USA > Kansas > A standard history of Kansas and Kansans, Volume I > Part 73
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No other members of the company went with Henry Thompson and Weiner when Sherman was killed. He was taken into the bed of the stream and executed by Thompson and Weiner. The account of this matter written by Salmon Brown for the author of this work is here given.5
5 The confession of Townsley was obtained on the 3rd of August, 1882, and is here set out :
'.I joined the Pottawatomie Rifle Company at its re-organization, in May, 1856. At that time, John Brown, Jr., was elected Captain. On the 21st of this month, Lawrence was sacked by a Pro-Slavery mob, under Sheriff Jones, and on the day of the sacking, information was received that a movement to that end was in progress. The company was hastily called together, and a forced march to aid in its defence immediately determined upon. We started about four o'clock in the afternoon. Abont two miles south of Middle Creek, the Osawatomie company, under Captain Dayton, joined ns. Upon arriving at Mount Vernon, we halted for two hours, until the rising of the moon. After marching the rest of the night, we went into camp, near the house of John T. Jones, for break- fast. Just before reaching this place, we learned that Lawrence had been destroyed the day before, and the question arose whether we should go on or return. It was decided to go on, and we proceeded up Ottawa Creek to within about five miles of Palmyra. We remained in camp undecided over night, and until noon of the next day. About this time, Owen Brown. and a little later, old John Brown himself, came to me and said information had just been received that trouble was expected on the Pottawatomie. The old man asked me if I would go with my team and take him and his boys down there, so that they could watch what was going on. I replied that I would do so, my reason being that my family was then living on the Pottawatomie, in Anderson County, about one mile west of Greeley. Making ready for the trip as quickly as possible, we started about two o'clock in the afternoon. The party consisted of old John Brown, and four of his sons-Frederick, Oliver, Owen and Wat- son-Ilenry Thompson, his son-in-law, Mr. Winer and myself. Winer rode a pony ; all the rest rode in the wagon with me. We camped that niglit between two deep ravines about one mile above Dutch Henry's crossing.
"After supper. John Brown first revealed to me the purpose of the expedition. He said it was to sweep the Pottawatomie of all Pro-Slavery men living on it. To this end he desired me to guide the company some five or six miles up to the forks of the creek, into the neighborhood where I lived, and point out to him on the way up, the residences of all the Pro-Slavery men, so that on the way down, he might carry out his design.
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We started off with the cheers of quite a crowd with their hats in the air, they knowing the purport of our mission. On the way back old man Townsley got weak in the knees and wanted to quit from sheer fear, but we wouldn't let him go, fearing he might turn traitor and foil our plans.
We went down to near the crossing at Dutch Henry's and turned off [to] the right up a deep grassy canyon next to the timber on the creek, far away from all travel. We stayed there that night and all of the next day till late in the evening. The reason for taking the night for our work was that it was impossible to take the men in the daytime, and also using the broad swords in a noiseless manner, as shooting would have aroused the whole neighborhood. We went to Doyle's first and
Horrified at his purpose, I positively refused to comply with his request, saying that I could not take men out of their beds and kill them in that way. Brown said, 'Why won't you fight your enemies.' To which I replied, 'I have no enemies I can kill in that way.' Failing to prevail upon me, he decided to postpone the expedition until the following night, when they would go, as the old man himself said, where they knew Pro-Slavery men to be. I then proposed to him that he take his things out of my wagon and allow me to go home; to which he replied that, 'I could not go, that I must stay with them; there was no other way of getting along.' We remained in eamp that night and all the next day. During the morning of this day, the 24th, I tried to dissuade him and his boys from carrying out the expedition, and to this end talked a great deal. Brown said it was necessary to 'strike terror into the hearts of the Pro-Slavery party,' and taking out his revolver, said to me, 'Shut up! You are trying to discourage my boys. Dead men tell no tales.' From the last remark, I inferred that I must henceforth keep still or suffer the consequences. Shortly afterward I stepped down into the ravine, when Owen Brown and Henry Thompson each picked up his rifle and, without saying a word, walked down the banks of the ravine on either side of me. When I returned, they returned. But little more was said during the day.
