Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-11-11

BEowN's SrEEcH.-The clerk having asked
the prisoner whether he had any thing to say
why sentence should not be pronounced, Nlr.
Brown immediately rose, and in a clear dis
met voice, said
d" have. may it please the court. few
/ words TO say. In the first place, deny every
/ thing but what ! have all along admitted, Of
/ a design on my part to free slaves | intend
/ ed certainly to have made "a clean thing OF
] that matter, as did last winter, when | went
. into Missouri ana there took slaves without
the swapping Of gun on either side, moving
rlom through the country and finally leaving
/ them il Canada. | designed to have done
/ the same thing on q larger scale. That was
all intended. never did intend murder or
/ treason, or the destruction Of property, OF t.
excite or mcitc slaves to rebellion or % ma 5e
in,ur7ection.
'' | have another objection, aud that is,
that it Is unjust tHat should suffer such "a
penalty. Had nterlored in the manner
which ] admit has been fairly proved, (for
admire the truthfulness and candor of the
greater portion Of the witnesses who have tcs-
tilted in this case had 50 interfered in be-
bali of the rich, th powerful the intelligent,
the so-calied great-or in behalf OF any of
their friends. either father, mother, brother.
SiSt ?, wife or children. or any Of that class
and suffered and sacrificed what ! have in
this interference, it would have been all right.
every man in this court would have deemed
it an act worthy Of reward rather than of
punishment. This court Acknowledges too. as
[ suppose, the validity Of the law of God.
see book kissed which ! suppose to be the
Bible, OF least the New Testament. which
teaches me that ali things whatsoever would
that men should do to me | should DO even so
10 them 1t teaches me farther to remem-
Der them that are in bonds as bound with
them. | cndeavr red to act up to that in
sructiOn. | say / am yet too young to un
derstand that God is any respecter Of persons.
| believe that to have interfered as | have
done, as have always freely admitted | have
done, in behalf Of His despised poor, | do no
wrong. but right. Now if it is deemed ne
cessary that | should forfeit my life for the
furtherance of the ends Of Justice. and mingle
my blood further with the blood of my chill
dren. and with the blood of millions in this
slave country whose rights are disregarded
by wicked, cruel and unjust enactments.
say, let it be done.
- Let me say one word further. | feel
perfectly satisfied with the treatment | have
received during my trial. Considering all
the circumstances, it has been more generous
than | expected, but feel no consciousness
Of guilt. have stated from the first what
were my intentions and what were not. [
meyer had any design against the liberty of
any person, nor any disposition to commit
treason or excite slaves to rebel or to make
any general insurrection. never encour-
aged any man to do so, but always discour-
aged any idea of that kind. Let me say, also,
regard to the statements made by some of
those who were connected with me. | hear 1t
has been stated by some of them, that have
induced them to join me, but the contrary is
true. do not say this TO iujure them, but
as regretting their weakness Not one but
Joined me of his own accord, and the great
er part at their own expense. A number of
them | never saw and never had word of
of conversation with till the day they came
to me, and that was for the purpose | have
stated Now have done.
There was a terribleslaughter on one Of the