, 1859-11-21
4 Personal Interview with Captain
HfoxYnsA Wife,

AAHSt AENU4uk VI u PEEHbAdl 1H&EF]IEN JH3l EFE-
ming with Mrs. Mary brown, wife Of Cnpt. john
Drowa, nov uadcr sentence Of death in Virgil
nia Tor having brnrcly failed in brave deed
nm scarcely at liberty 70 mention at what
rlace Mrs. Brown has lately been staying, or
whose hospitality shc has been sharinE. ! may
say, however, that after her return from Balti-
more, where she WIS stopped on her half made
journey to her hasbaad, she has been the guest
Of family residing iu Que Of tile most beautiful
regions Of neighboring state, who hare proved
Kind friends mol on!x to herself but
to ler husband, with her son, who already made
n visit TO Capt Brown in his prison at Charles
town since his sentence Of death. Mrs. Browns
stay with these friends terminated this morn.
ing. She is now on ler way to Philadelphia,
to meet Mr. Sennots, the counsel for her bus
lands defence.
conversed with her during the entire eve.
niDE. But only ten miuutea' acquaintance il
enough to show that she is woman worthy to
and muscular, giving the impression ut first
sight OF franc capable Of grca: strength and
long endurance. Her face Is ge4re aud thoughi-
1nl wearing, &xsn ia this ho1r -af her trial, au
expression Of soherncss rather than Ct sadness,
a. If. like her husband she had long snce leatt,-
cd how to snner and be calm: Her 1nnnner is
singularly quiet and retiring, although tlcr natu-
raj simplicity md 1nodesty canuot hide the evi-
dent force Of character, and strength Of will
and judgment, which hare fitted her 50 long 10
be u counsellor in her husbands enterprises and
4 supporter in hia trials.
She is q natiEe Of Whitehall, near Lake Cham
plain, and has been the mother Of thirteen chill
drcn but Notwithstanding Tue carcs of hcr nn-
merous famit5, and her many prirations and
struggles independent Gf honsehold burdens,
she aiil appears MS fresh md bale as if she were
only now IN the prime and rigoE Of life.
his LONG xEn17A7En bEsfGS.
referred incidentally to the design upon
nnrper's Ferry as having been premeditated for
''Not for two yenrs but for twenty1 1ie had
been whiting twenty ycars for some opportuai-
TT 10 free tic slaves: We had al! been waiting
with lin, the proper tine wien he should put
his resolve into action, and when at last the
enterprise Of 1iarper's Ferry was planned, We
although that the time had now come Mr.
browu was sapguinc Of success We al were
equally confident; he Ind no idea, nor did any
Of Tie family, that the experiment wonld result
i'll defeat; we all looked 10 it as fulfilling the
hopes Of many years ~
is | listened to this. could not help halfex-
claiming. "Whnt heroic words: What mani
What wonlan.'
after they were uttered, and rs repeated tham
she added
For lie has borne tue yoke Of the oppressed
as it upon his own beck for these thirty years :"
She made sereral nnd repeated references TO
various newspaper accounts in which beF hus~
band's character had been misrepreseuted. She
Ind bern painea to sec him described us cruel
man, for, US she said, +'No nun ever had kind
CT heart. lie is generous by nature. He has
always aimed to impress his fa1nily with spirit
Of benevoieuce, liz has ntways taught his chill
drcn to he nnsel6sh; to act always for others
before netting for themselves. His sympatllies
for The poor and the oppressed have always
inquired a. to his habit Of carrying fire.
arms about Ills person. She suid that since the
many threats upon bis life during and since Ills
efforts in Kansas, he had carried ureyolser, hut
ncrer before.
Is lie IxsAxE.
then put the question which had been
chiefly solicited to ask: ut is the common
talk of tue newspapers that Capt. Brown is in
sane; what do you say to TINT opinion"
ty, until read it in the newspapers. He is a
clcas~lleaaed 1nan. lie has always been, and
now is, entirely in his right mind. He is al
ways cool, deliberate, and never oyer-husty
| hut he 1as always considered that his tirst per
| ccrtious Of duty, and his first Impulses to &C
ton, were the best, and the safest to be follow
ed. lie has almost alwaJ acted upon lis frs
suggestions. No. he is not insane. Ills rcasor
is clenr Ills last act Was the result 8s all hi.
| other acts hare been, Of lifs truest nn1 strobg
| est conscientious conyictious."
Alter these statements, supported u they ar
BY other aud abundant evldcucc, how can an
,nan believe TINT Capt. Brown is insane? lii
project ia easily characterized as mad, az m,
other during aud hazardous exploit is apt to b
Called particularly alter it Is seen to have talsed
But the attempt for the delivery Of tic Virgin
slaves did not seem rasf to Capt. brown, or t
bis confedcrates, and, if it had been successn
| would never hare seemed crazy ercn to tb
l 1nfr 1trnNu$N 1nEAHifK
ply JOHN Brown's failure.
| HIS RECENT LETTERS TO MRS. GRpwS.