"Some time after dark we were ordered to march, and went north- ward, erossing Mosquito Creek above the residence of the Doyles. Soon after crossing the ereek, one of the party knocked at the door of a cabin, but received no reply. I do not know whose cabin it was. We next came to the residence of the Doyles. John Brown, three of his sons and son- in-law, went to the door, leaving Frederick Brown, Winer and myself a short distance away, ostensibly to see that no one escaped from the house, but really, as I believe, that Brown and Winer might act as guard over me. About this time a large dog attacked us. Frederick Brown struck the dog with his short two-edged sword, after which I struck him, also with my saber. I do not know whether or not the dog was killed, but we heard no more of him.
"The old man Doyle and his sons were ordered to come out. This order they did not immediately obey, the old man being heard instead to call for his gun. At this moment Henry Thompson threw into the house some rolls or balls of hay in which during the day wet gunpowder had been mixed, setting fire to them as he threw them in. This stratagem had the desired effect. The old man and his sons came out, and were marched about one-quarter of a mile in the road toward Dnteh Henry's crossing, where a halt was made. Here old John Brown drew his revolver and shot old man Doyle in the forehead, killing him instantly ; and Brown's two youngest sons immediately fell upon the Younger Doyles with their short two-edged swords. One of the young Doyles was
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encountered a number of savage dogs. Old man Townsley went after the dogs with a broad sword and he and my brother Fred soon had them all laid out. Townsley went in without being asked to and worked with all his might, not as a prisoner as he has since claimed. The three Doyles were taken out of the house and half mile or so away, and were slain with the broad swords. Owen Brown eut down one of them and another son eut down the other and the old man Doyle. Old man Doyle's wife gave the Doyles a terrible seoring as they left the house. She said, "I told you you would get into trouble with all your devil- ment." Henry Sherman was killed by Henry Thompson, and also Wilkinson, about the same time that the Doyles were killed. Our party divided, Thompson and Weiner in one party, and Owen Brown,
quickly dispatched ; the other, attempting to escape, was pursued a short distanee and cut down also. We then went down Mosquito Creek, to the house of Allen Wilkinson. Here, as at the Doyle residenee, old John Brown, three sons, and son-in-law, went to the door and ordered Wilkin- son out, leaving Frederiek Brown, Winer and myself in the road a little distanee east of the house. Wilkinson was marched a short distance south and killed by one of the young Browns with his short sword, after which his body was dragged to one side and left lying by the side of the road.
"We then crossed the Pottawatomie and went to Dutch Henry's house. Here, as at the other two houses, Frederiek Brown, Winer and myself were left outside a short distance from the door, while old man Brown, three sons and son-in-law went into the house and brought out one or two persons with them. After talking with them some time they took them back into the house, and brought out William Sherman, Dutch Henry's brother, and marehed him down into Pottawatomie ereek, where John Brown's two youngest sons slew him with their short swords, as in the former instanees, and left his body lying in the ereek.
"It was Brown's intention to kill Duteh Henry, also, had he been found at home, as well as George Wilson, Probate Judge of Anderson County, had he been found at Dutch Henry's house, as it was hoped he would be.
"The killing was done with swords in order to avoid alarming the neighborhood by the discharge of fire-arms. What mutilation appeared upon the bodies was eonsequent upon the manner in which the men were killed.
"I did not then approve of the killing of those men, but Brown said it must be done for the protection of the Free-state settlers; that it was better that a score of bad men should die than that one Free-state man should be driven out. It was my refusal to pilot the party into the neigh- borhood where I lived that caused us to remain in camp all night, May 23. and all day May 24. I told him I was willing to go to Lecompton and attack the leaders, or to fight the enemy anywhere in open field, but that I could not kill the men in that way. The deeds of that night are indeli- bly stamped upon my memory.
"In after years my opinion changed as to the wisdom of the massacre. I beeame, and am, satisfied that it resulted in good to the Free-state cause, and was especially beneficial to the Free-state settlers on Potto- watomie Creek. The Pro-Slavery men were dreadfully terrified, and large numbers of them soon left the Territory. It was afterward said that one Free-state man could scare a company of them.
