The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-12-08

1
surrounded In the full strength OF ms years
he rode into their midst unterrited BY ali tne
pomp and pride and circumstance of war that
enclosed him. So free from all anxiety was
he. that on his way he expressed his admira-
ton of the beauty of the face OF the couns
try, lit up as it was with the brightest sunshine
No word of passion or regret escaped him.
And of all that multitude, no one beheld John
| Brown standing without a tremor on the trap
waiting to be launched into the presence OF
God, but thrilled with terror, and in the fifteen
minutes that then elapsed, lived long life Of
fearful expectancy, while he stood calm and
collected.
"what stronger breastplste than hear uniainteds"
And thus it was this brave old man met his
death,
g. not like the quarry slave at night
Scourged 10 mis- dungeon, sustained and sooihed
BY an unfalterng trust, approached his end"
So ends the second act of this fearful TRACE
dy. Browns plot all must deprecate, deplore,
and condemn; for all such attempts to free
slaves inActs greater trials and privations on
the multitude who must be left behind, not to
speak of all the horrors and crimes attendant
upon a servile Instruction. 1t was a great
wrong, and he has paid the penalty. John
Brown is now at rest, and I" after life's ftful
fever, he sleeps WELL"
The following is taken from the leader OF
the Nesc5anypOrt Herald, and was published
on Friday last, the day of execution, and it
will be read with interest, for the contrast it
presents between the time past and the present
time. The Ohio press referred to was DR.
Bailey's, which was three times thrown into the
river opposite Cincinnati, as our Western read
ers will doubtless recollect.
For ourself, we have no faith in the aboli-
ton of one wrong by the commission of an
other. Slavery will not fall in this country by
force or bloodshed; and yet, the failure Of John
Brown-a man whose sixty years of life have
proved his courage, stern integrity, and lofty
Christian devotion-will accomplish the end he
had in view. He sought, he said, 10 create a
feeling Of insecurity an relation TO the Stare ilsti
tuition. This he has done The entire white
population of Virginia are dismayed and dis
tracted and they see written in letters of blood,
that Slavery must die The entire slave popu-
lation, too, of Virginia, know all the facts as
well as we do. They take fresh courage in the
cowardice of their masters; they get exagger-
ated ideas of Abolition strength, when it takes
thousands OF troops to guard the convicts from
rescue; hope revives in all their souls, and
more thought of freedom. Tomorrow they will
sit down in their cabins to think and speak of
John Brown, the slaves friend; and from the
day of his death will he grow greater in their
minds, till hereafter his name shall be to the
black man what the name of Moses is to the
Jews. Not less impressive will be the lesson
to the Mortimer. A few weaklings, as there
few in every crisis, will turn to kiss the
bloody hand of Slavery that takes John Brown 5
life but with the masses, new hatred of oppres-
sion will arise, new motives for action be given,
and frmer and deeper determination than
ever be cherished to fight on the battle of Free
dom to the last, and to transmit the contest
from father to son, till no slave shall live in
the land, and not chain shall clank upon hui
man limbs on this continent. The South them
selves must perceive the difference in Northern
opinion now and thirty years ago. When the
Southampton rebellion took place, all the free
States were terrified, and bowling, with their
faces southwark, asked, What can we do to
support your institutional Catch us our
slaves said the South, or we will dissolve the
| Union And then thrill of horror ran through
our veins, and we promised to do it forever
Anything more masters of the South !? asked
the pulpit and the forum, the press and the
merchant princes, we do your bidding! Stop
/ your Northern fanatics came the response
and at once Garrison was dragged through the
was routed in Concord, the Pennsylvania Hall
was burned in Philadelphia, the press was
doused in the Ohio at Cincinnati, Loveioy was
shot at Alton, and Edward Everett was asking
the Massachusetts Legislature if it was not an
indictable offence to talk of Liberty in the Old
Bay State.
How now stands the case? Honoring John
Browns heroism, no man will justify his offence
but when the South bowls in her rage not a
man, woman, or child, is startled. Let the
mad dog bark and bay the moon till he shall
tire; we stand upon our rights, and will per-
form our duties and no more Not North
ern voice quivers in reply to their threats. as
every one says, you have caught your niggers,
now hold them as best you can you have sought
your slaves, and now be cursed with them, il
you may we are not your drivers or your task
masters. What is written in the bond, we will
do; and what lyou have promised, you shall
perform
" Yes, yes times have altered. The first
thought with seventeen millions of Northern
people tomorrow will be- this is the day of OH
Browns death and then we shall sit dowr
mournfully to watch the hand passing over the
dialplate till the sun stands at high noon, wher
one great groan will be given from the heaving
bosom of the nation, and we shall turn our faces
to the wall in sorrow. The law will be vindi
Gated and we shall say, so let it be, for tn,
law must be supreme but from that momen
we shall be thousand times more Anti-Slave
ry than We ever dared to think of being before
Henceiorward John Brown is martyr; anC
the martyr of to-day is the saint of tomorrow
A law-breaker he is; but so were many of tn,
martyrs that we most worship. 1t is not hi
crime that we shall canonize, but his heroi,
soul and his untainted love of Liberty. lie
him die. He passes thereby from under tn,
law of man to the law of God, and the iustc,
of heaven, that knows no distinction of races
nothing of the color of the skin, and befor
which the master and the slave are on level