them if the judges required the oath of me, I should take it according to law. An old gentleman with a white string in the button-hole of his coat then stepped up. They asked me to give way for him to vote, as he was an old man; and I did so. After he had voted, I stepped forward, put my hand inside the window, and gave my name; when, at a word, from one of the two men who stood one on each side of the widow, I was seized by the people in the crowd, and dragged from the polls through the entire crowd. They made shouts of "Kill the damned nigger-thief,' "Cut his throat," and many cries of that kind. I saw revolvers cocked and bowie-knives drawn, all around me, at that time. After I had been dragged out of the crowd I regained my feet. I had a small American flag under my arm. When I got to my feet, I unfurled it and held it over my head. I told them that we were here, and had no law to protect us, and I sought protection under the American flag, which was universally respected in foreign countries, and I supposed it would be here. The crowd did not seem to understand what it meant, and they let me alone. Some of them asked what it meant; and some one of their party said they had better not kill a man when he was under the American flag. I heard some voices say that flag was false, and pointed to a flag waving over one of their wagons with one star in it, and said that was the true flag. I then said, "Who calls this flag false are traitors.' One man who had a large cloak on, threw it off and came up to me, and, thrusting his fist in my face, asked me if I called him a traitor. I said, if he called that flag false he was a traitor. Then another man stepped up to me, and told me to take that back, at the same time opening a clasp-knife, and put it so it touched the breast of my coat. Another man had a revolver, which he held close to my ear. Another man struck at me with a club, and a friend of mine turned it off with his arm, and it struck somebody else. At this instant, a fight, or row of some kind, was got up at some distance, which attracted their attention, and they left me. I then walked around the building, and saw some individuals with a large lever attempting to pry up the house, so as to take the logs out. They did not succeed, as they could not lift the logs high enough to take one from under the other. While they were looking for a large fulcrum, a man came out of the house with a bundle of papers in his hand, and held them up, saying, "We have got the documents. I saw Mr. Ellison come out with the ballot-box, holding it up over the crowd, and hurrahing for Missouri; that is about all I saw. I did not know any of the crowd, or any there, except those who lived in. the district. I should think I did not see more than twenty residents of the district in the crowd, the rest being foreigners. I did not hear any of them say where they came from. I heard some of them say they came there to vote, and they would vote in spite of the President, the governor, the laws, and the devil. I think I staid there till about 12 o'clock-about three hours. I did not know S. J. Jones at that time. I know him now by sight. I could not say whether he was there or not. Almost all the people there had white strings in their button-holes. The one of whom I spoke I knew by sight; he lived in the Territory. There were seven that went to the polls in company with me, and we all came back without voting. LAWRENCE, K. T., April 28, 1856. J. N. MACE. To Mr. Reeder: J. C. DUNN called and sworn. I came into the Territory in the month of December, 1854, and settled on the Wakarusa, near Bloomington, and have resided within the vicinity of Bloomington ever since. I was at the election of the 30th of March, 1855. I was one of the clerks to take down the names of those who swore. I was on the ground about as soon as any one there. All this crowd got there in about two hours from the time they commenced to arrive. I supposed them to be people from Missouri. I thought there were from 500 to 700 of them. They came on horses and in wagons. They were principally armed with revolvers. There was a large wagon drove up in front of the door; it contained Colt's revolvers and a great many double-barreled shotguns. I saw that their arms were all capped and loaded. After Ellison was called to the door, he went out and returned directly, and stated there would be one hundred shots in less than fifteen minutes if we did not leave. There was a cry outside not to shoot, as there were two pro-slavery men there. At that time I was sitting by the window as a clerk, and there was one on the outside who called out for the crowd to get away from the window until he shot the God damned white-headed abolition judge. The judges were given five minutes to leave the house, or they would be shot and their throats cut. The five minutes expired and they had not left; and as I sat by the window, I could hear the revolvers cocking in almost every direction. They had another minute given them to resign. During this time there was a lever or pry rigged under the corner of the house. The judges left and closed the polls, and said there would be no election. At that time a man I took to be Jones came in and took a package of papers off a box, and took them out and shook them and hallooed "Hurrah for Missouri!" After the judges left they then proceeded to elect two other judges, and continued the election. I was around there all the time, and was there the whole day. After they had driven the judges from the house, they seemed to rejoice over their victory. One of them said to another, he was hired to come there to vote, and by God he would vote. They said that Tom Johnson was their governor, and they swore vengeance on Governor Reeder. I do not recollect of hearing what they were going to do with him; but they said, for one thing, they would like to cut his heart out. I do not think that I saw Ellison do anything with the ballot-box, though I have some faint recollection about it. They wanted Mr. Burson and Mr. Ramsay to receive their votes without swearing, as Mr. Ellison was willing to do. They said they would not do it, but were going to discharge their duties according to law. I heard some man making a speech, but do not recollect what he said, or what his name was. I saw one man there who was a doctor, and kept an apothecary's shop in Westport, on the corner in front of the Harris house. I do not recollect his name, but think I would if I heard it. He recognised me, and came up to me and shook hands with me. (Upon being asked) I think it was Dr. Earl. These men, in my opinion, were strangers. I know that many of them asked me the way to the precinct. I knew that the most of them were not residents of the district, because at that time I knew the greater part of the residents by sight. I saw these men go away; they all left within two hours, I should think, from the time they started. They took the road towards Westport. Cross-examined by Mr. Woodson: I was not acquainted with all the persons in the second district. I do not know that there were more moving in there than usual. There were some moving in, in the neighborhood of McGee's, and they laid out a town there. I think at that time I knew more than one-half of the residents of the district by sight. These men I did not know to be residents