and confounded,
was greatly irritated, but soon resolved to prevent the success of
the invasion. In some districts, protests were sent to the governor;
in others such action was prevented by threats, in others by want
of time, and in others by the belief that a new election would
bring a new invasion. About the same time, all classes of men
commenced carrying deadly weapons about their persons. Under these
circumstances, a slight or accidental quarrel produced unusual
violence. Lawless acts became frequent and passed unpunished.
This unhappy condition of the public mind was further increased by
acts of violence in western Missouri, where, in April, a newspaper,
called the "Parkville Luminary," was destroyed by a mob, and numerous
acts of violence and homicides committed. Some innocent persons
were unlawfully arrested and others ordered to leave the territory.
The first one notified to leave was William Phillips, a lawyer of
Leavenworth, and upon his refusal the mob forcibly seized him, took
him across the river, carried him several miles into Missouri, and
then tarred and feathered him, shaving one side of his head and
committing other gross indignities upon his person. Judge Lecompte,
chief justice of the territory, Colonel L. N. Burns, of Weston,
Missouri, and others, took part in and made speeches at a bitterly
partisan meeting, the tendency of which was to produce violence
and disorder.

After the most careful examination of the poll-books and the
testimony taken, we were convinced beyond all doubt that the election
of the 30th of March, 1855, was utterly void. It was the result
of an organized invasion from the State of Missouri, a lawless
seizure of the conduct of the election, and the open voting by
thousands of persons who neither resided in nor pretended to be
residents of Kansas. Not content with voting they made false
returns of votes never cast, and excluded legal voters because they
were "Abolitionists."

A more wanton and shameless overthrow of popular rights cannot be
found in history.

The so-called legislative assembly, thus elected, met at Pawnee,
on the 2nd of July, 1855. It attempted to make laws for Kansas,
and to that end adopted, in substance, the laws of the State of
Missouri in gross as the laws for the territory, but, to retain
its power, it provided that every officer of the territory, executive
and judicial, was to be appointed by the legislature, or by some
officer appointed b