330 
KANSAS. 
Mr. Branscomb: “ Who has command of the forces here 
assembled ?” 
Several voices : “ G-eneral Bichardson.” 
“ Can I see General Bichardson ? ” 
Here G-eneral Bichardson stepped forward and bowed. 
“ General Bichardson, are you in command of the forces here 
assembled ? ” 
“ Well, I don’t know as I am.” 
An individual here stepped forward, and inquired as follows : 
“ G-eneral Bichardson, do you still retain the command? ” 
“ No, I suppose not; I resigned this morning,” was the reply. 
This individual then turned to Messrs. Branscomb and Cline, 
and said, “ I am in command of the forces here assembled, and 
am ready to receive any proposition.” 
Mr. Branscomb : “ Who are you, sir? ” 
Individual: “I am General Marshall.” 
“ I am directed by General Lane, commander of the free-state 
forces of Kansas, to demand of you the unconditional and imme¬ 
diate release of all the free-state prisoners now in Lecompton.” 
General Marshall: “We wish to make no compromises with 
G-eneral Lane, only that he shall treat our prisoners as kindly and 
courteously as we treat his.” 
“ Do I understand you to refuse to surrender the prisoners 
demanded ? ” 
“ Such is the understanding.” 
Messrs. Branscomb and Cline were about to return to General 
Lane’s lines, when General Marshall requested them to wait a few 
minutes. They did so. After a private consultation with some 
others, the general returned, and gave Mr. Branscomb the strange 
intelligence that all the prisoners demanded had been released 
that morning, and that provision had been made to obtain an 
escort of United States dragoons to attend them to Lawrence the 
next day. He then told him that he made a demand on General 
Lane for all the pro-slavery prisoners which had been taken, and 
asked Mr. Branscomb to state the demand. This ended the inter¬ 
view. 
Colonel Cook reached Lane’s lines about the time the messen- 
