New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-21
VINO Is REsPON.IBLE,

WHO ia responsible asks The Journal Of Com
merce, in reference to the late affair at Hsrpers
Ferry. If We were 10 look beyond the immediate
actors in that affair, We should say those were re-
sponsble who first set on foot aud atterward en-
couraged aud sustained the BOrder.Ruihan Pro
Slavery war against the Free.Lsbor settlers OF
Kansas. John Brown, then o peaceful aud quiet
citizen, went to Kansas with no intention to do
anything against Slavery, except so far az his vote
and influence might 60 to keep it out OF that Terri
tory BY purely peaceable md legal means lie
settled himself at Osawatsnie, built steam saw
mill there gathered quite settlement. about him,
and devoted himself with energy to the business
in which he was engaged Finding, how
ever, that the elections of the Territory had
been invaded by armed intruders from Missouri
who drove the legal voters from the polls
and returned as elected such persons as
they saw TT, and th.t this usurpa'ion Of the pow.
ers and authority of Territorial Legislature WAS
countenar ced by the Administration at Wash
ngtop, he joined with the great body oil the Tree
labor settlers IL TIE movements that LED 10 Tie
framing of the Topeka Constitution. Under that
Constitution, one Of his sons was elected t
the Legislature, and, about the same time that Gov
Robinson and others were indicted for high trea
SOD, this son Of Brown was arrested at OsaSata
ME under similar charge his feet and hsnds were
chained together, heavy OK chain being employed
for that purpose, and he was compelled to wsls the
whole way to Lecompton under burning sun, the
iron wearing the flesh from his ankles Fatigue
excitement. and b,d treatment, brought on a brain
fever, and, as no proper attention was paid to him,
he died few days after. The sscking Of Law
renee followed. Buford's men, imported from
South Carolina fol the express purpose of driving
the free labor settlers out OF the Territory inside
their appearance, and these ffee-abor settlers had
20 alternative except to suffer themselves to be
thus expelled or to take up arms in defense Of their
houses and property. Capt Brown chose the lat
ter; and it WAS thus that he was converted from
peaceful settler into the captain of band of ran
gers The first military exploit of his which
made him known beyond the limits OF the Terri
tory, was collision with party of BufOrds mea'
in which, with an inferior force, he made thirty
one prisoners, and recovered large iantity of
plumber which these mrauders had collected.
Osaw atamie itself was sacked by large party of
Pro-Slayery marauders, who committed grest afro
cities II was at this time that the Sharps rifles
TO which The Journal Of Commerce refers with
so many affected starts Of horror, were
sent to Kansas as means of enabling
the freelabor settlers TO maintain themselves 10 the
Territory; and unquestionably but for the assist
snce thus sent those settlers would have been eI-
PEELED or cowed, and Kansas before now admitted
into the Union as Slave State. 1t perhaps, the
agency of the Sbarps rifles thus placed in the hands
Of The free labor settlers in promoting that consum-
matter that makes them such objects OF detestson
TO The Journal Of Commerce. The Misourians on
the border, finding th,t the freelabor settlers we're
making an effective resistance mustered fresh
force Of more than of thousand men, snd under A.
Gibson IS coum,nder.in-cbief, marched INFO the
| Territory large detachment Of tbs fofce pro-
ceeded against Osawatsmie. As they approached
the town, a son of Brown was taken prisoner and
| af,erward sho. in cold blood. The fe Inhabitants
taken by surprise were unable 10 defend the place
which was first pundered and then burned.
Even after this partisan war had been sppeased
in other parts of the Territory, il was kept up in
Southern Kansas, and Brown had sn sc'iTe part in
il. He began on the principle Of deteuse--he now
acted on that Of revenge. This feeling on b.. part
was It'll further aggravated by the Missouri expo
dition, under the notorious Captain Hamilton
which invaded Southern Karsas, seized eleven cit
izen, quietly at work and shot them in cold blood
Brown re.or.ed BY 80 inya'ion OF Missouri, dur
ing which he liberated number cf slaves, whom
be succeeded in Transporting safely through Kan
sss, Nebraska, Iowa and Illinois TO Csnsi,. It
va. probably the success of this enterprise which
suggested to him the idea Of another Of the .sme
sort on larger scale, and which resulted in the
Wild adventure in which be lost his life. But for
the sttsmpt to force Slavery upon Kansas, and to
that end TO drive tie eelsbor settlers out
of it, Brown would have remained quiet aad in