Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1859-12-10

than twenty men, half dozen Of whom
were mounted officers, in the immediate vi.
cinity Of The gallows. One of the favored
ones was Mr. Charles B. Flood, editor Of
the National Democrat Of Cleveland. He
was sent for by the prosecuting Attorney
to take his position at the steps leading to
the platform of the galows, as he was (he
was so described to me) the man who on
the Western Reserrs stood up for the rights
of The South.
BROWN FACED THE SOUTH
The Sheriff and Jailor, and one or two
others, shook hands with the old man, and
he shook them as heartily as he could,
though the movement was little awkward
as his arms were tied The Sheriff at once
adjusted the dismal white cap, which was
very large and bagged about his head. At
the same moment his ankles were tied close
ly He had been standing with his feet a
few inches apart, and moved them together
as required, the moment he was told to do
so. The rope was now attached to the ring
above, and the old man stood with his face
to the south, straight as an arrow and firm
MS pillar. ] looked at him at this moment
with powerful naval glass, by means of
which l could see him as distinctly rs if /
had been within 90 or 30 feet. His hands
were naked, and | observed them narrowly
to see il there were any indications of nerv-
business. His hands were not clenched. but
hung in an easy and natural manner, and
there was not symptom of q twitch in
them, and not a motion, any more than if
they had been iron.
He prayed silently as he stood. He had
slippers on his feet, made of some red ma.
terial The Sheriff and others left the scaf-
fold and Brown was upon it alone. He
knew now Of course that the time had come
for death, but his hands retained their COM
posed position. There was a moment of in
tense stiffness, a sudden movement, n sharp
tw0ng of the rope, a creaking of the hinges
of the trap door, and at fourteen and a half
minutes after eleven, the old man, iudomit-
able to the last, swung between the sky and
the soil Of the Old Dominion. As he drop
ped, he turned sharply round and faced the
North. There was very little muscular ac-
tiOn The arms and legs worked slightly.
There was a shaking of the wrist and jerk
ing Of the shoulders, and the legs were once
or twice drawn up "a little.
The day Of execution was observed to very
considerable extent, throughout the free states
by public meetings OF sympathy and prayer for
Brown ana his family. In some places these
meetings were quite nnmerOusly attended This
was especially the case at Cleveland, and the
clergyman were prominent in conducting them
In other towns they were attended principally
by the abolitonsts, the colored people, many
ladies, and some of the extreme republicans II
was day ofgeneral gloom and sadness through.
out the North, for all thoughtful persons fell
oppressed with the deep significance and por
tentous character of the event. Some of the
meetings gave entire approval to John Browns
course, but as general fact they stopped al
sympathy with him and his family and with the
hostility to slavery which prompted his rash ef
fort. In few places there were ugly demon
strations of rejoicing at bis death. This wai
the case at Albany N. Y where 100 guns were
fred.
The body of John Brown was taken to Y ortt
Elba, by way of New York, where the funeral
obsequies were to be observed.