place. Everything is quiet now; but it is my duty to say to you, frankly, that I have forebodings as to the future. The militia or volunteer corps cannot be relied on to preserve the peace in these civil party contests, or where partisans are concerned. A call on the

militia will generally only bring in conflict the two parties. I am satisfied that the only forces that can be used in this Territory in enforcing the laws, or preserving the peace, are those of the United States, and with this view I would suggest that the executive of this Territory be authorized to call on the forces of the United States when, in his judgment, the public peace and tranquillity, or the execution of the laws, may require their assistance. Should there be an outbreak, it will most probably be sudden, and before orders can be obtained from Washington the crisis will have passed. I send you herewith the copies of various affidavits, letters, &c., which will give you some information in detail touching the subject-matter of this despatch.

I have the honor to be, your obedient servant,

WILSON SHANNON.

Be it remembered, that on this sixth day of December, in the year A. D. 1855, personally appeared before me, J. M. Burrell, one of the associate justices of the supreme court of the said Territory of Kansas, Harrison Buckley, of lawful age, who being by me duly sworn, saith that he is a citizen of the county of Douglas, and has resided therein. since 30th day of March last, and has resided during all that time at Hickory Grove; that he was informed on good authority, and which he believed to be true, that Jacob Branson had threatened his life, both before and after the difficulty between Coleman and Dow, which led to the death of the latter. I understood that Branson swore that deponent should not breathe the pure air three minutes after I returned, this deponent at this time having gone down to Westport, in Missouri; that it was these threats, made in various shapes, that made this deponent really fear his life, and which induced him to make affidavit against the said Branson, and procure a peace warrant to issue, and be placed in the hands of the sheriff of Douglas county; that this deponent was with the said sheriff (S. J. Jones) at the time the said Branson was arrested, which took place about two or three o'clock in the morning; that Branson was in bed when he was arrested by said sheriff; that no pistol or other weapon was presented at the said Branson by any one; that after the arrest, and after the company with the sheriff had proceeded about five miles in the direction of Lecompton, the county seat of Douglas county, the said sheriff and his posse were set upon by about between thirty and forty men, who came out from behind a house, all armed with Sharpe's rifles, and presented their guns cocked, and called out who they were; and said Branson replied that they had got him a prisoner; and these armed men called on him to come away. Branson then went over on their side, and

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sheriff Jones said they were doing something they would regret hereafter in resisting the laws; that he was sheriff of Douglas county, and, as such, had arrested Branson. These armed men replied that they had no laws, no sheriff, and no governor, and that they knew no laws but their guns. The sheriff, being overpowered, said to these men, that if they took him by force of arms he had no more to say, or something to that import, and then we rode off. This deponent further states that there have been three houses burned in the Hickory Point settlement; one was this deponent's house, another belonged to Josiah Hargis, and the up, leaving third to said Coleman. All I had in the world was burned my wife and children without clothing. This deponent's wife and four children fled to Missouri, where they still remain with their relatives. The house of deponent was burned down, as it is said, shortly before daylight in the morning. The wives and children of both Coleman and Hargis also fled to Missouri, where they still remain. There were about fifteen or sixteen law-abiding families in the settlement called the Hickory Grove settlement about the time these difficulties sprung up; they have all been forced by terror and threats of these armed men to flee with their wives and children to the State of Missouri for protection, and still remain there. These armed men have repeatedly in my presence said that they would resist the law by force, and there was no law in this Territory. These threats have been repeatedly made by these men for the last three months. And further this deponent saith not.

H. H. BUCKLEY.

Sworn and subscribed the day and year above stated, before me.
J. M. BURRELL,

Associate Justice Supreme Court, Kansas Territory.

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, } 88.

