This page contains the "This Month in Legal History"
column as published in the current Douglas County Law Library E-Mail
Newsletter. The column features a different event from the history of
law and jurisprudence of Douglas County, Kansas, that occurred during
the month. It is published monthly in the Douglas County Law Library
E-Mail Newsletter and on the Home page of this website.
Archived entries from this and previous years can be accessed by
visiting the This
Month in Legal History Archive page on this website.
July 1865
- Raiders attack black citizens in Lawrence, Kansas.
On Wednesday, July 19, 1865, George McGee, a black resident of
Lawrence, Kansas, was at home in his house on Winthrop Street in the
eastern part of town when a gang of armed men showed up. The gang
smashed in a window and used it to gain entrance into the house. One of
the raiders held a cocked pistol to Mr. McGee's head while the rest of
the eight or ten men proceeded to ransack the house for whatever they
could carry off. The raiders smashed dishes, furniture, and the stove
before they finally left. In a newspaper article published in the Kansas
Daily Tribune two days following the raid, a Major Thompson,
apparently commander of the military post in Lawrence, was reported as
having arrested some of the raiders. Following the raid on the McGee
home, it was reported that threats had been made against all the black
families living on the east side of town, and that "Learning this, the
colored men determined to protect themselves and families, to the
utmost of their ability." Then, between 11:00 PM and midnight on July
21st, a gang of approximately 20 white men descended on the boarding
house that a Mrs. Baker ran for blacks in the southeastern part of
Lawrence. The gang kicked in the door and demanded that all of the
weapons in the house be turned over to them. They said that they were
the Provost Guard, a military police detachment, and "had orders to
take all the arms from the colored people." One of the male residents
refused, saying, "I'll see you in Hell first." He grabbed his gun,
jumped through an open window, and ran off to alarm the neighbors.
Meanwhile, the men of the bogus Provost Guard forced their way into the
boarding house. The man who had escaped through the window quickly
returned with thirteen of his black friends, and a "rough-and-tumble"
fight broke out. One of the raiders was hit with a musket and severely
injured. The raiders retreated, and as they did, several of the
defenders shot at them as they went. There were no reports of anyone
being hit by the fire. One of the raiders was arrested and jailed on
the morning of the 22nd. In reporting on the incident, the newspaper
observed that, "The colored men of the city are united and resolute,
and we are of the opinion that if another assault like this is made
upon them, the ruffians will not fare so well."
From: Kansas Daily Tribune, v. 2:194 (July 21, 1865), p. 3; and, ibid,
v. 2:196 (July 23, 1865), p. 3.
