preached thirty-two discourses4 ,for the mission we raised1 cash1 #ee2 pledges1 #dc4 ,three have been added by baptism1 and one from the ,presbyterians who had formerly been immersed4 ,some of our preaching brethren in this part of the ,state conclude to take the advice of ,gamaliel3 ,and now ,i say unto you1 refrain from these men1 and let them alone2 for if this counsel or this work be of men1 it will come to naught2 but if it be of ,god1 ye can not overthrow it2 lest happily ye be found even to fight against ,god4 ,in the cause of a common piety and a common humanity4 ,bro4 ,butler returned to ,kansas1 and resumed his labors wherever a door of entrance was opened to him4 ,angry clouds thickened across the political and religious horizon1 until1 shortly1 the storm broke forth in unwonted fury1 and swept away from the national statute book every vestige of ,american slavery4 ,for a quarter of a century longer he continued in the service of the ,master1 laboring successfully in every department of the ministerial work--evangelical1 pastoral1 and in the advocacy of all moral reforms1 and especially as a leader in the warfare waged against the saloon interest in ,kansas4 ,he lived to see his adopted ,state take an advanced position in the legal prohibition movement1 slavery in the ,united ,states abolished1 and the cause of ,bible ,christianity flourishing as it had never done before4 ,he commanded the respect of all who knew him1 and was regarded as one of the chief founders of the church4 ,his presence at all the ,christian conventions in and out of the ,state was always hailed with tokens of gladness4 ,still he was aware that there were individual members1 and even some churches that never forgave him for the active part he took against the extension of slavery1 and his indictments against it as a moral evil--a sin against ,god and man4 ,fifty years of his eventful life were consecrated to the service of the ,master and the good of humanity4 ,he died with the ministerial harness on4 ,at the time of the sad casualty which proved to be fatal1 he had arrangements for continued work in the churches1 both at home and abroad4 ,he finished his course with joy1 for he knew there was laid up for him in heaven a crown of righteousness4 ,he labored assiduously in life1 and now enjoys the sweet rest which remains for the people of ,god4 ,,chapter ,,xli4 ,,temperance ,,and ,,church ,,work1 ,,by ,,eld4 ,j4 ,b4 ,,mccleery4 ,,analysis ,,of ,,character4 #a4 ,an indomitable will4 #b4 ,a sublime courage4 #c4 ,a never-satisfied hungering and thirst for knowledge4 #d4 ,an intense love for truth1 and hatred of shams4 #e4 ,a tireless worker4 #f4 ,an advanced thinker4 ,in presenting this analysis it is by no means thought to be complete4 ,there are many phases of his well-known character left untouched1 because this chapter would become a book1 if all were presented in detail4 ,we touch upon these more salient ones1 as presenting the well-known outlines of his later life1 and trust the picture will find faithful recognition among his host of admirers4 ,those who have known him ever since the past ,territorial days of ,kansas1 will concede that1 for the accomplishment of a purpose unto which he had once deliberately put his hand1 no man ever breathed the fresh air of these broad prairies who followed the trail with more determination and keen1 intelligent acquaintance with all bearings1 overcoming difficulties1 meeting objections1 accepting temporary defeat 7philosophically71 but never relinquishing his purpose until victory crowned his effort1 or failure was absolutely inevitable1 than he4 ,suited to this was a courage as heroic as ,leonidas' and sublime as ,paul's4 ,the stormy days of the fifties and sixties gave evidence of the physical side of this quality1 and his entire life1 of the moral4 ,he feared no foe in shining armor1 and rather courted than avoided a passage at arms dialectic4 ,eminently a man of peace1 and loving the pursuits that make for it1 he would see no principle of right unjustly assailed without girding himself for the conflict1 and standing where the blows fell thickest4 ,coming to this unknown country at an age when the ordinary mind takes firmest grasp of all intellectual things1 and being thus deprived of that mental food necessary to satisfy and make strong1 there was ever after a hungering for the things he did not have1 that would not be satisfied4 ,i remember talking with him once1 while sitting on his lumber wagon1 resting his team in the cotton-wood bottoms east of ,atchison1 and he bewailed as much as a man of his fiber could1 the fate that compelled him to toil day and night while his soul was starving