I.uay mention that saw last evening lettt
from Capt. brown to his wife. dated Sosembf
Sth: aud brought away by the lady who visltc
him at Chnrlestown. This letter is too prlTAt
| and. might almost Say, too sacred to be expo
| cd ID print to every eye. Mrs. Brown 10 un"1
ling that il should be made public, both for b'
| owu sake aud her husbands. But l violate n
confidence in saying thnt this letter, written
| prison, is no less remarkable thnn the usemor,
bic speech delivered in court. 1t breaIhes Il
samc heroic spirit; it expresses the sy1ne COZ
scieniious conviction Of the rightfulness of
undertaking; it exhibits throughout tae san
unwayeriug courage, and the sumo strong full
! in God. To the many oye1i 1iowlnE e exPress!ol
OF Ills sympathy for his wife aud children, Eiv!
III this letter, do not feel at liberty TO ulfud
further than to say TINT they nre rs wnru1.
tender, and n delicate as erer were written
/ = husband to wife. They prove that his de-
| cacy is equal TO his courage, and that his hc1
is not only as bfare rs a 1'ero's, but as tender
| Guilds,
During the evening another letter cana dire
from the prison, dated Nor. 10Th. This fre
message wns bsie,er than the other, but OF
9 | same character aud in the same spirit.
THE VISIT TO GAIT. nRoavS IN PRISON.
The lads whose visit to Chnrlestown has he
: elresdy mentioned, went there chiefly to ass
!, | Mrs. Lydia Mar1a Child, whom, she expected
meet in ,bc prison; but Is Capt. DFown h
meanwhile written to Mrs Child not to conc,
G | new volunteer nurse found herself IN ent
stranger iexecpt to her son, who acconapan
her,t iu community not over disposed to
! hospitable 10 Strangers She arTiEcd at Charl
:: town soon altcr Capt browns speech in eou
Il | She spent more than Two days i'll vain entEeSt
d. with the Shrril' to secnIe admission to the
Hearing that Capt. Brown, whom she had
II formed Of her arrival. was M 1ious to sce
IA and not being wiling to take the Sheriff 3 SD
;, answer ai,er i,cr Ions Journey, solicited
>'enno,t's aid, wbu, at last persuaded the jut
n to grant permit Of entrance.
: She refers to the visit ia the jail as Ont
touching interest. She obtained two interrie
:" the first Of IN hour, and the other for shor
~ period.
Il building that Seems to hare been formerly Il
as dwelling lonse. Capt. Brown MAS occu
ins, with his fellow prisoner Stephens, re
on tle ground floor. about sixteen feet squ'
10 opening With single door into long gals
y and jirdted through a single small wind
{. erimly defeuded b5 heayy double bars.
nf Mrs.. s., on entering, found Capt.. Ere
lying on cot. and Stephens on large dou
II bed. Capt. brown arose frona his bed to
he ceiye his guests, and stood few moments Il
h. ing sgainet the bcdstead, immediately Is
r. do~n again from weaSness' US E1saoEs y
IT. struck with the checriulness Of his express
and tue calmncss Of his manner. lie see'
not only pRss;Fe}y resigned to his fate,
more than willing 10 meet it.
. She asked him the direct question-"N
saf you actuated, in 1uy degree. in undcrtai
III your late enterprise, BY feeling Of rcsenQ
-, -addipp that common impression to tha
%. fccs bud goue abroad.
be dc manifested much surprise at ti!!s s.
"a nent, and after rausing moment fepl4ea-
@ly II nm not conscious Of ever harlng b
r. ceiling OF rerenge; 10 not In a&i the wrongs
hc to aud mr. family in kausas. But eau *ee
ea- 4 thing is wrong { and wicked: and can hel
M right Il, and csn even hope tdat those ~h<
,as the wrong may be punis''ed-and SUI nas
is. feeling Of revenge! No. hare not been
I'D n.trd by INV spirit Of rcreuge!'
in lie talked good deal about his family,
ifcstinr soticitnde for their comfort atter be
les ronr Sut expressing his great confidence
,1n Irust in Gods kind Providence in their bef
o1i. When SONIC allusion was made 10 the
Of tenee which he had receired, be said very
eld crstejy md firmly, sud II mJ friend SAYS
adj * 1 ID mol thinL ! al. attttr .trst I'll. et
sid. lofv 20 much, fhaa to de far il:
end She says that she can never forge; ths
thr pressive manuet III which be uttered these