Personal Recollections of Pardee Butler

children to Kansas. Bro. Elliott accompanied me to Atchison, where I intended to take a steamboat to St. Louis,

in Illinois some evidence of what was going on. I went, therefore, with Bro. Elliott to the Squatter Sovereign printing office to purchase extra copies of that paper. I was waited on by Robert S. Kelley.

e the spirit of violence

ee-soilers rogues, and they

then said to him: "Well, sir, I am a Free-soiler;

d: "You will not b

open air, he clutched me nervously by the arm and said: "Bro. But

they do I can

st entreaty not to bring down on my own head the vengeance of these me

the Christian brethren in Atchison county. Except my

night in Atchison. I conversed freely with the people that afternoon, and said to them: "Under the Kansas-Nebraska bill, we that are

would tremble, and determined to gain time. Sitting down I pretended to read the resolutions-they were familiar to me, having been already printed in the Squatter Sovereign-and finally I began to read them aloud. But these men were impatient, and said: "We just want to know will you sign these resolutions?" I had taken my seat by a window, and looking out and down into the street, had seen a great crowd assembled, and determined to get among them. Whatever should be done-would better be done in the presence of witnesses. I said not a word, but going to the head of the stairs, where was my writing-stand and pen and ink, I laid the paper down and q

nt Aid Society

ection with the Emi

t did you

d a mind to come. Wh

to make Kansas

t I shall vote to make

spondent of the

a line to the Tribune

bated in Congress. They alleged the joint ownership the South had with the North in the common Territories of the nation; that slaves are property, and that they had a natural and inalienable right to take their property into any part of the national Territory

sper, said in a confidential tone: "N-e-ow, Mr. Butler, I want to advise y

n given an office in Platte county, Mo., and must needs be a partisan for the peculiar inst

rom our talk, I said to them: "Gentlemen, there is no use in keeping up this debate any longer; if I live anywhere, I sha

Of course I did not know what passed among them, but Dr. Stringfellow afterwards

, the teller, by making false returns to the excited mob, saved Mr. Butler's life. Mr. Kelley is now a resident of Montana, and volunteered this information several years ago, while stopping at St. Joe with the former senior

this man; he is not an Abolitionist, he is what they call a Free-soiler. The Abolitionists steal our niggers, but the Free-soilers do not do this. They intend to make Kansas a free State by legal methods. But in the outcome of the business, there is not the value of a picayune of difference between a Free-soi

th black paint. This letter stood for Rogue. I had in my pocket a purse of gold, which I proffered to a merchant of the place, an upright business man, with the request that he would send it to my wife; but he declined to take it. He afterwards explained to me that he himself was afraid of the mob

es; and it was thought by many to be no sin to shoot a "nigger thief." Down that flag must come; and then I remembered that they had said they would follow me down the river and shoot me if I did pull it down. The picture on

h twine, and this part of the canvas I left and made it serve as the blade of my paddle; and so in due time I paddled to the Kansas shore. The river was rapid, and there were in the river heaps of drift-wood, called "rack-heaps," dangerous places into