Territory of Kansas.

a

Be it remembered, that on this 7th day of December, A. D. 1855, personally came before me, S. G. Cato, one of the associate justices of the supreme court of the Territory of Kansas, Josiah Hargis, of lawful age, who being by me duly sworn, deposeth and saith, that on or about the 26th day of November, 1855, in Douglas county, sheriff Jones called upon me, with nine others, to act as a posse to arrest one Jacob Branson, under a peace warrant issued by Hugh Cameron, justice of the peace; that he proceeded with said sheriff to Hickory Point, in said county, and there arrested said Branson, with whom they proceeded in the direction of Lawrence. When near a house on the Wakarusa an armed mob of persons, amounting to between thirty and forty, rushed from behind said house, and by force did rescue said. Branson out of the hands of said sheriff and posse, and in defiance of of said sheriff's command, take said Branson and refuse to deliver him to said sheriff. That the said sheriff told the said mob that he held said Branson under a peace warrant properly issued by a legally authorized officer; and that he was sheriff of said county of Douglas,

and charged with the execution of said writ. The leader of said mob replied to said officer that they knew him as Mr. Jones, but not as sheriff of Douglas county. He then told them that he would call out. the militia to enforce the law. Their reply was that he could not get men to enforce said law. He told them then that he would call on the governor for assistance; to which the said mob replied that they had no laws and no officers, and to pitch in. Said mob stood with their guns cocked and presented at the time of said rescue.

This deponent further saith, one H. H. Buckley, of said county of Douglas, was with said sheriff at the time of said rescue, as one of said sheriff's posse; that during the same night on which said rescue was made, said affiant saw a light in the direction of said Buckley's house, and that he fully believes said house was at that time burned. That he believes, from circumstances within his knowledge, that said house, together with his own, was burned by persons concerned with said mob; and that he has reason to believe that some of said houses were fired by said Branson aforesaid, assisted by a German, commonly called Dutch Charley; and they were counselled and advised thereto by one Farley. This affiant further says, that at the time of the rescue of said prisoner he was at a house near Hickory Point, and that he there saw three women, who told him that there had been an armed force that day who notified them to leave, and all other pro-slavery families in the neighborhood; and since, said families have left said. neighborhood and fled to the State of Missouri. Said affiant says that he believes there were at that time in said neighborhood about fifteen pro-slavery families, nearly all of whom have fled, as aforesaid, to the State of Missouri, for protection. Said armed force was represented to consist of from one hundred to one hundred and fifty armed S. N. HARGIS.

men.

Sworn and subscribed before me.

S. G. CATO,

Associate Justice of Kansas Territory.

In relation to events which have transpired since the apppointment of your committee, the majority of your committee use this language: "Your committee did not deem it within their power or duty to take testimony as to events which have transpired since the date of their appointment." The undersigned begs to say, that the majority of your committee did, however, take testimony as to events which transpired since the date of their appointment." They admitted to record the testimony of Pardee Butler, as to his being tarred and cottoned at Atchison, and that of others touching other events, all happening after the date of their arrival in Kansas Territory, and consequently after that of their appointment. Having admitted testimony as to some events of the kind, it was but justice to all parties that counter testimony, relating to those as well as other events of the same kind, should be admitted. And thus the undersigned thought, when the counsel of General Whitfield sought to introduce evidence as to the Pottawatomie Creek murders, and other outrages. Having established a precedent, it was inconsistent for the majority of your

