The Bedford Gazette

Lane's Men Turned Robbers in Kansas.

The following is an extract from a letter to a mercantile house in St. Louis:

Fort Scott, April 28, 1858.

The difficulties here are far worse than they have been. On the 21st a party of Lane's men commenced robbing the citizens on the Marmiton river, only eight miles above our town, taking their horses and guns, and plundering their houses of everything of value, in daylight. One of them came to town, and, on affidavit, a writ was obtained from Judge Williams against the thieves. This was placed in the hands of United States Deputy Marshal Little, who, with Capt. Anderson, and twenty men of his company as a posse, proceeded to arrest them. They came in sight of them about eight miles from this place, on the high prairie, and pursued them about one and a half miles to timber. They then took their position in a place which it was dangerous to approach. They waited until the Marshal's party reached within about 40 yards, when, without a word being said, they fired upon the advancing party, and kept up firing, wounding Capt. Anderson slightly, and shooting his horse in three places—killing one of the soldiers and one horse dead, and wounding a third horse. The troops were only armed with pistols and sabres, but they wounded three of the banditti. A charge could not be made upon them, as there was a creek with high banks between the parties. The Marshal's party then fell back, and sent a messenger after more men and guns, but before they arrived the robbers had fled through the brush. The Marshal captured about $1,000 worth of property that had been stolen from the citizens, in horses, buggies, &c. Eight men have been shot before this. In consequence of these difficulties business is at a stand still in this county: most of the good men have been run out by this party, and our town is threatened. Two companies United States cavalry are here, but they say they do not fear these troops, as they can whip them out. An appeal has been made to the Governor to declare martial law in this part of the Territory.