The following brief letter appeared in the Abbeville [S.C.] Independent Press, 13 June 1856, p. 1, c. 6:

"Correspondence of the Anderson Gazette.

Leavenworth City, Kansas, May 4.
Dear Earle: I have been in this city for over two weeks, and owing to an intense excitement caused by the recent outrages of the Abolitionists at Lawrence, I have been prevented from writing you a letter. It is not my purpsoe now to write you a letter for publication. Matters here have come to an open issue of arms; the recent assassination of Jones, the Sheriff of Douglas County, while attempting to arredst S. N. Wood, and other Abolitionist thieves at Lawrence, has aroused a feeling of deep resentment in the breast of the pro-slavery men in this territory and of the "Border Ruffians." I and others have called upon Gov. Shannon and he admits that he can do nothing, that "law and order" is set at defiance; and that he is overawed. Now we intend to take matters into our own hands; thrash the Abolitionists and restore order. We ahve been organizing for two weeks, and collecting cannon, muskets and men, and now the blood will come; a blow which will cause blood to flow. Last night, I was elected First Lieutenant of a company of "Border Ruffians" and to-day we are preparing to march. Our provisions, muinitions and arms are in the wagons, and before the bright, beautiful sun which is now shining does down, we will be far on our road. Lawrence is a well fortified and well garrisoned town, amply supplied with provisions, men and arms, and before we take it, many a brave fellow will fall, and much good blood will flow. We have right, law and order upon our side, and we intend to strike this blow, as the last hope of salvation for the South. If I should survive the battle and get back here, I will edit a newspaper. A prospectus I enclose, and hope you will insert in your paper, and get me as many subscribers as possible. My copartner, Col. Goode, has gone now to purchase the press and materials, and the prospect is good here for making money out of it, and advancing the cause of the South -- contributions of money in behalf of the cause and paper will be quite acceptable. Indeed, Earle, I hope Gen. Harrison, yourself and other pro-slavery men will raise one or two hundred dollars and send on to me as soon as you can, for I ahve been palced in a somewhat prominent psoition ever since my arrival here; nothing has been thought of but battering down Lawrenceand arresting Gov. Reeder, Robinson, & Co; this we intend to do; and in preparing for this campaign expresses have been sent -- many of them I rode myself -- cannon and balls bought, provisions, powder, and teams purchased; all of which cost money, and I assure you that I ahve paid my share of it. Therefore, sustain me.

WARREN D. WILKES

There are no surviving copies of the Anderson [S.C.] Gazette of which I am aware, either in Anderson County or at South Caroliniana Library in Columbia, which has a superb archive of 19th Century South Carolina newspapers. The prospectus for the proposed newspaper, if it was published in the Gazette, was not copied in the Abbeville Independent Press. Gen. Harrison was undoubtedly Francis E. Harrison, a prominent planter of western Anderson District, S.C., who was a colonel in the S. C. Militia. I do not know who the editor of the Gazette is, other than his first name, "Earle." By June 10 Wilkes was back in South Carolina personally soliciting funds for the support of Kansas operations.