"Immediately after the killing of William Sherman, the two sons of Brown who had done all the killing, except the shooting of the old man
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Fred Brown, Salmon Brown, Oliver Brown and old man Townsley in the other, father running back and forth between the parties. Father never raised his hand in slaying these men. We went to our eamp and stayed all the next day until quite late in the evening. We left and Townsley was more than willing to go with us. The night of the slaying of these men I went alone to the house of Mr. Harris, who worked for Dutch Henry, and had the eare of his fine grey stallion, and made him saddle the horse and hold the stirrup for me to mount, which he did in fine shape. I said "thank you and goodby" and I have never seen him sinee. I traded the horse to some parties from up North for two Mis- souri raee horses that they had captured from some invading Missourians. Harris afterward made a report of this as it was before an investigating
Doyle, washed their swords in Pottawatomie Creek. I did not wash my sword, having done nothing with it but strike the dog.
"Soon after midnight we went back to where my team and the other things had been left, and remained there in eamp until the next after- noon. Just before daylight Owen Brown eame to me and said 'There shall be no more such work as that.'
"In the afternoon we started baek to join the Pottawatomie company under John Brown, Jr. We reached them about midnight, in eamp near Ottawa Jones' place. When daylight bad eome, some members of the company notieing the blood and hair upon my sword, pieked it up, and after examining it, remarked, 'There is no human blood upon that saber !' This was the end of the expedition."
Townsley was questioned about this matter by W. II. Sears of Law- rence, Kansas, in the latter part of August, 1888. Mr. Sears has kindly furnished the author of this work the notes made by him at that interview.
"LAWRENCE, KANSAS, APRIL 24, 1911.
"Hon. William Elsey Connelley, "Topeka, Kansas.
"My Dear Mr. Connelley :-
"In compliance with my promise I send you herein a verbatim eopy of my original pencil notes taken at the interview I had with James Townsley, at Lane, Kansas, during the week of the old settlers meeting held in a grove across the river from Lane, the latter part of August, about the year 1888. James Chalfant, Jr., of Lawrenee, Kansas, was present at this interview, and heard Townsley tell the story of the killing of the settlers on the Pottawatomie, May 24th, 1856. The notes are as follows :-
"'James Townsley, born in Md. was 72 years old the 29th of August. Enlisted in the U. S. Army under Scott in the Seminole War in Ala., and then Florida. Drove team -- Came to Kansas in 1855. Saw John Brown near Lane in the spring of 1856. Joined Brown's Company. Started on May 22nd for Lawrence to help Free State men : but messenger met us and sent us baek. Brown wanted Townsley 10 show him where all the pro-slavery men lived. He refused but Brown compelled him to go. Camped on Pottowattomie Creek on May 23rd. 1856, and Townsley tried to persuade Brown not to make the raid. Brown said he intended to sweep the ereek of every pro-slavery man. Townsley then went to the Brown boys and tried to influence them. Brown pulled a pistol on him and told him he was trying to discourage his boys, and told him to stop. The first eabin they visited there was a man iuside loading a rifle and they left him, Brown saying. "Don't care much about him any way." Took Doyle and his two sons half mile
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committee. We moved back towards our place near Middle Creek and eamped.
One of the raging controversies of Kansas history has been over the motives of John Brown in killing the five men at Dutch Henry's Cross- ing. No conelusion satisfactory to all historians has ever been arrived at. A historical character must be tried in the times in which he lived and by the conditions under which he operated.
Dnteh Henry had lived in Missouri before coming to the Indian coun- try which was later to be Kansas. He first worked for John T. Jones. About 1842 he set up for himself at the point where the California Road from Southern Kansas and Southwest Missouri crossed Pottawatomie
from their home. Brown turned and shot old man Doyle, and Brown's sons cut the Doyle boys down with sabers. Wilkerson, Postmaster under Buchanan. Brown ealled him ont, and after taking him half a mile, the two youngest Brown Boys, Oliver and Watson, eut Wilkerson down with sabers. Next ealled at Sherman brothers at Duteh Henry's Cross- ing. House full of people. Took Bill Sherman and killed him at the ford. Brown boys did all the killing except old Doyle and John Brown killed him. It was a bright moonlight night. Townsley feigned illness when called upon to guide this expedition ; but Brown felt of his pulse and said: "You are not siek, all you need is a smell of blood." This happened on the night of May 24th, 1856. After the raid they went back to their camp on Ottawa Creek. Townsley served three years in 4th Artillery, at Ft. MeHenry. Served five years in 2nd dragoons and was wounded in shoulder in Indian fight in the Seminole War.'
