Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-11-25
Old Brown and his Exploits
Extraordinary Federal Lenl

ency.
A Virginia Court has found old "Os
sawatomie Brown" guilty OF treason, in.
surrection and murder, and he will nc
doubt soon expire life of crime on the
gallows. That he has not long since met
this just fate is DUE as truly remarked by
a Georgia contemporary, TO the remissness
of Government that shapes its whole
course with view to party advantage,
and suffers tho greatest crimes to go un-
whipt Of justice rather than encounter a
fanatical excitement that may operate
against its side at the elections. Old
Brown, while in Kansas, was guilty of all
the crimes of which Virginia jury have
convicted him. He maintained IN the re-
cesses of the timber Of Marias des Cygnes
a fortiication, whence at intervals lie and
his desperate gang sailed to commit de
predations upon the pro.slavcry settle
ments of Kansas and the Shareholders Of
Missouri. He invaded Missonri Mt night,
with fire and the revolver, murdered her
peaceful citizens in cold blood, plundercd
them of their property, aud run off their
slaves into Kansas A large reward was
offered by the Missourians for his appre.
hension, and at times they made unsuc
cessful attempts to capture him. But he
had always few outlaw cotnpani ms witt
him at his "fort," and the strong abolition
settlement of Ossawatomic was near at
band, from which he could draw laid and
comfort" to the extent needed The con.
sequence was that the Missourians never
could catch him, and the Federal Govern
ment would not--indeed, on one occasion
it disarmed and turned back a party OF
pro-slavery men who we're on their way to
punish Ossawatomie and Brown in poper
manner for their many outrages. Precise
ly the same course was pursued by the
Federal Government towards Montgomery
and his band, who for so long a time
pillaged and murdered the pro slavery
men of Kansas and Missouri
1t is only change of locality, and not
a difference in the crimes committed, that
has aroused SO much excitement about
Browns late exploits and brought swift |
justice upon him and his party. Leniency
and forbearance had emboldened him the |
failure to assert the majesty of the law"
in Kansas had encouraged him to hope
for the same immunityfin Virginia in case
of the failure of his attempted insurrec-
ton. 1t was a most miserable and total
failure, involving not more loss of life or
than Brown had before taken in
his forays in Kansas and Missouri, and /
much of the excitement attending it in
the South was produced by telegraphic
reports greatly magnifying the number of
the invaders and the extent of their opera,
tions. Punishment by the laws and au-
thorities of Virginia will reach no further
than the visitation of justice upon those
who actually invaded her soil 1t still
devolves upon the General Government to
assert the majesty of Federal law by
bringing to trial all those citizens Of
Northern States, who aided and abetted
this invasion of Virginia with treasonabIe
and revolutionary acts and purposes But
we much fear that the same policy, which
formerly shielded old Brown aud his vii.
lainies and gave him charter to make
war upon shareholders, will protect his
abolition confederates now. If so, they
will derive from their immunity the same
encouragement which Old Brown presum-
ed upon when he found that Federal
authority would never bring him to justice
Why have not Gerrit Smith and Joshua
r. Giddings been already arrested? Why
was Fred Douglass allowed to escape into
Canada Rich. Wing.