for that intellectual food which lay all around him1 but which he did not have time to gather and devour4 ,this1 however1 was not abnormal2 for1 even to the day of his death1 he was a devoted disciple1 sitting at the feet of every true ,gamaliel4 ,an intense lover of truth1 and a like hater of shams1 he analyzed mercilessly2 not for the sake of opposing1 but in search of kernels and the source of things4 ,if he found the tree was bearing1 or destined to bear evil fruit1 he would do his utmost that there should be left of it neither root nor branch4 ,accepting good in every presented form1 if he suspected evil in the garb of good1 there was no waiting for a more opportune time than the then present1 for such stripping and exposure as his vigorous logic1 sarcasm1 wit1 pathos1 and personal presence could produce4 ,humble1 and exceedingly retiring in ordinary1 when the truth was assailed1 or wolves in sheeps' clothing appeared1 he became a lion1 fierce and towering2 and woe betake the man or system that then became the object of his righteous wrath4 ,such torrents of invective as fell from his tongue2 such flashes as gleamed from his gray eagle-eyes2 such scorn as glowed in his thin1 pallid lips1 made every one tremble--an avalanche that swept all before it4 ,to toil1 of some character or other1 he seemed to be destined4 ,for no sooner did he find a little rest from the field or herd1 than all his ,hurculean energy was thrown into some cherished and waiting mental project4 ,his life is an example of the statement that genius is the result of labor4 ,neither did he travel in thought alone upon the surface of things4 ,there were subjects1 the philosophy of which no contemporary understood better2 and upon the social and organic relations of the religious reformation with which he always stood identified1 he was twenty years ahead of his confreres4 ,he was a veritable ,elijah in many things1 but he was never known to flee from the face of his enemies4 ,his was a mighty nature2 the soul of honor and the embodiment of truth4 ,there are two features of his ,kansas life1 which marked the man1 that ,i wish to portray1 viz3 ,his temperance work1 and his religious work4 ,these were not in any sense divorced1 as though they were not always righteously allied2 but1 as all know1 the prohibition question holds a prominent place in the history of this proud young queen1 with her ad astra per aspera1 and from the time she was admitted to a place among the sisterhood of ,states1 up to the date that the comparatively little majority of #h1jjj votes placed her squarely in opposition to the saloon1 with all its interests and iniquities1 he labored1 watched1 and prayed1 for such a consummation4 ,in this1 as in his religious conceptions1 he was always in the advance1 running new lines and opening broad highways1 and inviting fields for the less sturdy but oncoming multitude4 ,as he had battled to prevent this1 his adopted ,state1 from being desecrated by the blot of human slavery1 so now he voted1 preached1 lectured1 wrote1 that it might be delivered from the body and soul destroying curse of the rum power4 ,i have before me his temperance scrap-book1 beginning with the proposed amendment to the ,state ,constitution1 ,march #h1 #ahgi1 and coming up to the time of his death1 in which ,i find fifty-five newspaper articles written by him1 of from one to three columns in length1 presenting1 in his own terse1 humorous1 glowing1 vigorous1 convincing way1 all sides of this chameleon-hued question2 now analyzing the amendment and the laws to enforce it1 turning aside here to answer the cavil of some carping critic1 then to demolish and bury some blatant political defender of the whisky element2 arraigning the ,governor1 ,senate and ,house of ,representatives for their gingerly treatment of the great question1 and sending a trumpet-call to the honest1 brave1 and sincere temperance workers1 both men and women1 urging them to greater vigilance and closer compact4 ,these1 with numerous short and pithy articles1 added to all his sermons and lectures on the subject1 occupying a much larger space and far more time1 will give an idea of the labor of heart and brain bestowed upon this one question1 during this one decade4 ,we have room in this chapter for only one short article from his pen1 as an example of the many1 indicating how he felt1 thought1 and wrote during those stirring years4 ,the title of the article is1 ,the ,prohibition of the ,liquor ,traffic1 ,the ,constitutional ,amendment in ,kansas4 ,he says3 ,this is1 perhaps1 the first case in which any government in the world has incorporated into its constitution a clause prohibiting forever the