Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-11-04
JOAN BRowS or KANSAS.


~, has, for the greater part of his life, resided
IN this eoAnty, and has quite a number Of reiar
tives and connections still resident here. 1t is
perbsps doe to our readers, that we should fur
nish esketeho Of his life and character, such as
we can gathefs from many who have known
him weiLvEHe was the oldest son OF owen
Brown of Hudson ; was born in LItchileid,
Couhecsiea1 probably in 1896; removed with
his father to Hudson in 1895 Or 8, the precise
year suuknown, He resided there until about
1921. when be removed to Richlaud township.
Crawford Co.. Pa. Here he was engaged in
the tanaina business. About 1881 or 1892, he
pemoysd 10 franklin Mills, Portage county,
and In thadsgso of " lot speculutions embark
cd his aneans in real estate aud lots at fame.
prices the result of which speeulations was IN
Srtdnates
Thence be removed TO Hudson, as early at
least - 1910. and lived there some three wears
engaged IN farming and tanning, and afterwards
In the sheep business, with Captain IL. Ovlati.
of Rieh6eld. Thence he removed to the ives
tern part Of this 4Poriage) township. and for
several years was engaged with Col. S. Per-
kius in the sheep business. Thence he went
to Springfield, Mass, where with others, he es-
tabiished a large wool depot, as the intermedi-
ate factor between the grower and manufactu-
rer. He removed from there to North Eiba,
Essex county, n Y. where he acquired a farm,
by purehase or gift, from Gerrit Smith. After
this, 90 weEare told, he again came back with
his family to Akron. and still again returned
withsthem to Essex county. His wife and sew
eral ehiidren reside there at this time.
In the fall of 1854, three of his sons went
10 Kansas, Owen, Frederick and Salmon, ia
king with them a herd of Devon cattle, inten-
ding ~tossettle there, as cattle breeders and gra-
sierss They fecated at a point about eight
miles vest of the village or settlement of o.
sawattomfe. In. the spring of 1853. two other
Sons, Jghn aHd Jason, older brothers, went and
iatef In the season., Oliver also removed to
Kansas. z v
The brothers were all Free State men in
opinieDs bat renaoying there with the intention
of settling there, went without arms They
wereharrassed. plnndered, threatened and in
sulteddby gangs of ~marauding border r~dfians,
with whom probably the prime object was
plunder, and noisy pro-slavery partizanship
was equivalent to a free charter to do so with
impnnity. The Browns, wrote to their ia
ther.zEequesting him to procure such arms as
might enable them, to some degree to protect
themselves, and to come To Kansas. In Octo-
be ,sI855, John Brown, having collected arms
by contribution and otherwise, went TO Kan
saS- Givi1 war was in fact raging. Under the
name of a lac and order" gangs of ~rufians
went through the Territory sackiag the cabins
and ravaging the fields of Free State settlers,
abusing all, and numbering here and there one
who might be refractory enough to dispute
their demands. John Browns arrival was
most timely. He had the weapons of de
fence, and not only a perfect knowledge of their
uses hu tauneemnen boldness, tact and strategic
skilEaiIf xaar as
*sAaF 51s y
Some of our readers may remember that in
Decamber, la56, John Brown addressed a
q huge bowie-knife, some eighteen inches long,
taken from Captain II. Clay Pate, at Black
Jack ~.s aaa
This affair shows as well perhaps. as any
other, Browns indomitable energy and adroit-
ness in such a warfare. One Incident of this
fight is worth narratiug, Fred Brown, one of
his sons, was subject to periodical paroxysms
Of insanity, and at the time, was rather deliri-
Gus. He, with another, was left in charge Of
the party's horses in the rear. at some distance
from the fight.
Hearing the firing. Fred. became excited,
seized an old artillery sword, mounted a horse
and rode literally into the midst of the fight,
between the combatants. who were firing from
covert. He holrished his sword, shouted
=" eeme Oh , the sword of the Lord and of Glide
- ~ - z4AB Lii =. ~ -,
HeyRas fred at, and the balls cut the name of
his horse, his saddle, and clothing, but he was
untouched. Fred's insane freak I" struck more
terror to the souls of Pate's men, than even
his fathers sharp shooting force beneath the
xbauk, aud induced the final surrender.
s-sE*
Brown has remained in Kansas most of the
time, we believe, until the last Spring, ecca-
sionally visiting Ohio and the East. The last
adventure of his was, so far as we know, con-
Quoting a band of Fugitive slaves to Canada,
until his final insane movement at Harper's
FeEryss5 oa+ -
Abeat the 23d of Jnne last, he was in Ak
rons with two of his sons, Owen and Oliver,
aud perhaps one or two Others of his followers
IN this strange enterprise. Another son, Wat
son, who was killed in the Arsenal, appears to
have joined after he left here. In answer to
enquiries while here, Brown said in substance,
that " he did moi know what he should do
that he was the instrument i'll the hands of
Providence for effecting the overthrow of sa-
very, aud expected to fulfill the mission to
which he was cal!ed-that he might go to New
Mexico, or perhaps return to Kansas To no
person here, SO far rs we can ascertain. or have
the slightest reason to conjecture. did he con-
6de any thing of his purposes, if he entertain
ed such a project rs that he attempted. Pros
baby his son, resident in Coplev. a faithful
aud worthy citizen, was as much astounded ut
learning that he was the leader OF insurgents at
Harperis Ferry, as any one of our zcitizens.-
He utterly discredited the early reports until
confirmed past the possibility of doubt.
In one point of view, this may he regarded
os an obituary notice of John Brown. Those
who knew him hero, will = see bis face no
more" His career has doubtless ended. We
desire to do him that justice which we think
he never, according to his own idea of right,
denied to friend or foe.
No person can look at the project of the
late Instruction in connection with John
Browns character, without being convinced
that he is, upon Slavery, something more than
a fanatic-a man insane upon one subject or
upon a class of subjects. The idea that he is
counected. in this mad enterprise with others.
besides the few that were with him. is ridicu-
Ions. Its every step marks the undertaking as
not simply fool-hardy, but the scheme of one
who had brooded over his wrongs, and became
wrought to madness. Purity 81 l,ignity, ever
ready to criminate opponents, can make moth
ing else of this lunatic instruction.
In SCOTS novel, odd Mortality" the char
actar of John BaIfour of Rurley.' 30 STRONGLY