Personal Recollections of Pardee ButlerButler, Pardee
Religion
Personal Recollections of Pardee Butler
Butler, Pardee
Kansas -- History -- 1854-1861
He immediately started, and looking in vain for anything
that resembled a prison, he approached two men who were
enjoying themselves with a game of quoits.
"Can you tell me," he inquired, "where the prison is where
these robbers and murderers are confined?"
"That's it," said one of the men, pointing to a house near
at hand.
"What! that old building, falling to pieces, without
either doors or windows?"
"That is the only prison we have here," replied the man,
deliberately pitching his quoit.
"Well," said the Southern gentleman, "I want to see these
prisoners."
"I am one of them," said the quoit-player, "and that is
another," pointing to his companion.
"What! you convicted felons? You the terrible murderers
about whom I have heard so much?"
"Yes, we are certainly two of them. The others are gone
over to the House of Representatives, to hear the members
abuse the Governor."
"But," says the old gentleman, "they don't allow convicted
murderers to go about in this way, without a guard to
watch them?"
"O! yes," says the man interrogated; "they used to send a
guard with us when we went over to the Legislative Halls,
to protect us against violence from the members, but they
found that too troublesome, so they gave each of us a
revolver and bowie-knife, and told us we should hereafter
be required to protect ourselves."
"But why don't you run away? There is nothing to prevent
you."
"Why, to tell the truth, we have often been persuaded to
do that, but then these rascally legislators have been
threatening to assassinate the Governor, and we have
determined to remain here to watch them and protect him."
The old gentleman had no desire to see any more of these
thieves, murderers and assassins.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account