sale of intoxicating drinks as a beverage4 ,this is a struggle in which the churches1 the preachers1 and the ,sunday-schools are arrayed in mortal antagonism to the saloons and saloon-keepers4 ,both parties are instinctively conscious that this is a contest in which the issue is to kill or be killed4 ,no truce or peace is possible4 ',i will put enmity between thy seed and her seed4' ,the people are drawn into one or the other of these parties by a sort of elective affinity4 ,one class goes with the churches and the ,sunday-schools2 another gravitates to the drinking-house4 ,the one class are swayed and controlled by the law of love--,thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself2 the other by the principle that governed ,cain--,am ,i my brother's keeper8 ,who cares8 ,let every man look out for himself8 ,if a man chooses to make a beast of himself1 it is none of my business4 ,one of the peculiar things connected with this movement is the fact that by far the most determined and effective opposition to this law comes from foreign-born and naturalized citizens4 ,they have1 so to speak1 monopolized the liquor traffic2 they are bound together by a kind of free masonry1 and with small regard to whom they vote with1 ,democrats or ,republicans1 they give the whole weight of their political influence in favor of free liquor4 ,with here and there a notable exception1 the ,roman ,catholic ,church throws its influence on the same side2 hence its church fairs are carnivals of drunkenness4 ,the two extremes of our ,american society do also largely join in this clamor for free liquor4 ,the upper ten thousand1 those that arrogate to themselves that they are par excellence1 the elite of the nation--albeit that their assumed gentility is sometimes but a shoddy or shabby gentility--make the road from the top of society to the bottom1 and from thence to hell1 as short as possible1 by assuming that it is aristocratic to tipple4 ,when from these so-called upper circles1 we go down to the bottom of society1 what shall we say of that great multitude of men and women1 crushed into poverty1 helplessness and ignorance1 groping as the blind grope in darkness2 and who find in the dram-shop a momentary oblivion to their miseries8 ,to these elements of opposition to prohibition we must add another class of men--the professional politicians4 ,these1 like the chameleon1 take the color of every object they light on4 ,to them the good ,lord and the good devil are equally objects of respect1 and possible worship2 and1 having all mental endowments accurately developed1 except the endowment of conscience1 they hold that all things are legitimate that bring grist to their mill4 ,these will be good prohibitionists when prohibition dances in silver slippers2 but now they do duty on the other side4 ,the above picture contains a very fair analysis of the elements of the vote in opposition to the prohibitory amendment1 except that1 perhaps1 we ought to add the vote in opposition to a well-intended class of men who have no proclivity for liquor1 and who1 perhaps1 could give no better reason for their vote but that they abhor innovations1 and are content to do as their fathers and grandfathers did before them4 ,notwithstanding1 prohibition carried in the ,state by eight thousand majority4 ,it is noteworthy that six counties1 lying along the ,missouri ,river1 and having in or near them the cities of ,atchison1 ,leavenworth1 ,wyandotte1 ,white ,cloud and ,kansas ,city1 and which also contain the largest foreign-born population in the ,state1 gave heavy majorities against the amendment4 ,it is self-evident that if the execution of this law is left to the municipal authorities of the above-named cities1 or to the officers elected in the above-named counties1 then the saloon keepers and liquor dealers will1 without let or hindrance1 trample under foot both the constitution and laws4 ,the proof of this lies in the fact that1 in time past1 the liquor dealers have ridden rough-shod over all laws enacted in the interest of temperance4 ,for example1 the law provided that they should not sell to boys under age2 the law provided that they should not sell on the ,lord's day4 ,the law forbids bribing at elections2 but the bribery of strong drink at elections1 in the cities1 has been just as common as the elections2 and church members1 and even preachers1 who were candidates for office1 have been blackmailed to get the money to buy the liquor4 ,it will be asked1 ,what1 then1 do we gain who live in these river counties1 and in these cities1 by the passage of this prohibitory law8 ,we gain much4 #a4 ,thus far these law-breaking liquor dealers have acted1 in carrying