But it is certain he lived as nearly up to his
terrible reputation as he could. At Franklin, at Washington
Creek, and at Osawatomie we find him in evidence. Here are
extracts from his letters in reference to the attack made by the
pro-slavery men at the last-mentioned place. 'On the morning of
August 30 an attack was made by the ruffians on Osawatomie,
numbering some 400, by whose scouts our dear Frederick was shot
dead.' (This was his son, and it was by a Methodist preacher's
rifle he was killed. Such was the support which the pulpit
sometimes gave in those turbulent days to the slavery cause.)
'At this time I was about three miles off, where I had some
fourteen or fifteen men over-night that had just enlisted under
me. These I collected with some twelve or fifteen more, and in
about three-quarters of an hour I attacked them from a wood with
thick undergrowth.
'With this force we threw them into confusion for about fifteen
or twenty minutes, during which time we killed or wounded from
seventy to eighty of the enemy--as they say--and then we escaped
as we could with one killed, two or three wounded, and as many
more missing. Jason (another son) fought bravely by my side. I
was struck by a partly spent shot which bruised me some, but did
not injure me seriously.
Pages:
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59