MURDEROUS FIENDS AND ASSASSINS

One would think, because of the title, that this column is going to be devoted to another incident the "Guerrilla War" that was waged in eastern Kansas and the entire state of Missouri during the "'declared" Civil War. However, such is not the case! The subject of this column is a description of one of the most violent acts of terror that occurred in Fort Scott, Kansas Territory (149) years ago.

It was early on Monday morning, June 7, 1858, when Capt. James Montgomery and his band of free-state and abolitionist raiders, nicknamed the "Osages" because they lived for the most part in southern Linn County and along the banks of the Little Osage River in northern Bourbon County, attacked and attempted to destroy the "Western Hotel" and kill all the pro-slavery guests and residents of the hotel! The cry the "Osages are coming", "the Osages are Coming" would ring out across Carroll Plaza, the former U. S. Army parade ground, if an attack by Montgomery and his raiders was eminent! This particular raid was unexpected, however it was not spontaneous and there was a reason for it.

On May 30, 1858, James Montgomery and one of his trusted raiders were part of a legal "posse" commanded by Deputy U. S. Marshal Samuel Walker, who arrested and delivered to Fort Scott for trial George W. Clark, Dr.

Carter and B. F. Hill, who were notorious violent proslavers. This act was like letting the "fox into the hen house." Because the court in Fort Scott was administered by pro-slave judges and officials, Clark, Carter and Hill were released from jail on the same day! This infuriated Montgomery, so he decided to attack and destroy the Western Hotel that was the pro-slavery headquarters in Fort Scott.

The following description was published in the Fort Scott newspaper just three days after the raid on June 10, 1858. It is interesting to note the pro-Southern bias and rhetoric of the newspaper editor. However, this was not unusual, and the editors of Northern newspapers were not without sin, because they also used inflammatory bias rhetoric in their description of the news.

Fort Scott Democrat

Thursday, June 10, 1858

"Fort Scott was again visited on Monday morning, at 2 o'clock, by one of the marauding parties organized by the commander of the Kansas Militia. The attack was the most cowardly and murderous that fiends could invent. They came to the southwest corner of the town and halted, sent in one or more of their number into town with combustibles to destroy the place. A bundle of hay was placed against the Western Hotel and fired, which soon blazed up and aroused the inmates. The assasins perhaps fearing that an attempt would be made to extinguish the flames, commenced firing in range of the light, the bullets entering the hotel in several places, but without doing injury to anyone inside. At least 50 shots were fired by the miscreants, all without effect. As soon as the first demonstration was made in town the rogues fled. Some of the citizens repaired at daylight, to inspect the ground from whence the firing came. Quite a number of the small end of the cartridges cut off in loading the Beecher rifles were found.

Some bore the signature of M. J Parrott, M. C., others, the names of citizens living along the Marmiton, plainly indicating that the paper used in manufacturing the cartridges were envelopes franked by Mr. Parrott to his constituents. We look upon this as the grocest outrage offered to the citizens of Kansas. It was in the dead watches of the night, when all, suspecting no harm, felt secure in their beds. To see the families of our citizens thus aroused and made targets for this mercenary band, would call forth the patriotism of every individual whose heart had not been corrupted by crime and whose disposition was not already best suited to the scenes of bloodshed and carnage. When this murderous attack on innocent women and children shall find its way into some of the Eastern journals, it will doubtless be heralded as a great victory to freedom and a sincere rebuke to the (pro-slavery) Lecompton Constitution!"

The editor of the Fort Scott newspaper was exactly right, because an exaggerated description of this incident appeared in many Kansas newspapers and was repeated across the country in many northern and southern newspapers. This was not Montgomery's first nor would it be his last raid on Fort Scott, but it was one of his most violent. There will be more about Montgomery and his "Osages" in future columns!