on their business1 under the shadow and protection of law4 ,this protection is now withdrawn4 #b4 ,the government has hitherto been in partnership with liquor dealers in the infamous business of making drunkards4 ,this partnership is now dissolved4 #c4 ,the appetite for strong drink is not a natural appetite4 ,it is an appetite artificially created in children1 boys and young men4 ,it is not for the public welfare that it should be created at all4 ,the scheme and plan of the popular saloon is to create this appetite1 and to strengthen and foster it after it is created4 ,the whole business of the saloon looks in this direction4 ,to this end are its flashing lights1 its glittering decanters1 its rainbow tints1 its jolly good fellowship and boon companionship1 and the bonhomie of the portly saloonkeeper4 ,all these1 in the purpose and intent for which they exist1 mean the death of the body and the soul of the man that enters these gates that lead down to hell4 ,the saloon is a serpent1 with the serpent's fascinating beauty and power to charm1 but with the serpent's deadly bite4 ,at the last it biteth like a serpent and stingeth like an adder4 ,kansas has wisely ordained that it will not maintain by the public authority and at the public expense poisonous serpents to sting the people to death1 #d4 ,men object3 ,the selling of liquor will go on1 but you will drive the business into dark places and into the hands of disreputable men4 ,to this temperance men reply3 ,that is just what we want4 ,we wish to take away every vestige of respectability from the man that sells liquor4 ,we intend that it shall be sold--if it must be sold at all--in dark cellars and in back alleys1 and that the men that sell liquor shall take rank among the law-breaking and dangerous classes of society1 #e4 ,the one potent charm and omnipotent argument that has served as a gift to blind the eyes and an opiate to lull to sleep the consciences of the municipal authorities of our cities has been the revenue they have derived from liquor license laws4 ,for example1 the city of ,atchison has derived from this source a revenue of #aj1jjj4 ,this revenue was paid not alone by her own citizens1 but by all men who were drawn to the city for purposes of business or pleasure and who could be induced to patronize the saloons4 ,and this has been a perpetual menace to the safety of families living in the country who did business in the city4 ,this revenue is gone4 ,it is hopelessly and irrecoverably dried up4 ,the ,missouri river will turn and flow backward towards its source before this revenue1 which is the price of blood1 like the thirty pieces of silver for which ,judas sold his ,master1 will ever come back again4 ,after ,jesus had cast a legion of demons out of the demoniac that dwelt among the tombs1 this man was far more impressible with regard to motives addressed to his better nature than while he was possessed by these demons2 so we may charitably hope that now1 after ten thousand evil demons have been cast out of the hearts of the mayor and common council of the city of ,atchison1 these dignitaries will be more impressible with regard to motives of morality1 humanity1 and of the public welfare4 ,meantime1 temperance men look on the whole business of liquor license as an unspeakable madness4 ,regarded simply as a question of dollars and cents1 they look on it as a horrible nightmare--a hallucination fallen on men nearly allied to that form of mental abberration which carries men to mad-houses and insane asylums1 a strange and mysterious perversion of the human faculties4 ,regarded in its economical aspects1 they hold that it would be just as good economy and as much the dictate of common sense1 to obtain a revenue by licensing murder1 theft1 burglary1 robbery1 and harlotry1 as it is to license the sale of intoxicating drinks as a beverage4 ,it will be seen1 then1 that prohibition incorporated into the constitution of ,kansas1 does not1 by any means1 give us the victory2 it only places us in a position to fight a fair and equal battle hereafter4 ,we are1 like ,israel1 shouting triumphantly1 ,i will sing unto the ,lord1 for he hath triumphed gloriously2 the horse and his rider hath he drowned in the ,red ,sea4 ,but beyond us are parched and desert sands1 poisonous serpents1 savage wild beasts and mortal enemies4 ,all these must be conquered before we finally rest in the happy ,canaan4 ,it is now conceded by the best informed actors in this great drama or tragedy1 that ,pardee ,butler1 as much or more than any one man1 made the prohibition movement in ,kansas the marvelous success it is4 ,the generation is yet to come that will rise up to do him rightful