The following brief article, copied from the St. Louis Republican, appeared in the Charleston [S.C.] Daily Courier, 4 Jul 1856, p. 1, c. 4:

"The St. Louis Republican gives the following account of the murder of Mr. Gay, the agent of the Shawnee and Wyandotte Indians:

'He left Westport, in this State, in the evening, to go to his Agency, and where his family reside. He was accompanied by his son, having but one horse between them, and agreeing to "ride and tie." When one or two miles from Westport, they were met by three men who demanded who they were and what they were? [sic, .] Mr. Gay said that he was "from Michigan," and would give no other answer. Thereupon the party commenced firing upon them. The son was upon the horse and received a wound in the thigh, but made his escape by jumping over the fence into a corn field, and returning to Westport. The father was shot dead, receiving several wounds, one in the head, which proved fatal. He is said to have made a manly resistance to the attack of his murderers, but was overpowered by them. The key of his safe -- with which place of security he had been furnished by the Superintendent at this place -was found in his right hand pocket; the left hand pocket was turned inside out in the struggle. The body of Mr. Gay was buried on Monday last, but up to that time no discovery had been made of the murderers. It is said that the son could identify them, if they were brought before him."

N. B.: Whether this murder was a product of the fighting between Pro-Slavery and Free Soil forces, or was simply an act of robbery gone bad, is difficult to determine. What position did the Wyandottes and Shawnees take in the struggle in kansas, if any?