Beschreibung:

Title: 3 Autograph Letters Signed to Kansas Territorial Governor James Denver, by and about a brave moderate intermediary to John Brown anti-slavery militant leader in the virtual Kansas civil war Author: Place: Publisher: Date: 1858 Description: • George A. Crawford. No place, March 4, 1858. 2pp. Apparently torn from the bottom of a larger letter to Denver, though complete in itself; • District Judge J.Williams. Fort Scott, Kansas, March 21, 1858. 7.5 x 13”. 4 closely-written pp.,detailed report about the difficulty of enforcing law in Osage County, west of the Missouri border, and the conflict between Crawford, a leading “free state” moderate, and rabidly pro-slavery ‘General’ George Clarke who had led a band of 600 “ruffians” over the Missouri border; • Crawford. Lock Haven, Pa., July 10, 1858. 1pg. Written when Crawford briefly fled the Territory after he was threatened with assassination, hoping Denver, then in Washington, would not “desert” Kansas at this “turning point” in its “destiny”. Crawford, an influential 32 year-old lawyer, journalist and politician from Pennsylvania, was a moderate “Free State” Democrat, a Denver confidant who faced death from fanatics on both sides of the slavery issue. (See other “bleeding Kansas” correspondence in this sale to Denver, former California Gold Rush Congressman and future Civil War General) In the first letter, Crawford details the violence in Osage County men robbed and shot, militia men “driven off”, a Judge who refused to send federal troops to intervene to quell violence, two boys tortured by fire to divulge the whereabouts of the US Army commander. And yet, “the great mass of our citizens want peace. I intend banding together the good men…of all parties to stand together for law and against lawlessness.” Cites Missouri “Marauder” leader Clarke, a “violent man”, as his nemesis. Judge Williams’ letter details the conflict between Crawford and Clarke, who had constantly sought to quarrel with the “urbane” Clark, attacking him in public before being restrained by a Deputy marshall. One month later, Crawford was threatened with death by pro-slavery fanatics if he did not leave the state in 24 hours. Remrking, “I don’t exchanges messages with horse thieves,he stood his ground, but did briefly return to his his family home in Pennsylvania, where he begged Denver, rumored to be about to give up his position, “Don’t desert us in the turning point of our destiny. Kansas has much to hope from you.” Denver did leave, in December, to become US Commissioner of Indian Affrairs – but not before he had commended Crawford to his successor, who sent Crawford as his emissary to meet with John Brown leader of the anti-slavery militants. Crawford had already encoutnered Brown’s men while standing next to a Sheriff whom they shot dead. Crawford did talk with Brown in January 1859; whether or not his words were influential, Brown left Kansas days later, taking 11 liberated slaves to Detroit, and beginning to plan the ill-fated October attack on Harper’s Ferry that ended in his execution. Two years later, when Kansas won statehood, four months before the Civil War, Crawford was elected its first Governor, but he was never inaugurated because the election was not legally recognized. Lot Amendments Condition: Very good. Item number: 276133