honor4 ,from '#ed to '#fj ,pardee ,butler was the ,moses to the church in this wilderness1 and for years following he was in some sense like ,paul1 having the care of all the churches4 ,but from the beginning he was the foremost man by virtue of natural and acquired ability1 although a reluctant following was often given because of former habitudes and shibboleths1 socially4 ,there were other men in different localities who battled grandly for the truth and sowed the seed of the kingdom with firm and loyal hand3 ,brethren ,yohe and ,jackson1 of ,leavenworth1 followed by the ,bausermans1 ,joseph and ,henry1 ,gans of ,olathe1 ,brown of ,emporia1 ,white of ,manhattan1 and others equally worthy1--all pioneers in every good sense1 and now all gone to their reward1 with the exceptions of ,brethren ,yohe and the ,bausermans4 ,without being formally chosen ,pardee ,butler was the recognized leader of these sanctified few1 and no home where they entered was too humble1 or field where they toiled too barren1 for the light of his countenance to cheer1 or the strength of his arm to be felt4 ,in the polity and development of the church1 as in other fields of moral and social struggle1 he was far in advance of the time2 and up to the day of his death1 this was one of the great burdens that rested upon his heart4 ,the membership coming to the ,territory1 and which1 of course1 formed the nuclei of churches1 was a heterogenous compound4 ,in many respects there was no possible assimilation2 but so far as the simple tenets of the primitive faith were concerned1 there was little or no difference4 ,but as to plurality of bishops in the congregation1 their tenure and jurisdiction of office1 the relations of comity between sister churches1 the duties and powers of an evangelist1 the laying on of hands in induction into authority1 instrumental music in the congregation1 the ,sunday-school and its organization1 the order of social worship1 the mid-week meeting for prayer1 and numerous other matters of scriptural life1 there were as many shades of opinion as there were of dialects2 and the tenacity with which they were maintained1 those not familiar with the time and its environments can hardly hope to know4 ,yet upon all these and kindred questions1 ,bro4 ,butler had singularly clear-cut and advanced opinions4 ,he has often said to me1 ,how very obtuse the churches seem to be on the plain teaching of ,scripture4 ,and the preachers are equally ignorant1 or else they are willing to go limping and halting1 when they could as well and better be easily marching and leading their sanctified hosts to marvelous victory4 ,he did not feel1 or even make manifest1 that he recognized his greatness in these directions only as he labored to bring the congregations and their officers up to his ideals4 ,in the first struggles to bring the scattered congregations into co-operative unity1 he was the head and heart of the movement2 and through all the varied successes and failures of those non-cohesive times and men1 he never lost courage or intimated aught else than the success which now crowns the work4 ,i regarded him as the finest ecclesiastical historian among us1 and because of his knowledge here1 coupled with the philosophy that grew out of it1 linked to the genius of ,christianity itself1 he was1 by educational intuition1 a missionary zealot4 ,carey and the ,judsons1 and ,barclay and ,livingstone1 with all others of like character1 were what he termed ripe fruit from the ,good ,tree4 ,he was to the churches in ,kansas what these men and women were to the people among whom they labored4 ,visiting every outpost1 gathering the straggling sheep into folds and striving to secure shepherds for them1 stripping the fleecy garments from the wolves1 uncovering the sophistries of the various polytheisms1 immersing the converts and exhorting the saints1 the thirty-five years he spent in ,kansas were years of severest mental1 moral and physical labor2 and from which he asked no respite until ,god called him4 ,truthfully this ,scripture may be written as his epitaph3 ,blessed are the dead who die in the ,lord from henceforth2 ,yea1 saith the ,spirit1 for they rest from their labors and their works do follow them4 ,,chapter ,,xlii4 ,the following tributes of friendship were published in the ,atchison ,champion1 after father's death3 ,,two ,,kansas ,,pioneers4 ,,by ,,john ,a4 ,,martin1 ,,ex-,,governor ,,of ,,kansas4 ,rev4 ,pardee ,butler1 who died at his old home1 near ,farmington1 on ,saturday last1 was1 for a full generation past1 one of the most prominent figures in ,kansas history4 ,he was a minister of the ,christian ,church1 and located in this county early