and 90 miles from St. Joseph's. I was subpoenaed to go to Lawrence, and went there, and then came here. By Mr. Whitfield: I saw no man take claims, and do not know when these men took their claims that they said they had taken. I did not see 40 or 50 inen go to the polls together. I saw them about the polls, but do not know that many came together. By Mr. Sherman: I think the largest number I saw come together was about 15 or 20; about the first who came. By Mr. Whitfield: At the last October election I did not understand that there was any opposition to the election of Gen. Whitfield. LEAVENWORTH, K. T., May 16, 1856. JOHN BELEW. ARNET GROOMES called and sworn. I came to the Territory in April, 1854; I settled in the Burrdoch precinct in the 14th district, and have lived there since. On the Sunday night before the election, which was on Friday, General David R. Atchison stopped with me to stay over night. A partner of Mr. Johnson, of Platte City, a General Dorris, introduced me to General Atchison. One of them asked to stay, and I refused; he said he had a company of men and had lost them, and wanted to stay all night. I said I was not fixed to do so. He said he would let his horses stay in the lot without anything to eat, and he would lay down on his blanket. I then said he could get down, and I would let him have what little I had. Both persons were present at the time. After they came into the house both were particular in their inquiries as to whether their wagons had passed. I said that I had been to St. Jeseph's and had seen them cross, and supposed they were on the Kansas side up about the widow Briggs' claim. He said he had been to Blackstone's and Thompson's, and could not make out where the wagons had taken off. Mr. Dorris then got up and introduced me to General Atchison, and also to himself. General Atchison took me with a candle to look in his blankets for a Bowie knife he said he had lost, and while he was looking for that I saw the handles of two or three Bowie knives and some revolvers. They were not on his person, but in his blankets, and he said he had lost one of his Bowie knives. I turned away when I saw that, as I was surprised to see a man with more than one knife or pistol. The next morning we had another conversation about the wagons, which General Atchison seemed to think were ahead. He said he had about eighty men and twentyfour wagons. I asked him where he was going with them. He said John Bold had sent for him to come up above, as there were persons coming over there all the nime to take the polls. I asked what he was taking so many men up there for; and one of them said, I do not know which one, that they were going up there to guard the polls, and not let certain persons vote. I asked him if they were not going to see a little town called Atchison, and he said he might and he might not, but he did not know. About that time some of his men and wagons came up. I did not see as many men or wagons pass at that time as I had understood from him there was. I went to the election on the 30th of March, 1855, at Mr. Bryant's, in the 14th district; I saw one illegal vote given, and I objected to it very strongly. It was a man by the name of Charles Gilmor; when I objected, Colonel Craig was sitting in place of one of the judges or clerks who was gone to dinner I supposed. I objected to Cary Whitehead, one of the judges. They took the vote, and said I had no right to object. I asked them to swear him, and they said they had no right to swear him. This Gilmor was not a citizen, and I never heard of his being a citizen of the Territory since. Cross-examined by M. Scott: I judged, from what General Atchison said, that the persons referred to by John Boler were coming over from Iowa, but I do not know as that was so. I do not know as I saw more than two Bowie knives and four pistols at the time General Atchison was looking for the Bowie knife. Gilmor said at the polls that he had no claim, and that he had come from Illinois to get a claim, and would have one. I was born in Virginia, married in Kentucky, and raised a family in Missouri. his ARNET X GROOMES. LEAVENWORTH CITY, K. T., May 23, 1856. mark. Copies of the returns of the election held in the Territory of Kansas on the 30th day of March, A. D. 1855, taken from the official returns on file in the office of the Secretary of the Territory, in Lecompton, on the 18th day of April, A. D. 1856, by the special committee of the House of Representatives of the