Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/716

 way home, they said if Gov. Reeder did not sanction the election, they would hang him.

The citizens of the town of Lawrence, as a general thing were not armed on the day of election, though some had revolvers, but not exposed, as were the arms of the Missourians. They kept a guard about the town, the night after the election, in consequence of the threats of the Missourians, in order to protect it. The pro-slavery men of the district attended the nominating conventions of thefree-state men, and voted for, and secured the nominations of, the men they considered the most obnoxious to the free-state party, in order to cause dissension in that party.

Quite a number of settlers came into the district before the day of election, and after the census was taken. According to the census returns, there were then in the district 369 legal voters. Of those whose names are on the census returns, 177 are to be found on the poll-books of the 30th of March, 1855. Messrs. Ladd, Babcock, and Pratt testify to 55 names on the poll books of persons they knew to have settled in the district after the census was taken and before the election. A number of persons came into the territory in March, before the election, from the northern and eastern states, intending to settle, who were in Lawrence on the day of election. At that time, many of them had selected no claims, and had no fixed place of residence. Such were not entitled to vote. Many of them became dissatisfied with the country. Others were disappointed in its political condition, and the price and demand for labor, and returned. Whether any such voted at the election, is not clearly shown, but from the proof, it is probable that in the latter part of the day, after the great body of the Missourians had voted, some did go to the polls. The number was not over fifty. These voted the free-state ticket. The whole number of names appearing on the poll-list is 1034. After full examination, we are satisfied that not over 232 of these were legal voters, and 802 were non-resident and illegal voters. This district is strongly in favor of making Kansas a free state, and there is no doubt but that the free-state candidates would have been elected by large majorities, if none but the actual settlers had voted. At the preceding election in November, 1854, when none but legal votes were polled, general Whitfield, who received the full strength of the proslavery party, got but 46 votes.

In Bloomington district on the morning of the election, the judges appointed by the governor appeared and opened the polls. Their names were Harrison Burson, Nathaniel Ramsay, and Mr. Ellison. The Missourians began to come in early in the morning, some 500 or 600 of them, in wagons and in carriages, and on horseback, under the lead of Samuel J. Jones, then postmaster of Westport, Missouri, Claibourne F. Jackson, and Mr. Steely, of Independence, Missouri. They were armed with double-barreled guns, rifles, bowie-knives and pistols, and had flags hoisted. They held a sort of informal election, off at one side, at first for governor of Kansas, and shortly afterwards announced Thomas Johnson, of Shawnee Missions, elected governor. The polls had been opened but a short time, when Mr. Jones marched with the