in #ahee4 ,he came to ,kansas to fight slavery4 ,he was a sincere man4 ,he was a brave man4 ,he had in him the stuff of which martyrs are made4 ,he deliberately chose1 on coming to the young ,territory1 the county in which the advocates of slavery seemed to be strongest and most violent4 ,he made no secret of his opinions on the question of slavery1 nor of his purpose to oppose the attempt to make ,kansas1 a slave ,state4 ,he was not a fighting man1 in the worldly sense of that word2 but in its broader and higher significance1 he was an aggressive1 fearless1 tireless fighter4 ,he would not kill1 but he did not hesitate to brave death4 ,he would not shoot1 but he did not quail or cower before guns1 for knives1 or ropes4 ,the ,champion publishes1 this morning1 some extracts from its own columns1 when it was a newspaper with another name and other principles1 narrating some of the incidents of his early life in ,kansas4 ,they are historic4 ,during a marvelous era they stirred the heart and aroused the conscience of the ,nation4 ,this humble preacher1 coming to the ,territory for a cause1 and bravely enduring the pangs of martyrdom for his opinions1 became1 at once1 the representative of millions of men4 ,the story of his wrongs was told in every newspaper of the land1 and was discussed around the firesides of a million homes4 ,the brutal pro-slavery mob of ,atchison saw in him only an impudent and absurd opponent of an institution that controlled courts1 legislatures and congress2 the awakening ,nation saw that he stood for ,free ,speech1 for ,liberty1 for ,law1 and for ,humanity2 and the indignities heaped upon him touched and stirred the heart of the ,north in its profoundest depths4 ,pardee ,butler1 facing the drunken1 ignorant1 howling1 brutal pro-slavery mobs of ,atchison1 must have been1 to them1 a unique figure4 ,they could not understand him4 ,the writer has heard men who were present1 but not participants1 when the mob had him in charge1 say that the mingled hatred and respect with which the ruffians regarded him1 was singularly manifest4 ,he bore himself with quiet dignity and composure4 ,he did not attempt to resist1 nor1 on the other hand1 did he manifest the slightest evidence of fear4 ,to their loud and violent threatenings1 he made answer with quiet1 manly dignity4 ,it would have gratified the ruffians beyond measure if they could have induced him to recant1 or to make some pledge that would compromise his frankly expressed opinions--some promise of silence concerning or acquiescence in1 or non-interference with1 their cherished purpose to establish slavery in ,kansas4 ,if he had yielded even so much as this1 they would gladly have let him go4 ,but never for a moment did he falter1 or waver1 or equivocate4 ,he refused to make any promise4 ,he stood upon his rights as an ,american citizen4 ,he was opposed to slavery in ,kansas1 and intended to oppose it as long as he lived4 ,he came to ,kansas to aid in making it a free ,state1 and no fear of personal injury would change his purpose1 ,he was one man among hundreds1 but he intended1 then and at all times1 in ,atchison or elsewhere1 to express his convictions1 and with voice and vote maintain his opinions4 ,all this he said1 quietly and without a trace of boasting1 but with a firmness that won from the mob a most unyielding respect4 ,and this saved him from a worse fate4 ,if he had quailed or equivocated1 they would have triumphed2 if he had boasted or threatened1 they would have hanged him4 ,he did neither4 ,and so they first set him adrift on a raft1 and again tarred and feathered him2 and on both occasions manly courage and sincere faith were victorious over brute force and mad passion4 ,mr4 ,butler lived his life1 during all the years of his residence in this county1 illustrating the same lofty purposes and sincere convictions4 ,he was not always correct in his judgments1 but he was always earnest4 ,he was interested in every good cause4 ,during his whole life he was an ardent temperance man4 ,he was a practical1 as well as an ardent1 advocate of temperance1 and the organization of the so-called ,third party prohibitionists1 excited1 at once1 his indignation and contempt4 ,he was one of the first prohibitionists of ,kansas to distrust ,st4 ,john1 and to denounce him as a self-seeking1 ambitious demagogue4 ,he had no use for any man who was not entirely sincere1 or who was not willing to subordinate his own personal interest for the sake of principle4 ,among the free ,state pioneers1 of ,atchison ,county1 ,pardee ,butler and ,caleb ,may were first in influence and usefulness4 ,the latter died only a few weeks ago1 in ,florida4 ,the ,champion made notice