Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1859-11-05


n or to be recognized By him as friend for even
IS in his social dealings, be would have no conhec
g tion with any man OF unprincipled or unworthy
n character In his camp he permitted no profani
o ty no man of loose morals was permitted to stay
k there--uness, indeed, prisoners of war. 81
would rather have the small pox, yellow fever, anC
}, cholera, all together, in my camp than mar
o without principle" This no said 10 the presen
e writer, when speaking of some ru1ianly recruits
d whom q well-known leader had recently introduc
n ed. "It's mistake, sir,' he continued, "tha
o our people make when they think that bulies are
+ the best fighters, or that they are the fit tC
o oppose these southerners. Give me men of gooC
: princip ples--God-fearing men--men who respee
Q themselves, and with dozen Of them | will op
b pose any hundred such men as these Buford ruf
J fans" His whole character is portrayed in these
r words. He was Puritan in the Cromwe!liar
3 sense of the word. He trusted in God, and KEEP,
, his powder dry. Prayers were rendered up, in
! his camp every morning aDd evening, no food
was eaten, unless grace was first asked ON it.
For thirty years he secretly cherished the idea
of being the leader to a serve nsurrecton ; the
American Noses preiestned by Omnipotence to
lead the serve nation in Southern States to
freedom if necessary, through the Red sea OF
civil war, or q fierce war OF races 1t was no
mad idea" ''concocted at a fair in Ohio" but q
mighty purpose, born of religious convictions,
which ho nourished in his heart for half life
time.
When the horizon of freedom looked gloomy in
Kansas, he took leave of his wife and younger
children, and, with several of bis sons--four or
five Of them-went out to Kansas. He thought
that the hour was approaching for his work to be-
gin. The ballot box had already been desecrated;
the ruffans of Missouri had overwhelmed by viol-
ence the rights of the North. lie went to put a
=, stop to the insOence and violence of the South /;
and to him, more than any other living man, we
owe it that Kansas is Free State to-day. To
man of very different character, Gen. Lane,
although personal and malignant enemy of mine,
| would accord the second place in this honorable
rank. r-f ..-..-. .. ..
Brown was not sent by any one, unless by God.
(as he himself believed to vindicate the rights
of the North and of freedom in Kansas. He was
no politician. He despised the class With all The
: energy of, his earnest and determined nature.
His first appearance in the Territory was at Osas
watomie at public meeting at which accommo-
dating politicians were carefully pruning set of
resolutions to suit every shade of Free-Sate men.
The motion that called him out was to pass q res
oluton in favor of excluding all negroes from
Kansas. Old Brown arose, and scattered con.
sternation among the politicians by asserting the
manhood of the negro race, and expressing his
earnest Anti-slavery convictions with force and
vehemence little likely to please the. y5rids then
known as Free-State Democrats. There were a
number of Indiana Democrats present, whom his
speech so shocked that they subsequently became,
and remained, l believe in the class of "law-en-
order-abdin'" u" Pro-Slavery men. 1. was his first
and last appearance in public meeting. Like
most men of action, he underrated discussion
He secretly despised even the ablest Anti-Slavery
orators. "Talk is national institution, but it
does no good for the slave" lie thought it an
excuse very we'll adapted for weak men with ten
der consciences. Most men, who were afraid to
fight, and too honest to be silent, deceived them
selves that they discharged their duties to the slave
by denouncing in fiery words the oppressor. His
ideas of duty were far different the slave, in his
eyes, were prisoners of wars their tyrants, he
held, had taken up the sword aud must perish by
it.
The next time he appeared among men assem-
bled in numbers was when Lawrence was sur
rounded by sheriff Jones' posse cOmtatus, (from
Missouri during the Governorship of Shannon,
in the month of December, 1855. His eldest son.
John, had command of a large company of men,
and he himself had charge Of dozen. He was
dissatisfied with the conduct of Robinson and
Lane, and predicted that their celebrated treaty,
with its diplomatic phraseoogy, would only post
pone the discussion at arms, which was inevitably
and rapidly approaching. Lane sent for him to a
Council of War. "Tel the General" Brown said,
"that when he wants me to fight, to say SO; but
that is the only order / will obey" In disobe-
dience to general orders, he even went out of
camp with his dozen men to meet the invaders-to c
draw little more blood" as he phrased it 6
but by the special messenger of Lane he was in g
duced to forego this intention and return. lie a
always regretted doing so, and maintained that il
the conflict had been brought on at that time c
great deal of bloodshed would have been spared. a
AS to John Browns political opinions. 1t is
asserted that he was member of the Republican v
party. tbs false. He despised the Republican c
party. Of course he opposed to the extension 6
Of slavery; and in favor, also, of organized pot
cal action against it. But when the Republicans y
,risd. Halt John Brown said-FoRwARp, march Y
He was an Abolisionist of tho Bunker Hill school, z
He hal as little sympathy with Garrison as Sew y
lrd. He believed in human brotherhood and r v
he God of Battles; be admired Nat Turner as well n
rs George Washington. He could not see that it o
vas heroic to fight against petty tax tea, and a
'ndure seven years of warefare for political I
light and crime to fght in favor Of restoring an {,
outraged race to every brthright with which their n
Maker has endowed them, but Of which the South y
las for two centuries robbed them. Tie recent h
outbreak was premature. The inevitable coming e.
riumph Of the Republican party, have the best Il
uhority for stating was the most powerful rea- Il
on for the precipitate movement The old man re
strusted the Republican leaders he said that "
heir success would be a backward movement to "