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committee to refuse to take such testimony upon the ground that they had no power," and that it was not their duty" to investigate occurrences that transpired since the date of their appointment.' They exercised such a "power," and in part fulfilled such a "duty,' when they took testimony prejudicial to the pro-slavery party; but when testimony unfavorable to the free-State party was sought to be introduced, it was then, and not till then, that the majority of your committee concluded that it was not within their power or duty to take testimony as to events which transpired since the date of their appointment. But the majority of your committee extricated themselves from the dilemma in which they had, in this regard, placed themselves, by expunging testimony favorable to the freeState party side-testimony already received in relation to alleged violence shown to Pardee Butler and others, so that they could consistently refuse to admit testimony as to outrages committed by the free-State people, which in savage barbarity and demoniac cruelty have scarcely an equal in the history of civilized man. But, notwithstanding that the majority deemed it without their "power or duty" to investigate matters occurring since the time of their appointment, they have reported, and in their report dwelt with much warmth of expression upon, events which they admit "transpired since the date of their appointment"-events for which they do not claim to have a shadow of authority for their truth except vague rumor, and for which in fact there is none as yet shown; and the testimony in regard to at least one of which events they had expunged from the record, to wit, the tarring and cottoning of Pardee Butler. The undersigned is of the opinion, that if the majority of your committee are justified in reporting and dwelling upon occurrences for the truth of which they offer no proof, he is equally, if not much more strongly justified, in reporting and dwelling upon occurrences for the proof of which he has sworn testimony. The majority of your committee having presented, in their report, scarcely anything but what is favorable to the abolition party in Kansas and prejudicial to the law and order party, the undersigned deems it a duty, no less to the House than to the country and the cause of truth, to give some facts on the other side favorable to the other party in Kansas, so that in presenting both sides, the world may have a fair chance to get at the truth, and arrive at a just conclusion. The minority of your committee (the majority having alluded, in their report, to events as to which they refused to take testimony) has fortunately been furnished with sworn testimony to which he desires to refer, and which he considers important to lay before the House and the public. First in order of time are the murders committed on the night of the 24th of May, 1856, on Pottawatomie creek. In this massacre. it is known that five persons were killed in one night, viz: Allen Wilkinson, William Sherman, William P. Doyle, father, and William and Drury Doyle, sons. The undersigned begs leave to refer to various affidavits which he appends to and makes a part of his report.

Allen Wilkinson was a member of the Kansas legislature-a quiet, inoffensive man. His widow, Louisa Jane Wilkinson, testifies, that on the night of the 24th of May last, between the hours of midnight

and day-break, she thinks, a party of men came to the house where they were residing and forcibly carried her husband away; that they took him in the name of the "Northern Army," and that next morning he was found about 150 yards from the house, dead. Mrs. Wilkinson was very ill at the time with measles. Here follows an extract from her affidavit: "I begged them to let Mr. Wilkinson stay with me, saying that I was sick and helpless, and could not stay by myself. My husband also asked them to let him stay with me until he could get some one to wait on me; told them that he would not run off, but would be there the next day, or whenever called for; the old man who seemed to be in command looked at me, and then around at the children, and replied, 'you have neighbors.' I said, 'so I have, but they are not here, and I cannot go for them.' The old man replied, 'it matters not,' and told him to get ready. My husband wanted to put on his boots, and get ready, so as to be protected from the damp and night air, but they would not let him. They then took my husband away. * * * After they were gone I thought I heard my husband's voice in complaint. * * Next morning Mr. Wilkinson's body was found about 150 yards from the house, in some dead brush. A lady, who saw my husband's body, said that there was a gash in his head and his side. Others said that he was cut in the throat twice." Mr. Wilkinson was a poor man, and of course his widow was left destitute; but, regardless of this fact, they took away some property, including the only horse they had. Mrs. Wilkinson was presented at Westport, Missouri, with the necessary means to go to her father's in Tennessee. She has two small children. Mrs. Wilkinson's description of the leader of the men who murdered her husband suits Captain John Brown, a well known character in the abolition party. She says that her husband was a quiet man, and was not engaged in arresting or disturbing anybody. He took no active part in the pro-slavery cause, so as to aggravate the abolitionists; but he was a pro-slavery

man.

The circumstances attending William Sherman's assassination are testified to by Mr. James Harris, of Franklin county, Kansas. Mr. Sherman was staying over night at the house of Harris, when, on the night of the 24th of May, about two o'clock, Captain John Brown and party came there, and after taking some property and questioning Harris and others, Sherman was asked to walk out. Mr. Harris, in his affidavit, says: "Old man Brown asked Mr. Sherman to go out with him, and Sherman then went out with Brown. I heard nothing more for about fifteen minutes. Two of the 'Northern Army,' as they styled themselves, staid with us until we heard a cap burst, and then these two men left. Next morning, about ten o'clock, I found William Sherman dead in the creek near my house. I was looking for him; as he had not come back, I thought he had been murdered. I took Mr. William Sherman (body) out of the creek and examined it. Mrs. Whiteman was with me. Sherman's skull was split open in two places, and some of his brains were washed out by the water; a large hole was cut in his breast, and his left hand was cut off, except a little piece of skin on one side.

In relation to the assassination of James P. Doyle and sons, the