"I well remember that Townsley said that Brown pointed a pistol at his head and compeled him to take his team and wagon and take them on this raid. Also, that Townsley saw Old John Brown shoot old man Doyle through the forehead.
"Chalfant married a Lecompton, Kansas, girl, and moved to Gal- veston. His father was at this time editor of the Lawrence Tribune, and his son James was a reporter on the paper. We went to the old settlers meeting referred to, together, driving overland in a buggy, and while at the meeting we were entertained by 'Stonewall' Clark and slept together. Senator Plumb attended this meeting, and visited Chalfant and the writer, in onr reporter's tent.
"I enclose you my original notes that you may see the few changes I have made do not materially change the sense of facts stated.
"Very sincerely yours, "(Signed) W. H. SEARS."
The following letter of F. B. Sanborn to the author will be of interest. That Governor Robinson also favored the assassination of leading Pro- Slavery men in 1856 was charged. See Villard's John Brown, p. 184.
CONCORD, MASS., SEPT. 17, 1916.
Dear Mr. Counelley :
Eli Thayer was a violent, impulsive person, whose zeal went far beyond his prudenee, in his first labors for Free Kansas, and who was so upset by the election of Buchanan in 1856 that he proposed, in my hearing, at the old Emigrant Aid Rooms in Winter Street, Boston, at a meeting in November, to send on orders to Kansas to have Atchison and String- fellow assassinated, as a preliminary to what we were to do next in the Territory. Robinson at that time was equally sanguinary, and had no
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Creek." He engaged in the business of raising cattle and horses. He dealt much in cattle. Two brothers lived with him; Dutch Pete and Dutch Bill. They were all well known to the early settlers. Pete was simple minded, very nearly an idiot. He sometimes lived at a house some distance away. It was supposed at one time that quite a city would spring up at Dutch Henry's Crossing, which caused many of the first settlers of that region to select that point as a home. Dutch Henry kept a supply of whiskey to be sold to freighters, and, later to the early set- tlers. He was the leader of the Pro-Slavery element in that region. The Georgians camped to the southwest of the crossing, as we have seen.
fault to find with John Brown for any of his acts of violence. He, Thayer, continned in this state of mind for a year or two, and promoted Brown's wishes in respect to arms and supplies for Kansas. He had been chosen to Congress in 1856, and was reelected in 1858. But he had by that time formed his chimerical plans for a free colony in western Virginia, to be called "Ceredo," and was introducing ideas of pecuniary profit along with his free-state principles. Robinson had even earlier begun to practice on that plan, and was trading this way and that, as you know. Thayer probably had lost money by his Kansas ventures, and politically cooled so much that the Republicans in 1860 would not re- nominate him for Congress, but chose a man from the Fitchburg end of the Worcester district,-the same which G. F. Hoar afterward repre- sented, before he became Senator. When the war came on, Thayer got himself appointed by Secretary Chase one of his many treasury agents in 1861-2; and planned schemes for colonizing freedmen in Florida, Utah and in S. America; but these were absurd, and came to nothing. From 1864 to 1870, Thayer was land-agent for a railroad in Missouri, with an office in New York; but, like Robinson in Kansas, with whom, I think, he generally agreed, he disliked and distrusted Lincoln, but I think he favored his reelection. Like Robinson, he claimed to have been one of the chief agents in emancipation, but he took no active interest in Kansas after 1858. ITis son has always been a Democrat, and has repre- sented the Worcester District, as his father did; but as a regular Democrat.
Does this answer your question ? I knew Thayer well in 1856-59, but seldom after that. Few persons had much confidence in his judgment. Yours truly, F. B. SANBORN.
"GREELEY, KANSAS, JAN. 5th, 1909.
6 . W. E. Connelley, "Topeka, Kans.
"* Dear Sir :
"Yours.of the 3rd received and in reply would say that in the fall of 1854 I settled near the Dutch Henry Crossing and got acquainted with the Shermans Brothers They were the only settlers then in this part of the country-and they had been living there for twelve years- They were farming some land and had a fine herd of cattle and Horses running on the range.
"They were living in a log honse just across the little Branch abont one half mile east from the crossing on the South side of the creek- and this is the house that I think William Sherman was taken from the night that he was killed."
