Pottawatomie Massacre.—This tragedy occurred on the night of May 24, 1856, near the place called Dutch Henry's crossing on Pottawatomie creek in Franklin county. Five men were killed, and it would have been regarded as ordinary murder had it been ordinary times, but it was in a new country, at a time when civil war practically existed in the border counties of Kansas. Early in 1855 the five sons of John Brown came to Kansas and settled on the north side of the Pottawatomie, about 2 miles southwest of the present town of Lane. Between the Pottawatomie and Mosquito creeks was a pro-slavery settlement, just north, between the Mosquito and Marais des Cygnes, was a free-state settlement, while south of the Pottawatomie was a mixed complexion of politics. The Browns lived right in the heart of the pro-slavery element.

Among the pro-slavery men were Allen Wilkinson, who kept the postoffice; James P. Doyle, who took up a claim north of the Pottawatomie in the fall of 1854; Henry and William Sherman, who settled on an abandoned Indian farm at the ford of the creek, which became known as Dutch Henry's crossing. Some of the free-state men regarded Wilkinson, Doyle and the Shermans as harmless pro-slavery men, but as the first had been elected by fraud and violence to a legislature where he voted for a black code; the second had his sons, William and Drury, keep free-state men from the polls by force, and the Shermans entertained lawless invaders, this view was not held by all.

On May 21, 1856, the Pottawatomie Rifles were called together, when it was heard that an attack was to be made on Lawrence, for the purpose of going to the defense of the town. On the way they learned that Lawrence had been destroyed and were in camp when, according to the narrative of James Towsley, one of the eye-witnesses, news was brought that an attack was expected on the Pottawatomie. Owen Brown, and later John Brown, asked Towsley to take a party down there to watch what was going on. The party consisted of John Brown, his four sons—Frederick, Oliver, Owen and Watson—his son-in-law, Henry Thompson, Theodore Weiner and James Towsley. They left Shore's about 2 o'clock of May 23. They went into camp about a mile west of Dutch Henry's crossing and after supper John Brown revealed his plan, which was to "sweep the Pottawatomie of all pro-slavery men living on it."

Crossing the Pottawatomie and Mosquito creeks the party went north until Doyle's house was reached. Here Frederick Brown, Theodore Weiner and James Towsley stood guard in the road, while the rest went to the house. They brought out Doyle and his sons—William and Drury— and went back south across the Mosquito creek. Doyle attempted to escape and John Brown shot him. When the boys attempted to get away Brown's sons killed them with swords. The party then proceeded to Wilkinson's house and ordered him out. He had gone but a short distance with them when one of the Brown boys killed him with a sword. They then crossed the creek at Dutch Henry's and went to Sherman's, where a Mrs. Harris was preparing breakfast for Buford's men. She mistook the Brown party for them, but when she learned of the mistake she alarmed Henry Sherman and her husband. In the meantime William Sherman had been taken to the river, where he was killed with short swords and his body thrown into the stream.

When Brown started out that night he had intended to capture these men and hold a trial, but after Doyle's effort to escape the plan was changed. This massacre greatly terrified the pro-slavery settlers of Pottawatomie creek, who supposed that the whole rifle company had returned to commit the deed.