The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-11-19
P0TTAW WATTAMlE MASSACRE.
TRUTH OF HISTORY INDICATED
FACTS ARE STUBBORN THINGS.

While we are on the subject, we wish
to say the stories charging Brown with
murders and barbarities before the murder
of members of his own family by the
Border Ruffians, and the pillage and ra-
pine Of his own home and his neighbors',
are totally unsustained by testimony wor-
thy of one moments credence.-Latvrence
Republican.
Our article three weeks ago, on the Har-
per's Ferry tragedy, was designed to eau
tion Republicans, and Republican journals,
against becoming in any way responsible
for that affair, by either assuming the char
acter Of apologists, defenders or otherwise,
of that abortive attempt at insurrection.-
We ewished, further, to prevent their indorse-
ment of Old John Brown, by connecting his
outrages there with those in Kansas, and
giving, as an excuse, pretended injuries he
had received at the hands Of the slave pow
er here, as reason for his perpetuating
them there. We chanced to knoU those
facts, and were in position where we
could Judge of them impartially. We had
formerly been an admirer of Old John
Brown; had read with deep interest his ac-
tions at the Ultra Abolition convention in
| New York, previously referred to; and we
saw him enter Lawrence in the fall of 1855
with his war instruments, when Lawrence
was beleaguered, and as one of the Com
mittee of Public Safety at that time, had
aided him in getting up company for the
defense of the town. We knew of all his
movements during that memorable cam
paign. When the "treaty of peace" as it
was called, was signed, we remembered his
attempt to render it a nullityj and his desire
to commence an aggressive attack upon the
minions of the slave power encamped at
franklin, and the almost forcible means
employed by Judge SMITH, who occupied
an important position in command Of por-
tion of the volunteer forces in Lawrence, to
stop his infammatory harangue to the
citizen soldiery in opposition to accepting
the conditions of that treaty. As an inti-
mate acquaintance of his son, JoHE BRowN,
Jr.s who bore letter of introduction to US,
if we remember rightly, from an esteemed
friend in Crawford county, Pa, and whom
idence, in Lawrence, and subsequently at
Topeka, while the Topeka Legislature was
in session, in March of 1856, we could not
be Indifferent in regard to him.
When intelligence Of the massacre at
Pottawattamie creek, on the oath May, '56,
reached us, we were prisoner at Lecomp-
ton, in the hands of the Border Rufians, not
having yet been passed over to the United
States troops. The "Kickapoo Rangers'
and "Atchison Tigers" as those blood
thirsty companies were designated, were
then holding high carnival in Lecompton
and its vicinity. We remember well the
excitement that brutal massacre made
among our captors, and their desire to re-
taliate on those of us they held prisoners.
We remember, too, being importuned by GER
tain Free State friends, to write to certain
journals, giving a particular shading to it,
that our cause might not be damaged in the
States by this barbarous act.
| When JOHN Brown, Jr., was brought in.
to camp, we heard from his own lips a full
account Of the affair, as he understood it,
though at first he was laboring under tenn
porary alteration of mind which gradually
gave way, and made him more cautious ir
his communications, but still not inclined il
the least to prevaricate.
! The reports Of the professional letter.
writer's began to reach us in time, with al
sorts of exaggerations in regard to the af
fair, stories concocted and sent abroad t.
excuse that awful crime, that the Free Stat,
party might not be damaged thereby.
, Randolph, alias VIM. HUTCHINSON, then
; correspondent of the N. Y. 1fmss, in let
ter of date May 20, '66, published in tn
Semi Weekly Times of June 6, says:
"Five Pro-slavery men were shot a
Pottawattamie Saturday night, but tn,
full particulars are not given. We onl!
hear that Free State man was called on
, in the night by mob, who pretended Il
arrest him for some pretended crime, snC
threatened to hang him /; but after the &C
became known, the Free State men raj
lied, and in the conflict .fUs Of their me-
;Oere shot, but none of ours"
One represented that these murdered me
had arrested Free State settler, and wer
t in the act of hanging him, when, from be
S hind covert the order was given to ''fre, I,
4 and the five aggressors were instantly killed
. 0shers represented that Brown and hi
friends had been ordered to leave the vale
Of the Pottawattamie on pain of death
they remained, and others acknowledge
that the bodies were mutilated; but it wa
: claimed to have been the work of Indians
Rsdpath, in his correspondence with th
s Chicago Tribune, claimed that he had ser
D a messenger all the way to the scene of tn
trouble to get the facts, and he gave col
oring to it to suit himself.
: The effect of that murder in the vicinity
= !, and in 0sawatomie, was such that the Ere
/ State settlers called convention, and pas!
' ed series of resolutions strongly denunc
atory of the outrage, and Withdrawing a
s sympathy from the actors in it. Wheth'
: those resolutions were published we are NJ
advised, but If in existence, we will than
!: any gentleman to furnish US copy.
:. The Especial correspondent of the N.
/: Daily Times" writing from Kansas Cit,
: May %, SO, says: -
J, "But few days since, horrible stol
came hying on the wings of the win
| about eight Pro-slavery men brutal
murdered, near 0sawatomie, by Ere
State men-torn from the beds of the
tsick wives, and their ears and arms, &c