NEW INVASION — RELEASE OF STATE PRISONERS. 333 
the Missourians came up in sight of the camp, and formed in line 
of battle upon a very high point only a quarter of a mile distant. 
It looked like a defiance to the troops. Col. Cook with his offi¬ 
cers stood by his tent, with a spy-glass, watching them. He was 
evidently surprised at the boldness of the movement. 
Soon the bugle sounded for “ boots and saddles,” and the sol¬ 
diers, with loud shouts, and on a full run, started for the horses. 
They thought they were to have the opportunity of driving off 
the Missourians. The colonel, being a Southerner, was annoyed by 
the shouting, and commanded them to be quiet. The Missourians 
soon left the hill, and the soldiers had their regular Sunday drill. 
In a little time two more houses, a short distance away, were 
fired. Before sundown Deputy Marshal Cramer rode up to the 
officers’ tent to say, that “ the houses were set on fire by free-state 
men.” Col. Cook quite indignantly replied, “ I saw the smoke of 
the fire, as your men rode from it on to the hill.” 
The evening of the next day, five other houses of the settlers 
were burned, and another, around which the mob gathered, was 
saved by the lady of the house showing a paper which Marshal 
Donaldson had given them as a means of protection during the 
spring invasion. Most of the fires were seen at the camp. Some 
of the houses had been vacated, the families having gone to Law¬ 
rence for safety. The occupants of others were driven from their 
homes at midnight, only escaping with their lives. One woman, 
with a number of young children, whose husband could, not 
remain with his family in safety, saved a few things by carrying 
them into the woods. The next day the house near the camp was 
full of these homeless ones. There were families without their 
natural protectors, because they had been previously driven from 
their homes. There were men, whose families had been removed 
to Lawrence a few days before, while they had remained at their 
houses attempting to get their goods ready to move, when they 
were obliged to fly. No free-state men could now travel between 
Lawrence and Lecompton. The man who carried meat to the 
camp daily was taken prisoner by Stringfellow and his scouting 
party, and retained in camp over night, notwithstanding he 
showed his contract with the quarter-master. 
