12 
KANSAS. 
New England settlement was to be made at Lawrence, every means 
was resorted to, to break it up. 
About the first of October, a man from the Western States, who 
said Stephen A. Douglas was a better man than Jesus Christ, 
made his appearance with his friends, and used every effort to break 
up the New England settlement. The people however proceeded 
with their improvements, erecting a saw-mill, boarding-houses, 
and stores. 
On the sixth of October, a demand was made that a certain tent, 
standing within five rods of the house occupied by the original 
claimant, should be removed from its present location, and no more 
improvements should be made in that part of the town. Several 
pro-slavery men, mostly from Missouri, assembled in the vicinity 
of (he tent, and kindly notified Dr. Dobinson “ that if he did not 
remove the tent in thirty minutes, they should.” The following 
laconic reply was returned to them : “ If you molest our property 
you do it at your peril.” The citizens of the settlement came 
together to witness the removal, and with praiseworthy patience 
waited for the half hour to expire. The time at length passed by, 
and no movement was made toward removing the tent. Another half 
hour was waning fast, and the thirty New Englanders were quietly 
waiting for the tent’s removal. At last one of the citizens asked 
another if it “ would be best to hit the first man who attempted to 
remove it, or fire over his head?” The decisive reply was, “ I 
would be ashamed, for the rest of my life, to fire at a man and not 
hit him.” 
There was a spy among them, and, as soon as he heard this con¬ 
versation, so brief, yet pointed, he went over to the enemy’s camp. 
The intelligence he imparted, of whatever nature it might be, had 
the effect to scatter the Missourians at once. They left with oaths, 
and threats that “ in one week they would return with twenty thou¬ 
sand men from Missouri, and then the tent should be removed.” 
The week came and went, and about the same number of Mis¬ 
sourians as before appeared, but not to remove the tent. For some 
reason, the people of Missouri, although urgently called upon, did 
not respond, and the belligerent parties concluded to postpone any 
warlike action. 
