Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-11-14
Letter OF Capt. Join Rrown 70 NE. Chlld.


Letter of Capt. John Brown to Mrs. Child.
In note to the Tribune, Mrs Lydia Maria
Child states the reasons why she did not carry
out her intention to go and nurse the brave and
generous old Brown. She wrote to Captain
Brown and Gov. Wise on the subject, packed
her trunk and collected quantity of old linen
for lint, aid awaited things from Virginia.
When Gov. Wise answered, he suggested "the
imprudenco of trying any experiment upon the
peace of society already greatly excited," &c.
Fearing to do Brown more harm than good by
visiting him in prison under the state of feeling
at Charlestown, Mrs. Child waited for his own
sanction to minister consolation in prison. To
her epistle, in due time, she received the follow
ing note indicating the true aid and comfort to
be given the doomed old man.
Mrs. L. MARIA CHLD-My Dear Friend {, uch
you prove to be, though stranger): Your most
kind letter has reached me, with the kind offer
to come here and take care of me. Allow me to
express my gratitude for your great sympathy,
and at the same time to propose to you differ
ent course, together with my reasons for wish
ing it. l should certainly be greatly pleased to
become personally acquainted with one So gift
ed and so kind but l cannot avoid seeing some
objections to it, under present circumstances -
First, am in charge of a most humane gentle
man, who, with his family, have rendered me
every possible attention / have desired OF that
could be Of the least advantage and am so far
recovered from my wounds as no longer to re-
quire nursing. Then, again, it would subject
you to great personal inconvenience and heavy
expense, without doing me any good. Allow
me to name to you another channel, through
which you may reach me with ur sympathies
much more efectualy. l have at home a wife
aud three young daughters, the youngest but
little over five years old, the Oldest nearly six
teen. have also two daug ughters-in-law, whose
husbands have both fallen near me here There
is also another widow, Mrs. Thomson, whose
husband fell here. Whether she is a mother or
not cannot say. All these, my wife included,
live it North Elba, Essex county, New York.
have a middle-aged son, who has been, in
some degree, cripple from his childhood, who
would have as much as he could we'll do TO earn
living. He was a most dreadful sufferer in
Kansas, and lost all he had laid up. He has not
enough to clothe himself for The winter COM
iortably i have no living son, or son-in-la law,
who did not sufTi terribly in Kansas.
Now, dear friend, would you not as soon con-
tribute fifty cents now, and like sum yearly,
for the relief OF those very poor and afflicted
persons To enable them to supply themselves
and their children with bread and very plain
clothing, and to enable the children to receive
common English education Will you also de-
vote your own energies to induce others to Join
you in giving a like amount, or any other
amount to constitute little fund for the pur.
pose named
cannot zee how your coming here can do
me the least good and am quite certain you
can do me immense good where you are. lam
quite cheerful under all my affecting circum-
stances and prospects having, ss 1 humbly
trust, "the peace Of God, which paeseth all un-
derstanding" to rule in my heart. You may
make such use of this, as you see ft God Al
mighty bless and reward you thousand fold
Yours in sincerity and truth,
JOHN BROWN,