At dinner, at the house of Bro.  Hartman, was also Dr. Oliphant, father of the Bro.  Oliphant with whom I had lodged.  He was a brusque, blunt-spoken, honest, anti-slavery Northern Methodist preacher.  He said bluntly at the table:  “Well, Mr. Butler, they treated you rather roughly at At-Atchison, did they not?” I said, “Yes—­” attempted to say more, broke down and left the table, and went out of the house.  My heart was not as hard here, among sympathizing friends, as it had been the day before, when I had to face a raging mob.  When I returned no mother could be more tender seeking out the hurt of her boy bruised in a rough encounter with his fellows, than was Oliver Steele.  He would hear the whole story, sighed over these “evil days,” and listened with approval to the vindication I made of the purposes of the free State men.  How many men that, through a sense of bitter wrong, are in danger to become desperate, could be won to a better temper the world has never fully tried.

The news of what had been done at Atchison flew like wild-fire through the country.  This proved the last feather that broke the camel’s back.  It became apparent that the country was full of men that were ready to fight.  As for my friend Caleb May, he went into Atchison and said:  “I am a free State man:  now raft me!” As no one seemed inclined to undertake that job, he faithfully promised them that if there was any more of that business done he would go over into Missouri and raise a company of men and clean out the town.

Meantime my friends at Port William provided means to send me down to Weston, there to take the steamboat Polar Star, bound for St. Louis.  “Boycotting” was a word unknown to the English language at that time; and yet I was “boycotted” on board the steamboat.  I heard nothing—­not a word; and yet I could feel it.  I had hoped to be a total stranger, but it was evident I was not, and the most comfort I could find was to keep my state-room, and employ my time writ ing out the appeal I intended to make to the people, through the Missouri Democrat, published in St. Louis.  At length my work was done, and yet we were only half way to St. Louis.  The reader will believe that my reflections were not cheerful.  What would become of myself?  What would become of my wife and children?  What would become of Kansas, or of the United States?

At Jefferson City a man had come aboard of the boat who seemed almost as much alone as myself.  Still the captain and officers of the boat paid him marked attention.  One thing I noticed, he abounded in newspapers, and I wanted something to read that should save me from my own reflections.  I ventured to ask him for the loan of some of his papers; then when I returned them he went to his trunk and took out a book of travels and gave it to me, saying:  “Take that, please.  It will amuse you.”  At length we could see the smoke of the city of St. Louis, and I gave back to this stranger the book he had loaned me.  He said:  “No, thank you.”  I was startled, and said with some surprise:  “I do not know why you should do this to a stranger.”  He laughed and said:  “You are not so much a stranger as you think.  Your name is Butler, is it not?”