64 THE STORY OF A BIRD LOVER 



divided by difference of religious belief into the 

 many sects which here obtained support. In the 

 vernacular, the U. P's., United Presbyterians, 

 C. P's., Cumberland Presbyterians, Old School 

 and New School, each had its followers. The 

 Methodists were divided according to their south- 

 ern or northern sympathies, and the Christians, 

 Baptists, Episcopalians, and Roman Catholics 

 were also represented. In addition the colored 

 people had their Methodist and Baptist organiza- 

 tions. 



It was gruesome in one's drives to have certain 

 historic trees pointed out as the scaffold recently 

 used for the dramatic exit of a horse-thief at the 

 hands of the Vigilance Committee. No less than 

 eleven such victims had met their fate since the 

 war. A horse-thief was a greater offender than a 

 murderer. 



Johnson County at this point presents a very 

 different appearance from the region of Kansas 

 which I have described. The countiy is undulat- 

 ing, may be spoken of as even hilly in places, and 

 is fairly well wooded, the forest not being con- 

 fined to the vicinity of the watercourses. To 

 the eastward of the town of Warrensburg and at 

 no great distance are prairies of considerable area, 

 nowhere more than six or eight square miles in 

 extent without being broken by the hill-country. 

 Withal, this country is extremely well watered, 