of Kansas, and some of them I did know to be residents of Missouri. I heard them say, at different times, among themselves, that they had come from Missouri to vote. I refer to those of the election of the 30th of March. I should think there were from five hundred to seven hundred came there, and from appearance they voted pretty generally. I do not say that every man voted, but they were voting there for a great length of time. I heard two or three say, if they had known what kind of people inhabited that place they would never have been caught there, and would not be in such a muss again. As far as I could ascertain, I should think the principal leader of the gang was Steel, of Lexington, Missouri. LAWRENCE, K. T., April 28, 1856. JOHN C. DUNN. To Mr. Reeder: ANDREW WHITE called and sworn. I came into the Territory and selected my place, where I now live, on the 5th of June, 1854. I came from Missouri. I was formerly from Morgan county, Missouri. I moved my family out here in the fall, after having built houses on my claim here. I was at the election in Bloomington on the 30th of March, 1855. I got there about nine or ten o'clock, going up with the Missouri company who were passing by at that time. I was acquainted with some of them, though I do not know as any of them came from Cass county. I knew Claiborne Jackson, and had known him since he was a boy. I lived in Missouri for thirty-five years. I do not know how many there were in this company I went up with. They had been passing my house for an hour, and the road was full as far as I could see, back and H. Rep. 20012* before. They said they were going to vote at the election. I had not much conversation with them on the road, but I talked with them right smart after I got up there. I asked some of them their reasons for coming up in our country to vote. They were young men I was talking to. They said they were hired to come up, and got a dollar a day. I stated that perhaps they would not be allowed to vote. They said they had come to vote, and they would vote, or die there. Those I was talking with, judging from their conversation, were from Jackson county, or from the edge of the county east. I knew him by sight, but do not recollect his name. I had no conversation with Claiborne Jackson. I heard his speech. He got up and said that they had come there to vote, and he thought they had as much right to vote when they had been there five or ten minutes as a man who had been there four or five years, and they would vote before they left there, or die. The crowd cheered him when he got through speaking. I think he ordered them to form into companies of fifteen or twenty, and form around the window, and let no man vote who was willing to swear. They did so. I heard Steely's name called more than any other man's there. I should know him if I should see him again. All About the time they formed themselves they got the white ribbons or strings in their coats. As they formed around the window the crowd was pretty strong there, and they got a big rope and wound it around them so as to let no one get in there with them. They swore they would let no man vote there who was willing to be sworn. this time they were arguing with the judges, and threatened to destroy them if they did not either resign or take their votes without swearing them. At last they said they would tear the house down, and fixed a pry there, and pried the house up right smartly, but did not get anybody out. In a few minutes they threatened if they did not resign or let them vote, they would fill the house full of shot in five minutes, I believe. The next I noticed was, I understood the judges would close the polls and give them an answer directly. The polls were closed, and the judges came out and went off. I went down under the hill. I went with them. Burson expected they would be after him for the poll-books. He gave them to Umberger, who took them and went off. I went up to Mr. Ramsay's, and saw nothing more of Burson until the evening. Directly after I got up to Ramsay's they came back with Umberger and the poll-books, and took them to the polls. They then came back and said they had orders to take Judge Wakefield back with them. There were several of us who said they could not take him, and they swore they would have him, dead or alive. Some two or three got off their horses. Judge Wakefield was in the house, and said he would not be taken by any such set of ruffians as they were, and I think he seized a gun. They stated that they did not want to hurt him, and he should not be hurt at all if he went with them peaceably. He told them if they would give their honors he would not be hurt while he was there, he would go with them if they had any business with him. He went ofi with them, and returned back after being gone some time, not very long. The company of residents then broke up, and mostly wen home. I went to the polls and staid there till night. Ellison continued to act as judge, but I do not believe I know the others who acted as judges. I saw these people go away the same road back that they came. They started two or three hours by sun. A party of some thirty or forty were left about the house to guard the polls until six o'clock. They were armed with revolvers and double-barreled shot-guns. The rest went away when they had voted. I believe all had arms. I did not notice any of them without. They formed around the wagon about the time they said they would tear down the house, and formed in small companies, and took rifles and shot-guns out of the wagon. I did not look into the wagon. I think there were some ox teams, but they were generally two-horse and four-horse teams, and mule teams. They had some flags, but I did not notice them very particularly, except they were common flags, such as armies. have. Cross-examined by Mr. Woodson: It was from these men I learned their residence. I inquired of a dozen or so; all I talked with told me they were from Missouri. I should think there were five or six hundred altogether. Some of them I knew by sight, but not by name, as I lived in Missouri for a year, and had seen them near Westport and Independence. They spoke it out publicly in conversation. There was no public speaking except by Claiborne Jackson. I resided in Cass county, Missouri, on what is called the High Blue, near Little Santa Fe. I formerly came from Morgan county, Missouri, and have lived in Cooper county, Missouri. To Mr. Reeder: I was well acquainted in the district. I do not think there were more than half a dozen-there might have been a dozen-in this company who were residents in the district, LAWRENCE, K. T., April 28, 1856. his ANDREW + WHITE. mark. DR. E. G. MACY called and affirmed, Examined by Mr. Reeder: I came into this Territory about the middle of November, 1854, and settled in the second district, and came from Butler county, Ohio. I have resided in the second district ever since. I was at the election of the 30th of March, 1855, at Bloomington. The first thing that attracted my attention after I got there was a large body of strangers, who were holding a formal election in the front of Esquire Burson's house. I heard the name of Thomas Johnson announced as our governor. The polls were then opened, and there was a general rush around the window. Two men, who were strangers, placed them |