Wednesday, July 01, 2009

1856 LITTLE VALLEY, NY LETTER - KANSAS, BORDER RUFFIANISM

Letter from Charles Freeman in Little Valley [Cattaraugus County, New York], Aug. 20, 1854. to niece and nephew [Elisha Freeman.] Nearly two pages on "Bleeding Kansas".
In part:

"I sometimes wish you lived in some other state, where you could enjoy freedom of speech, although I rejoice that there are so many in St. Louis that do not go with Border Ruffianism.";
"...the whole world appears to be in commotion. Look at Congress. There is much more excitement, knock down and murder, than anything that is good. Look at California, all confusion murder & hanging - What does all this mean..."
"One thing I verily believe, which is, that God is about to bring this human curse called slavery to a crisis, for although I live in Cattaraugus, yet we have papers giving inteligence...and my observations teaches me this, that every move which of late the South are making, is completely calculated to cut their own throats...there is hardly a Northern State, that has not sons...which have fell marters to freedom, by the hand of those cursed Border Ruffians and their blood begins to cry to us, from Kansas..."

This interesting letter is for sale on Ebay Item number: 230351915550.

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