of his death at the time4 ,the two men1 in their personal characteristics1 had nothing in common4 ,col4 ,may was a man of very limited education2 ,mr4 ,butler was schooled in books4 ,col4 ,may had lived all his life on the frontier2 ,mr4 ,butler came from one of the oldest communities in ,ohio4 ,col4 ,may believed in the weapons of carnal warfare2 ,mr4 ,butler put his faith in the power of reason4 ,both were men of approved and unquestionable courage1 but if the pro-slavery mob had attempted to capture ,col4 ,may1 a revolver1 held with a steady hand1 would have blazed his defiance2 ,mr4 ,butler submitted1 without resistance to the mob's will4 ,the ruffians did not understand this peaceful but resolute antagonist1 but they were compelled to respect his determined purpose4 ,when ,col4 ,may wrote to their leader a letter telling the pro-slavery rulers of ,atchison that his home was his castle1 and if any man attacked it1 he would meet with a bloody reception1 and that he 7,may7 intended to come to ,atchison whenever he pleased1 and meant to come armed1 they laughed at his rude chirography1 and made merry over his spelling by ear1 but they understood his meaning perfectly1 and knew1 also1 that he would do exactly what he said4 ,and they never disturbed him4 ,in his personal appearance ,col4 ,may was an ideal ,leatherstockings4 ,he might have sat for a portrait of ,cooper's famous frontier hero and ,indian trailer4 ,over six feet in height1 angular1 muscular1 somewhat awkward in repose1 with cool1 bright gray eyes1 deep set under shaggy eyebrows1 and having immense reach of arm--his was an imposing figure4 ,mr4 ,butler was a born ,puritan2 ,col4 ,may was a born frontiersman4 #g ,mr4 ,butler opposed slavery on moral grounds1 and because he hated injustice or wrong in any form4 ,col4 ,may hated slavery1 and fought it1 because he believed the institution was detrimental to his own race4 ,born in ,kentucky and reared in ,missouri1 he had seen the effects of slavery all about him1 harming him and his1 and so he hated it4 ,kansas owes both of these pioneers a debt of respect and gratitude4 ,the world was better that they lived in it4 ,freedom found in them devoted loyalty to her cause4 ,they both loved ,kansas1 and their lives were inseparably associated with the stirring events of the most momentous years of her history4 ,they served her well4 ,brave and strong and useful1 they fought a good fight and kept the faith4 ,honor to their memory4 ,a ,,wreath ,,of ,,tribute4 ,,by ,,rev4 ,d4 ,c4 ,,milner1 ,formerly ,pastor of the ,presbyterian ,church at ,atchison1 ,kan4 ,,editor ,,of ,,the ,,champion3--,having read1 with much interest1 your sketch of ,pardee ,butler1 ,i am moved to lay a wreath of tribute upon the grave of the old hero4 ,he was a man of most invincible courage4 ,earl ,morton1 by the open grave of ,john ,knox1 said1 ,here lies one who never feared the face of man4 ,mr4 ,butler was a ,john ,knox sort of man4 ,those who have visited him at his home of late years will remember how modestly1 yet with some pride1 he would tell the story of that day in ,atchison when the mob started him down the river on the frail raft1 and how he would exhibit the banner so carefully preserved4 ,it would be of much interest if we could have the full story1 told by himself1 of the raft journey2 of the after tar and cotton affair2 and also1 of the night1 some time after that1 when some of the very men who helped to mob him1 assisted him across the river with his loaded team when he was in some trouble4 ,he lived to see the overthrow of the slave power1 which he hated with all the intensity of his nature4 ,he also witnessed the revolution in ,kansas as to the liquor power4 ,the files of the ,champion for the spring of #ahhe1 have an account of a notable meeting in the court-house at ,atchison of the friends of law and order4 ,the friends of the saloon1 for nearly five years after prohibition was the law of the ,state1 had ignored the law1 and challenged its enforcement4 ,this convention was the first general gathering of the citizens of ,atchison ,county to protest against this lawlessness1 and demanded that the officers of the law close the saloons4 ,pardee ,butler was one of the leading spirits in the convention4 ,many will recall his fiery speech of that day4 ,he spoke of the thirty years of his life in ,kansas1 and of the great events that had happened4 ,he then denounced the actual rebellion then in existence1 and called for its suppression4 ,that convention was the beginning of the end of the downfall of the organized saloon power in ,atchison4 ,pardee ,butler was in sympathy with good men in every good cause4 ,while a born