The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-11-11
PRICE TWO CENTS.
LETTERS OF l.. MARIA CHILD TO COVER.
NOR WISE AND CAPTAIN BROWN.

/ LETTERS OF L. MARIA CHILD TO COVER
NOR WISE AND CAPTAIN BROWN.
WAYLAND, Mass, October d. 1859.
| Governor Wise: | have heard that YOU were .
man Of chivalrous sentiments and know YOU wer,
opposed to the iniquitous attempt to force upor
Kansas constitution abhorrent to the moral sens,
of her people Relying upon these indications o
honor and justice in your character, | venture t.
ask n favor Of you Enclosed is a letter to Cap
tain John Brown. Will you have the kindness
alter reading 1t yourself to transmit it to the pris
Oner?
|, and all my large circle of abolition acquaint
ances, were taken by surprise when news came OF
captain Browns recent attempt; nor do | know oil
a single person who would have approved Of it had
they been apprised of his intention. But ! and
thousands of others feel natural impulse of sym
pathy for the brave and suffering man. Perhaps
God, who sees the inmOst of our souls, perceives
some such sentiment in your heart also. He needs
mother and sister to dress his wounds and speak
soothngIy to him. Will You allow me to perform
that mission of humanity? Ii you will NAV God
bless you for the generous deed.
have been for years an Uncompromising aboi-
zionist, and should scorn to deny it or apologize
for 1t as much as John Brown himself would do
Believing in peace principles deeply regret the
step that the old veteran has taken, while honor
his humanity towards those who became his prison
ers. But because it is my habit to be as open as
the daylight, will also say that if believed our
religion justified men in fighting for freedom |
should consider the ensaved everywhere as best
entltled TO that right. Such an avOwal is a simple
frank expression of my sense of natural Justice.
But | should despise myself utterly if any circum-
stance could tempt me to seek to advance these
opinions in any way, directly or Indirectly, after
your permission to visit Virginia had been obtain
ed on the plea of SiSterly sympathy with brave
ana suffering man. give you my word of honor,
which never broken, that would use such per-
mission solely and singy for the purpose Of nursing
your prisoner, and for no other purpose whatso-
ever. Yours, respectfuily
l.. MARIA CmrLD.
LETTER OF MRS. CHILD TO CAPTAIN BROWN
WAYLAND, Mass, October 2G 1852
Dear Captain Brown: Though personally un-
known to you, You will recognize in my name an
earnest friend Of Kansas, when circumstances made
that territory the battle ground between the an
tagonStic principles of slavery and freedom which
politicians so vainly strive to reconcile in the gov
ernment of the United States.
believing in peace principles, | cannot sympa-
thiSe with the method you chose to advance the
cause of freedom. But | honor your generous in
tentlOnS-l admire your courage, moral and phvsi-
cal. reverence you for the humanity which tenn
pered your zeal. | sympathise with you in your
cruel Bereavement, your suilerngs and your
wrongs. In brief, love you and bless you.
Thousands Of hearts are throbbng with svmpa-
thy as mine. | think of YOU night and dav
bleeding in prison, surrounded by hostile faces
sustained only by trust in God and your own strong
heart long to nurse yOu-tO speak to YOU sisterlv
words Otsympathv and consolation. | have asked
quest is not granted cherish the hope that these
few words may at least reach your hands and afford
you some little solace. MAY YOU be strengthened
by the conviction that no honest ever sheds
blood for freedom in vain, however much he NAV
be mistaken in his efforts. May God sustain YOU
and carry YOU through whatsoever may be in store
for you
Yours, with heartfelt respect, sympathy and af
lection, l.. MARIA CHILD.
GOVERNOR WISE TO MRS. CHILD.
RICUMOND Va
Madam Yours of the 2Gth was received by me
yesterday and at my earliest leisure respectfully
reply to it, that | will forward the letter for John
Brown, Il prisoner under our laws, arrairncd at
the bar of the Circuit Court for the county of JEFF
lerson, ut Charlestowu, Va, for the crimes of
murder, robbery and treason, which YOU ask me to
transmit to him. | will comply with your request
in the only way which seems to me proper, by en-
closing it to the commonwealths attorney, with
the request that he will ask the permission of the
Court to hand it to the prisoner. Brown, the pri-
Soner, is now in the hands Of the udiciary-not of
the Executive of this commonwealth.
Ou ask me, further, to allow YOU to perform the
mission ''of mother or sister, to dress his wounds
and speak soothingly to him By this of course,
you mean to be allowed to visit him in his cell and
to minister to him in the offices OF humanity. Why
should you not be allowed. Madam Virginia and
Massachusetts, are involved in no civil war, and the
Constitution which unites them in one conrrdcracv
guarantees to you privileges and mmunitirs
of a citizen of the United States in the State of
Virginia That Constitution | am sworn to sup
port, and am, therefore. bound to protect yolIr
privileges and immunities as a citizen Of Nassa-
chusetts coming into Virginia for any lawful and
peaceful purpose. Coming, rs yOu propose, to
minister to the captive in prison, YOU will be met
doubtless by all our people, not only in a chival-
TOus but in Christian spirit You have right
to visit CharIestown, Virginia, MADAME and vour
mission being mercitnl and humane. will not only
be allowed but BE- respected, il not wclcomrd-
\ few unenlightened and inconsd"ratc persons,
tanatica in their modes Of thought and action to
maintain Justice and right, might m0cSt YOU, or
be disposed to do so, and this might suggest the
imprudence of risking any experiment upon the
peace of a society very much excited by the
crimes with whose chief author you seem to sym
pathise so much; but still, repeat, your motives
and avOwcd purpose is lawful and peaceful. and
| will, as far as ! am concerned, do my duty in
protecting your rights in our limits. Virginia and
her authorities would be weak indeed. weak in point
of folly and weak in point Of power If her State
faith and constitutional obligations cannot be re-
deemed i'll her own limits to the letter of morality
well as law; and if her chivaIrv cannot courte-
ously receive ladys visit to prisoner, every arm
which guards Brown from rescue on the one hand
aud from Lynch law on the other, will be ready to
guard your person in Virginia. | could not permit
an insult even to woman in her walk of charity
among US, though it be to one who whettcd knives
Of butchery for our mothers, sisters, daughters and
babes. We have no sympathy with your sentiments
of sympathy with Brown, and are surprised that
you were "takCn by surprise when news came of
Captain Browns recent attempt" His attempt
was a natural consequence Of your sympathy, and
the errors of that sympathy ought to make you
doubt its virtue from the effect on his conduct. But
it is not of this ! should speak. When YOU arrive
at ChareStown, II you 60 there, it will be for the
Court and its officers, the CONFERENCE.-The attor-
ney, sheriff and ailor to say whether you may see
and wait on the prisoner. Bnt whether You are
thus permitted or not, (and you will be if my ad-
vice can preyaill YOU may rest assured that he
will be humanely, lawfully and mcrcfullv dealt by
in prison and on trial. Respectfully,
H. MARIA Child. HETRY 4. WISE.
FROM CHINA.