The _Parkville Luminary_ which was published in Platte county, Missouri, very mildly protested against the manner of carrying the election and spoke in friendly terms of the Free Soil settlers. The following week its office and place was destroyed by a mob and forced its editors to flee the country for their lives. The election of November 29, 1854, so incensed the Anti-Slavery element that the Free State movement was given a great impetus. A convention of Free State men at Lawrence June 8, 1855, and the Big Springs convention September 5, 1855, were the result, and from that date many other public meetings of Free State men followed. The Free State sentiment fully crystalized itself in the momentous election of October 9, 1855, following eight days after the date set by the pro-slavery legislature for an election of delegate to Congress to succeed J. W. Whitfield, who had been elected the year before. The first election in 1855 was held October 1 but was participated in only by pro-slavery men. The abstract of the poll books showed that 2,738 votes were cast in the territory and Whitfield received 2,721, of which it is only fair to say that 857 were declared illegal. In the Free State election Ex-Governor Andrew H. Reeder received 2,849 votes, of which 101 were cast in Atchison county. On the same day an election for delegates to a constitutional convention to be held at Topeka took place and R. H. Crosby, a merchant of Oceana, Atchison county, and Caleb May, a farmer, near the same place, were elected delegates. The returns of the pro-slavery election having been made according to law, the governor granted the certificate of election to Whitfield, who returned to Washington as the duly elected delegate from Kansas. The territorial executive committee, elected at the Big Springs convention, gave a certificate of election to Reeder. The Topeka constitutional convention subsequently convened October 23, 1855, and was in session until November 11. This body of Free State men framed a constitution, and among other things memorialized Congress to admit Kansas as a State. It was understood by all that the validity of the work of the convention was contingent upon the admission of Kansas as a State. Meanwhile the executive committee of Kansas Territory appointed at the Topeka primary, September 19, 1855, under the leadership of James H. Lane, continued to direct and inspire the work for a State government.