controversialist1 and strong in his convictions1 he was glad to work with ,christians of any name in building up the kingdom of ,god in the world4 ,he identified himself heartily with the ,sunday-school work1 and was anxious that everything should be done for children and youth1 not only to make them believers1 but good men and good citizens4 ,i agree heartily with what ,noble ,prentis has recently said of him3 ,we knew him well in his later years2 a brave and earnest man2 full of ideas for making this world better1 and confident that they would succeed4 ,he has gone to the company of those who1 on every field for these hundreds of years1 where the battle for the sacred rights of man was to be fought out1 have cried1 ',o ,lord1 make bare thine arm6' and have bared their own4 ,,manhattan1 ,,kan41 ,october #bf1 #ahhh4 ,footnotes3 #a ,when they were making the raft father noticed that one of the logs was sound and the other rotten4 ,they fastened them together by nailing shakes--shingles--from one to the other4 ,some one remarked that the nails would pull out the first time the raft struck a snag4 ,then they said they would drive in long wooden pins4 ,but father noticed that the long pins were driven into the sound log1 while the ends on the rotten log were only fastened by the nails4 ,one of the logs of which the raft was made was much longer than the other1 and on the end of the longer log they put the flag4 ,and over the rough swift current father walked the dizzy length of that single log and took down the flag4 ,mother still keeps that flag as a precious relic4 ,several years ago one of the men engaged in that mob ran for office in ,northern ,kansas4 ,his opponent borrowed the flag1 to use in the campaign1 and returned it in good order4 ,but we have since learned that he had several copies of it painted1 and that one of them is now in the rooms of the ,kansas ,historical ,society1 in the showcase with ,john ,brown's cap1 and is shown as the veritable flag that was on ,pardee ,butler's raft4 #b ,the ,thirteenth ,kansas ,regiment1 which was raised in #ahfb1 was composed of ,atchison ,county men4 ,they voted to request father to become their chaplain1 and they sent him word1 requesting him to apply to ,gen4 ,lane for the appointment4 ,he did so1 and received a letter from ,gen4 ,lane1 asking1 ,how much will you pay for the place8 ,father replied1 ,if the position of chaplain is sold for a price1 ,i do not want it4 #c ,bro4 ,garrett not only gave freely of his money to the church1 but he gave freely of time1 and trouble1 and anxious watching4 ,he also gave liberally and constantly of provisions and other necessaries to his poorer neighbors4 ,his brother-in-law1 ,dr4 ,moore1 complained that he was spoiling the church by taking such constant care of it4 ,o well1 said ,bro4 ,garrett one day1 every church has to have a wheel-horse1 and ,i might as well be the wheel-horse as any body4 #d ,when father took this letter to ,lawrence1 he met ,mr4 ,redpath1 the ,tribune reporter1 who requested permission to copy it for the ,new ,york ,tribune4 ,before ,mr4 ,redpath had completed his copy1 the editor of the ,herald of ,freedom demanded the manuscript to put in type4 ,the edition of the ,herald of ,freedom containing it was destroyed1 and father only obtained a mutilated copy of it4 ,but from that portion printed in the ,tribune1 and what was left of the ,herald of ,freedom1 he secured a complete copy of the letter4 #e ,when ,col4 ,sumner's soldiers were asked what they would do if they were ordered to fire on the ,free ,state men1 they replied1 ,we would aim above their heads4 #f ,when father reached the east bank it was so slippery that the oxen would not go down4 ,so he hitched them to the back of the sled1 and1 with a handspike1 pried it to the edge of the bank1 and started it down4 ,of course it slid down the hill1 and pulled the oxen with it4 #g ,mr4 ,may was not the blustering rough that many people suppose a frontiersman to be4 ,he was a quiet1 hard-working farmer1 kind and neighborly1 but ready to defend his own rights1 and those of his friends1 or of the poor and down-trodden4 ,his proverbial phrase was1 ,whatever ,i do1 ,i want to do it so well that the world will be none the worse for my having lived in it4 ,his son1 ,e4 ,e4 ,may1 says that he used to say that he learned from his ,bible to hate slavery4 ,he could lead a prayer-meeting as easily as he could lead a regiment1 and he could defend the ,scriptures as readily as he could defend his home4 ,i once heard him say that he had never kept a hired man for any length of time1 but that he succeeded in persuading him to join the church before he left him4 ,,mrs4 ,r4 ,b4 ,h4