Daily Chat 21/08/09

Ooops! Bit late today -- sorry. In 1770 James Cook claimed eastern Australia for Great Britain. In 1851, Tlingit destroyed Fort Selkirk, Yukon Territory. And in 1863, Confederate guerilla William Quantrill led a raid on the town of Lawrence, Kansas. More than 200 people were killed. I have a personal connection to this event. My great-great-great grandfather, William Franklin Treakle was a farmer in Cass County, Missouri, on the Missouri-Kansas border. About a week before Quantrill's raid, he overheard some of Quantrill's men discussing the plans. At the age of 85, he walked the 35 miles to the US army garrison at Lawrence to warn them about the raid. The Union soldiers there ignored his warning and didn't request additional troops or take any precautions against the raid. When Quantrill's men found out that my ancestor had tried to warn the Union troops, they killed him.

Celebrating birthdays today: Kenny Rogers, Peter Weir, Mamadou Diallo and Usain Bolt. The Orthodox Church observes the feast of St. Thaddeus today.