(Note: Julian’s writing is in quotes, followed by Kemper Kimberlin’s comments, not in quotes. For permission to publish any of this material please contact Kemper Kimberlin.)
I did find a document entitlled, THE KIMBERLINS IN THE
1860s written by J.N. Kimberlin, "a soldier under Charles
W. Quantrill". It is quite long, but the opening sentence
says, "The author of this sketch was born in Washington
County, Kentucky, 18 December, 1846. In 1852 the father
moved with his family to Jackson County Missouri."
Later in the document, J.N. says, "In 1856 we first heard of
old John Brown. He did not then molest the freighters, for
they were well armed. He sent his jayhawkers into the State
of Missouri, where most of his depredations were made - in
Jackson, Cass, and the counties bordering the Missouri and
Kansas line."
"Just prior to the beginning of the war of the states,
Charles Quantrill and an older brother started from
Leavenworth, Kansas for the reported gold mines at Pike's
Peak. On their second night out, after they had encamped and
had fallen asleep, a band of jayhawkers fired upon them,
killing the elder brother and seriously wounding Charles.
They then robbed them of everything they possessed and left
both for dead. Charles was rescued by a Kaw Indian and taken
to his tepee and nursed back to life and health, after which
young Quantrill taught school near Fort Scott under an
assumed name, being ever watchful for an opportunity to
avenge the death of his brother."
He goes on to tell about how the jayhawker tactics evolved,
tells about Charles Quantrill and his brother being robbed
and shot (on their way to the gold fields in CA), and how a
Kaw Indian nursed him back to health...he had been left for
dead. He tells about how Charles joined Jim Lane's band of
jayhawkers in order to extract revenge, killing eighteen of
the men who had murdered his brother and had wounded him.
The story is interesting about how he got into the unit and
went undetected. This involved a man named Walker...perhaps
this is the Walker incident you are speaking of! Some of the
guys Charles killed were at the Waker farm.
J.N. says he assisted in the burying of the dead, which was
about three miles from his own home. The dead being the
jayhawkers that were tricked into the Walker home. I figured
that since J.N. helped bury some of the dead jayhawkers, and
it was three miles from his house (near the Walker farm), he
most likely was involved in this mess some how. He describes
with great detail the layout of the house, how the
jayhawkers were killed and wounded, and the details of the
scheme, which began about 8 p.m. Apparently one died at the
scene, one was injured, one unharmed (a man with black
whiskers who seemed to do the talking), but were caught and
killed the next day.
In another document, he says, "My father and four brothers
went out early in the defense of the South. I was too young
at that time, but remained at the home and did all that I
was able to for Quantrill. Father was severely wounded...."
he goes on to tell about how his father came home to heal (I
was under the impression that R.S. I had one leg, which was
perhaps not war related, but was definitely a southern
sympathizer and slave owner), was tricked by a neighbor
named Massey, sent by a Colonel Pennock, to come to town and
sign a paper saying he would not take up arms against the
Union. When he did, he was arrested, taken to his own barn
and was hanged in front of his wife and the younger children
on Sept. 2, 1862. The home was stripped, as was the barn,
then the home, barn and rail fencing was all burned to the
ground. This was done by Pennock's men (possibly Pennick).
These accounts are 5 single spaced typed pages, including
the Walker farm incident.