(Signed) J. N. BAKER.
Vol. 1-37
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After their arrival the Pro-Slavery men in the neighborhood became bold and aggressive against the Free-State settlers.
An old gentleman named Morse kept a small store not far from Dutch Henry's house. He was a widower with a small child. One day, Wil- liam Sherman, in the absence of his brother in Missouri, carried a rope to Morse's store to hang him. He was notified to leave by eleven o'clock. after the Ruffians had consented to spare his life. It was impossible for him to arrange his affairs in so short a time. Sherman returned at eleven o'clock and attempted to kill Morse with an axe, but relented at the pleadings and tears of his child. He was, however, warned to be gone by sundown and that there would be no farther trifling with him. If found there at that time he would be killed. The story of the outrageous conduet toward Morse was told by George Grant.7
The next morning, after the company had started to go to Lawrence, a number of these pro-slavery men, Wilkinson, Doyle, his two sons, and William Sherman, known as "Dutch Bill"-took a rope and were going to hang him [Morse] for selling the lead to the Free State men. They frightened the old man terribly; and finally told him he must leave the country before eleven o'clock, or they would hang him. They then left and went to the Shermans and went to drinking. About eleven o'clock a portion of them, half drunk, went back to Mr. Morse's and were going to kill him with an axe. His little boys-one was only nine years old- set up a violent erying, and begged for their father's life. They finally gave him until sundown to leave. He left everything and came at once to our house. He was nearly frightened to death. He came to our house carrying a blanket and leading his little boy by the hand. When night came he was so afraid that he would not stay in the house, but went out doors and slept on the prairie in the grass. For a few days he lay about in the brush, most of the time getting his meals at our house. He was then taken violently ill and died in a very short time. Dr. Gil- patrick attended him during his brief illness, and said that his death was directly caused by the fright and excitement of that terrible day when he was driven from his store.
Notices were given the Free-State settlers to leave in three days, threatening them with death if they refused. Weiner had been threat- ened. He had a elaim at the head of Mosquito Creek, on which he had a residence and store building combined. Later, his house was burned, and his goods and business were destroyed.
7 Baker gives an account of another outrage on Morse, perpetrated by the Doyles :
"In the spring and summer of 1855 Emigration began coming in and there was quite a Settlement along the creek-and in 1857 there was quite a large Emegration and some town had been laid oute-the little Town at the crossing had been laid oute and named Shermanville a man' by the name of Morss had opened up a store in a little log cabbin and it was in this Store that the Doyles Brothers went and got in some truble with the old man becuse he refused to loan them his shot gun so they got very mad and abused and threatened him in a very rough manner and finly told him that he must leave the country and that they would only give him five days to get oute. But before the five days was up they left the country and the Old Man did not."
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. A young woman, a wife of a Free-State man had been threatened by the Pro-Slavery men with death. One of them said to her, "I will cut your head off so quiek that you will see your own heart's blood."
Allen Wilkinson was the postmaster. The postoffice was called Sher- mansville. He had been elected to the bogus Legislature by Missourians, and was active in the enaetment of the bogus laws.
Mr. Villard in diseussing the causes of the Pottawatomie murders has this to say :
The stories of Bondi, Weiner, Benjamin and Townsley all had their effect upon the Browns. According to Horace Haskell Day, son of Orson Day, when his father went to Weiner's store, which was just one and a half miles from the Doyles' cabin, he found a notice up that all Free State men must get off the creek within thirty days, or have their throats cut. Weiner said to Mr. Day : "We ought to eut their throats." Mr. Day not consenting, Weiner said: "That is the way we serve them in Texas,"-from which place he had come. Orson Day being a brother-in-law of John Brown aud residing directly opposite John Brown, Jr., it would have been easy for him to repeat this happening to his relatives. There are witnesses like Mr. M. V. B. Jackson, who heard from Weiner, Bondi and Townsley direct the threats made against them. Mr. Jackson testifies that three days was the time of grace allowed to Weiner, Benjamin and Bondi, at the expiration of which they were to leave under pain of lynch law. "I know," he has affirmed, "that there was a reign of terror, of which the men who were killed were the anthors; and I am surprised that any one should believe that the killing of these men was without reasonable exense."
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