United States. FIRST DISTRICT. Form of oath to be taken by the judges of election, taken from printed form filled up and on file. I, Hugh Cameron, do swear that I will perform my duties as judge of the election to be held this day at the house of William H. R. Lykins, in the first election district of the Territory of Kansas, to the best of my judgment and ability; that I will keep a true, correct, and faithful record or list of all persons who shall vote at said election; that I will poll no ticket from any person who is not an actual inhabitant and resident of said Territory on the day of election, and whom I shall not honestly believe to be a qualified voter according to the provisions of the act of Congress organizing said Territory; that I will reject the votes of all non-residents who I shall believe have come into the Territory for the mere purpose of voting; that in all cases where I am ignorant of the voter's right, I will require legal evidence thereof by his own oath, or otherwise; and that I will truly count and record the votes received, and make a true and faithful return thereof to the governor of said Territory. HUGH CAMERON. Sworn and subscribed March 30, 1855, previous to opening the polls, before me. J. S. EMERY, Each judge will subscribe, at the right hand, two of these oaths, and the person who administers it will sign on the left. One copy of which will be deposited in the ballot-box, and the other three enclosed with the returns of election. [Similar separate affidavits, subscribed by Robert A. Cummins and James B. Abbott, and sworn to before J. S. Emery, and also one subscribed by Theodore E. Benjamin and sworn to before Hugh Cameron, as judge of election, are on file.] 15 W. F. Stewart 19 Wm. B. Cockrell 20 E. P. Gordon 21 E. Crooke 22 M. B. Waddle 23 S. N. Warren 24 W. S. Parr 25 J. A. Smith 26 Jesse Noland 27 John Ferguson 28 E. F. Rucher 29 John J. Lowry 30 J. F. V. Thompsor: 31 Geo. W. Allen 35 Wm. Grimes 40 Jams V. Lyon 41 W. T. McGlasson 42 John Hicks 43 F. C. Virian 44 Henry Lamite 45 Jere. R. Rippey 46 David Clifton 47 Joseph Allen 48 Stephen Lacey 49 Smith B. New 50 Wade Moseley 51 Taylor Cave 52 Peter Virian 53 Reuben Samuels 54 J. H. Hewins 81 O. R. Burns 82 Clay S. Cunningham 85 R. H. Coutts 86 L. P. Wills 87 Lewis R. Harrison 88 W. C. Schuck 89 Thacker B. Webb 90 F. N. Davis 91 J. P. Powell 92 Michael McGill 93 Jefferson Morrow 96 R. S. Crystal 99 N. M. McClellan 100 Joseph Chancellor 101 S. C. Harrington 102 Wm. Hale 103 Geo. Cowhen 104 L. J. Pratt 105 Stephen A. Walker 106 Thos. J. Slade 107 Jos. S. Carlisle 108 Jos. N. Hargess 109 C. H. Loyd 110 Jos. G. Foller 111 R. S. Wildes 112 R. Crawford 113 C. H. Carpenter 114 J. B. Taft 115 Wm. Drake 116 J. M. Neff 117 James Crawford 118 John J. Barker 55 D. Purington 119 Allen McGee 120 Elick Leasson 121 Ed. R. Fitch 122 L. M. Maxey 123 Michael Hunt 124 N. C. Ewing 125 F. N. Paine 126 M. H. Mitchell 127 Albert Wright 128 John B. Nichols 129 Eram Price 130 N. J. Burgamer 131 John S. Jones 132 W. J. Patten 133 Higgins Bothom 134 John Z. Matthews 135 Wm. Mulky 136 Stillman Andrews137 Geo. Muer 138 Samuel Merrill 142 John A. Porter 146 J. Riddle 147 Monroe F. Matthew 148 Wm. Martin 149 Wm. L. Smith 159 Thomas E. Fristor 160 Christo. Estell 163 John H. Birch 164 John Lothing 166 William Cirtly 178 J. W. Liftwick 179 R. F. Dunwiddie 180 William Foster 181 John J. Simmons 182 Samuel M. Salter 183 Jos. M. McDowell 184 John Gallagher 185 F. M. Tucker 186 Jas. F. Robertson 187 Iron Hunter 188 Thomas Nelson 189 Alfred McDaniels 190 John Speer 191 Thomas Stark 192 Newton Mallary 193 G. H. Gordon 194 John J. Holliday 195 Isaac A. Luaddy 196 J. J. Hickison 197 Jas. E. Corbitt 198 Jas. R. Anderson 199 Robert Nelson 200 Thomas Shelby 201 202 Bosely Powers 209 Reuben F. Humes 213 W. Goode 216 Marshall W. Houston 219 James H. Lynch 225 John F. Houston 226 L. N. Pile 228 E. R. Barnet 230 John Lee 231 Rudolph A. Manger 238 Jas. G. Moore 240 Michael Groogon 241 R. Caskins 242 M. D. Ramsay 243 Peter Spenakle 244 Anderson Hadley 245 Jas. H. Moore 246 E. J. Lanchart 247 George W. Carr 248 Henry C. Ferrimar 249 E. P. Armstrong 250 John Runell, 251 C. T. Wood 252 Charles Smith 253 L. H. Ballew 254 Clifton Tonley 255 William Grinon 256 N. Grant 257 Berryman Brown 258 Thomas J. Murray 259 Samuel Drysler 260 J. Walker 261 262 John Belt 263 L. R. Swader 264 H. N. Bent 265 John Sims 266 Henry M. Powell 267 Thomas Field 268 Jos. Roberts 269 Daniel W. Roberts 270 J. L. Jenkins |
