James Abbott, a free state activist who participated in several Kansas Territory conflicts (including the rescues of John Doy and Jacob Branson), wrote this account of the 1855 rescue of Jacob Branson. In his account, Sheriff Jones, supported by the proslavery "bogus" legislature, had arrested Jacob Branson, a free state man who witnessed the murder of Charles W. Dow by Franklin Coleman, a proslavery neighbor. Abbott and his cohorts successfully rescued Branson, although their actions were controversial even among fellow free state supporters. Certain aspects of Abbott's account of these events disagreed with an earlier account provided by Samuel Wood, and Abbott addressed those discrepancies in this document. [Abbott's account, obtained either by handwritten manuscript or personal interview, is presented here as an annotated typed transcript.]
Creator: Abbott, James B., 1818-1897
Date: Between 1855 and 1860
Item Number: 6902
Call Number: James Abbott Coll. #252 Box 2 Folder 6
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 6902
Collections - Manuscript - Abbott, James
Date - 1854-1860
Government and Politics - Federal Government - Federal agencies and programs - Policies and programs - Land
Government and Politics - Reform and Protest - Antislavery
Government and Politics - Reform and Protest - Pro-Slavery
Government and Politics - Territorial Government - Political parties - Free State
Military - Service - Militias
Military - Wars - Bleeding Kansas
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Reminiscence
People - Notable Kansans - Abbott, James Burnett, 1818-1897
People - Notable Kansans - Abbott, Mrs. James Burnett
People - Notable Kansans - Jones, Samuel J.
People - Notable Kansans - Robinson, Charles, 1818-1894
People - Notable Kansans - Tappan, Samuel Forster
People - Notable Kansans - Wood, S. N. (Samuel Newitt)
Places - Cities and towns - Big Springs
Places - Cities and towns - Lawrence
Places - Counties - Douglas
Thematic Time Period - Bleeding Kansas, 1854-1861
Type of Material - Unpublished documents - Reminiscences and Memoirs
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/6902
