"SECT. 1. Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Assembly of Kansas, That every person, bond or free, who shall be convicted of raising a rebellion or insurrection of slaves, free negroes or mulattoes, in this territory, shall suffer DEATH.
"SECT. 2. Every free person, who shall aid or assist in any rebellion or insurrection of slaves, free negroes or mulattoes, or shall furnish arms, or do any other act in furtherance of such rebellion or insurrection, shall suffer DEATH.
"SECT. 3. If any free person shall, by speaking, writing, or printing, advise, persuade or induce any slaves to rebel, conspire against, or murder any citizen of the territory, or shall bring into print, write, publish, or circulate, or cause to be brought into, written, printed, published, or circulated, or shall, knowingly, aid or assist in the bringing into printing, writing, publishing, or circulating in the territory, any book, paper, magazine, pamphlet, or circular, for the purpose of exciting insurrection, rebellion, revolt, or conspiracy, on the part of the slaves, free negroes or mulattoes, against the citizens of the territory, or any part of them, such person shall suffer DEATH.
"SECT. 4. If any person shall entice, decoy, or carry away out of this territory any slave belonging to another, with the intent to deprive the owner thereof of the services of such slave, he shall be adjudged guilty of grand larceny, and, on conviction thereof, shall suffer DEATH, or be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than ten years.
"SECT. 5. If any person aid or assist in enticing, decoying, or persuading, or carrying away, or sending out of this territory, any slave belonging to another, with the intent to procure or effect the freedom of such slave, or deprive the owners thereof of the services of such slave, he shall be adjudged guilty of grand larceny, and, on conviction thereof, shall suffer DEATH, or be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than ten years,
"SECT. 6. If any person shall entice, decoy, or carry away, out of any state or other territory of the United States, any slave belonging to another, with intent to procure or effect the freedom of such slave, or to deprive the owner thereof of the services of such slave, and shall bring such slave into this territory, he shall be adjudged guilty of grand larceny, in the same manner as if such slave had been enticed, decoyed, or carried away out of this territory; and, in such case, the larceny may be charged to have been committed in any county of the territory, into or through which such slave shall have been brought by such person, and, on conviction thereof, the person offending, shall suffer death, or be imprisoned at hard labor for not less than ten years.
"SECT. 7. If any person shall entice, persuade, or induce any slave to escape from the service of his master or owner, in this territory, or shall aid or assist any slave in escaping from the service of his master or owner, or shall assist, harbor, or conceal any slave in escaping from the services of his master or owner, he shall be deemed guilty of a felony, and punished by imprisonment at hard labor for not less than ten years.
"SECT. 8. If any person in this territory shall aid or assist, harbor or conceal any slave who has escaped from the services of his master or owner, in another state or territory, such person shall be punished in like manner as if such slave had escaped from the service of his owner or master in this territory.
"SECT. 9. If any person shall resist any officer while attempting to arrest any slave that may have escaped from the service of his master or owner, or shall rescue such slave when in the custody of any officer, or other person, or shall entice, persuade, aid or assist such slave to escape from the custody of any officer or other person who may have such slave in custody, whether such slave may have escaped from the service of his master or owner in this territory, or in any other state or territory, the person so offending shall be guilty of felony, and punished by imprisonment at hard labor for a term of not less than two years.
"SECT. 10. If any marshal, sheriff, or constable, or the deputy of any such officers, shall, when required by any person, refuse to aid or assist in the arrest and capture of any slave that may have escaped from his master or owner, whether such slave shall have escaped from his master in this territory, or any state, or other territory, such officer shall be fined in a sum of not less than one hundred nor more than five hundred dollars.
"SECT. 11. If any person print, write, introduce into, or circulate, or cause to be brought into, written, printed, or circulated, or shall knowingly aid or assist in bringing into, printing, publishing or circulating within this territory, any book, paper, pamphlet, magazine, handbill, or circular containing any statements, arguments, opinions, sentiment, doctrine, advice, or innuendo, calculated to produce a disorderly, dangerous, or rebellious disaffection among the slaves of the territory, or to induce such slaves to escape from the service of their masters, or to resist their authority, he shall be guilty of felony, and be punished by imprisonment at hard labor for a term not less than five years.
"SECT. 12. If any free person, by speaking or writing, assert or maintain that persons have not the right to hold slaves in this territory, or shall introduce into this territory, print, publish, write, circulate, or cause to be introduced into the territory, written, printed, published, and circulated in this territory any book, paper, magazine, pamphlet, or circular, containing any denial of the right of persons to hold slaves in this territory, such person shall be deemed guilty of felony, and punished by imprisonment at hard labor for a term of not less than two years.
"SECT. 13. No person who is conscientiously opposed to holding slaves, or who does not admit the right to hold slaves in this territory, shall sit as a juror on the trial of any prosecution for any violation of any of the sections of this act.
"This act to take effect and be in force from and after the 15th day of September, A. D. 1855.
"J. H. STRINGFELLOW, Speaker of the House.
"Attest, J. M. LYLE, Clerk.
"THOMAS JOHNSON, President of the Council.
"Attest, J. A. HALDAMEN, Clerk."
Source: William Phillips, The Conquest of Kansas by Missouri and Her Allies. Boston: Phillips, Sampson, and Company, 1856. pp. 104-7.
