2

Military Defence of Quincy.

The fate of Lawrence should teach the people of Quincy a lesson of caution. Safety lies in providing against danger.

Quantrill had men in every hotel, and circulating amongst the people of Lawrence, for days and weeks before he appeared. Capt. Hunt, stationed at Fort Leavenworth, heard rumors of a raid on Lawrence, marched there in the night a fortnight before it happened. The citizens laughed and ridiculed the idea of being protected by U. S. troops. They had their organized forces, belonging to the city, and arms and armories. He told the writer that he felt so provoked at his reception that he limbered up and returned. Hence the Lawrence raid and slaughter.

I have full confidence in the Mayor; and believe that he will listen to the counsels of the reliable men of Quincy, who have much at stake. The writer of this has as much at risk in Quincy as any other citizen, for he has wife and children and all his property here.

We ought to have organization and arms. The ferry boats should be detained on this side of the river, every night, and a small guard for the sake of alarm, should be set.

It is not safe to deposit the arms of the city in one place. They should be in the hands of an organized force of citizens. Signals agreed upon and understood, should be ready to be given at a moment's warning, and instant measures should be taken thus to secure ourselves from the posibility of massacre and destruction.

There are several significant facts that can be told, and some that cannot be disclosed, that should urge the people of Quincy by preparation to prevent traitors, guerrillas and murderers from accomplishing their damnable plans that they have meditated with more or less hope for the last three years.

It has been more than hinted that rebels in small squads and parties have been coming up from the South and from Canada into Illinois and hiding themselves in our larger cities for purposes of mischief. It is known that a million and a half of dollars has been lately subscribed in Richmond to organize a band of fiends to fire our cities in the North. Three hundred guerrillas, in different parties, have been known to be within twenty-four hours ride of Quincy within three days. Rosecrans has sent troops to Hannibal, and would have sent them to Quincy, but it is out of his Department. It is too much to ask the Mayor to take the responsibility of the defence of Quincy, without the men whose interests are in jeopardy give him their hearty and loyal assistance. People may cry "peace" the sake of lulling us all into security and sleep, but there is real danger, and hundreds of Missourians of rebel proclivities have obtained arms and ammunition secretly from Illinois within a few months. There are things besides what Government detectives have secretly developed, that indicate that the programme of the Richmond rebels is being carried out, which is to make rapid and death-dealing blows upon Northern cities.