The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-11-19

1S, lCCJ.
Irsn the Herald Of freedom (Kansss) H.v s.
Kansas History.-Old John Brown and hia
son.-VcntiIating the Facts.
A gentleman remarked the other day
that the time had come when the history
I OF Kansas should be thoroughly ventils-
ted. During the disturbances of 1856,
1t was not to be expected that politicians
on either side would expose the wicked
ness Of their own party. They could not
do it, had they desired, from the fact that
it was impossible, with the then state of
the country, to understand the real facts
transpiriny around them. Their stand
point took in but q small portion Of the
then political horizon. Now, with a good
| lens, they can look out upon the whole
only the action, but the motives which led
to such action
The Eastern presses at this time are at
tempting TO recapitulate some of the Incl
dents of 1856, and are offering them in mi
tigatiOn of Old John Browns recent out
RACES in Virginia; but, instead of giving
the facts as they transpired, they are only
giving exaggerated and partisan state
ments, made in selfexculpation at the time
those "excesses'-as Mr. Buchanan had
the modesty to call lthem-were committed
The n. y. 7htane and Herald each give
sketch Of Old John Brown. From q
careful examination of them, We venture
the assertion that no articles of similar
length could have been published which
would have embodied more statements at
variance with the truth.
The Herdlds article was either written,
or the substance was furnished, by g. F.
Lowry, who was private secretary to Gov.
Reeder, or some person who derived his
information from him. The statement is
only partially correct, as far as it relates to
Browns connection with the Wakarusa
war, but the moment it enters into an ac-
count Of the difficulties of 1856, it is false
in detail and in fact, and the ideas are
principally copied from the partisan arti-
Gle of the same week in the Tribune Mr.
Lowry left Kansas the last of March or
first of April, 1856, hence his information
was second dhand at best, and probably
much worse
Our article of last week, on Old John
Brown, is . suficien. refutation of 90 much
of the Heraifs and Tl,Junes statements as
pertain to that individual, but they make
additional statements, which. in the Ian
guage of our friend, need "ventilsting'
The New York Herald makes the follow
ing statement:
One Of his (Brown's) sons, who was
elected to the legislature in February,
1856, was seized and taken from Ossawato-
mie TO Lecompton in chains. distance Of
thirty miles His feet and hands were
chained together with q large heavy chain,
the size Of that used upon OK teams. He
was compelled 10 walk the whole distance
beneath burning sun The irons wore
the flesh from his ankles he was attack
ed with the brain fever, was neglected, and
died IN two or three days.
The T,iIu,es Statement, is about verba-
tim We copy from that journal
Under that (the Topeka constitution,
one Of his sons was elected To the legi.la-
ture and. about the time that Gov Robin
son and others were Indicted for high
treason, this son of Brown was arrested a,
Osawatomie under a similar charge. his
feet and lads were chained together. q
heavy ox-chsin being employed for that
purpose, and he WAS compelled to walk the
whole way 70 Lecompton under burning
ankles. Fatigue. excitement, anu Jat
treatment broaaht on bsain fever and, as
no proper attention was paid to him, he
died few days after. The sackinG of
Lawrence followed.
Our acquaintance with John Brown, jr.,
commenced in the autumn of 1855, and
was continued, without intermission, until
the middle or latter part of September
1856. For three and a half months he
was An hourly companion, a prisoner with
us near Lecompton, and since that period
we have been in occasional correspondence
with him. Unless recently removed or de-
ceased, his present residence lis Linden
vile, Ashtabula county, Ohio
As we stated last week, he raised com
pany of his neighbors and friends, and ar
rived at Palmyra on the 22d of May. 1856,
the day after the destruction of Law renee.
After looking about that vicinity for day
or so. Oh the oath of May he marched to-
wards Osawatomie, and arrived near the
town, where they encamped for the night.
Old John Brown, the father stepped out in
front Of the company, and said: :" If there
are any brave men here, let them follow
me" John Brown, jr, replied: Il have
the honor of commanding this company.
Whoever leaves it does SO at his peril -
But Old Brown succeeded in getting seven
men to Join his company, one of whom was
Frederick Brown, a son of the old man,
who was subsequently shot while on his
way to Osawatomie, on the morning of
Aug 80, 1856 and not after he was taken
prisoner, az has been alleged. Some Of the
surviving seven of Old John Brown party
still reside in Kansas. The curse Of AL
mighty God rests on them, and We have no
disposition to expose them at present to
the public.
On the morning of May 25, one of the
week, which Old John Brown brought TO
loo
wet with blood and covered with hair. 1t
was pronounced dog s hair but soon after
intelligence was received in camp of the
massacre of the Wilkensons and Doyles on
Pottawattamie creek John Brown, ir,
Immediately mounted his horse, in the
greatest possible excitement, ordered his
company to disband. and rode towards
Osawatomie The news of the horrld
murder alluded to had preceded him, and
the people were so shocked on his arrival
there, because of it, and supposing John,
jr, guilty of the outrage, they turned from
him. He went from there to the residence
of his uncle, Rev. Mr.. Adair, where he had
sent his wife and boy. The reports of the
awful murder of his neighbors, the con-
sciousness that his father, brother, and six
other friends had been guilty of that terri
BILE outrage, and the treatment he received
at Osawatomie from his own political
friends, crazed him. He sought the woods.
and wandered about for days, with only an
occasional glcam of recollection. He be-
came tangled in tho brushwood, waded
streams, sometimes out upon the open
prairie, and imagining crowds pursuing
him. For days he suffered as only sen
sitive and educated mind. wrecked by
great wrong like the one we have very
briefly alluded to, could suffer lie re,
members seeing his little boy once, and
k,ssins him, but cannot call to mind the
mother. He learned by some means that
| a warrant was out for his arrest charged
| with murder. Conscious Of his own inno-
| oa,ca opd having stsll q little spark of me-