Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-14
;pooch of Hon Caleb Cushing ut tho Union
Meeting in Boston.


The chairman came forward and said that he
'oud have the honor of introdu ling to the meet
1g another of tho most eminent citizens OF tho
]nitcd Statcs-a man who wasentitled to the con-
icncs and honoro of every citizen ofMassaohusctts.
nd of tho whole country, in consequence Of tho
rent service he had rendered to the State and tho
alton al large. Mr.. Gushing was received with
eaening applausc,a proceeded to mako most
owerful speech. Wo have room only for the fol-
wing extracts:
Who denies that John Brown was guilty p
Who says he did not undertake invasion and per-
citrate it? Who says that he did not meditHIe
reason and cndoavor to pcrpetrats it2 Who says
hat he did not slay unarmed and inoilensive men
the street Of llarpcr's Ferry? No man denies
his. All that is said and done, in regard to that,
to assume that those acts of atrocious and fero
Gus felony--that these were not meritorious acts
say, thon nll honor to tho State of Virginia
applause and cheers for Virginia III say pll hon
to the State Of Virginia to her judicial auhori-
los and to the State of Virginia, that this traitor
md neutrality-suspicious. in the very act Of his
reason and murder applause that this traitor
nd murderer was duly, fully lawfully tried and
nvicied according to tho law of the land-not
lone in tho State of Virginia, but of every one of
ho States of tho Union. Appausel.
But, then, gentlemen, in these most extrordina-
y manifestations which have occurred in tho State
{ Massachusetts anI elsewher here-praycr meetings
uhlic assemblies Of rejoicing and OF pretended
ubscription- applause and laughter lin oil this
is said that there is extenuation. If there is no
thcr suggestion applicable to the casc that should
hango our impression Of tho character and acts of
Irown. E1tonuaton! In the first place. gentle.
Zen, what oxtenuaton? We have been told that
ohm Brown wns maddencd to perform these acts
y the sense OF the wr0ng committed on him, In
hc violent death of Of his sons in Kansas, and
hat that is to extenun,c his acts II is 30? Fol-
,w-citizens, we live here in n p0puous coinmuni-
- r..
II, under the shelter not only ofthe laws but OF
ur relations as fellow citizens. But go with me
o one of the praries OF tho fur West-go with mo
the frontier cabin of the pioneer settlers OF the
ar West. we are in the dead Of night. In tho dead
fnght. the husband rcposing in the beloved arms
{ his wife, with their dear little children around
hem, in the fanoed repose ofther common
ty under the laws of their country, they are arou
ed from their slumbers by the treacherous ap.
roach Of armed murderers.
The husband-the husbands are torn from the
arms of their wives they are ruthlossly slaugh-
torcd in cold bood--nay their youthful children
are Drained before their eyes and methinks can
nlahnla Doyle. and of that unhappy Louisa Will
kinson; that wailing cry which must smte upon
the cara and the heart of each one Of U.S. as they
cling TO the limbs of the murderer, and pray for
the children of their husbands and their children,
But they:appenl to merciliess heart, they speak to
merelless ear lor thcy speak 10 .Jonn DroWn
Applause and Kisses Aye to John Brown.
A voice-"That's q le." Cries of "Put him
out." and applause and hisses.l l say, and deny
it who will and who dare, applause, and cries,
"Good." "Good;"l whoever denies it, say that
man was John Brown. [Applause and hisse..
That he was there, his sword dripping with the
slumberng men and children-his sword dripping
with their gore, and that sword from the State OF
Massachusetts,. [Applause. l say this is true;
it is true, by incontrovertble evdance that evil
dence exists on record in the report Of the commit
tee of the House Of Representatives to examine
into the disorders in Kansas, and soy that muir
derous act of John Brown was the commencement
of bloodshed in Kansas. And by the lurd light
of these blazing houses, and by the demoniac CRU
city of that man on that occasion, by all that We
have the key to events which otherwise might
have been mystery.
That was the commencement OF bloodshed In
these United States. and it in that same spirit
that John Brown, with an insane ferocity OF cru
city, proposed to ravage the peaceabe inhabitants
of the State of Virginia. and millions upon mil
lions Of white men, aye, and Of white women, too,
to servle nsurrection and civil war, and to outra-
ces indescribabie impossible 70 imagine-worse
even than million of deaths. So much for that
pretence of extenuation. And then il was further
said that John Brown was insane and therefore he
should not have been convicted. Was he insanes
Gentlemen, we have many ::times had occasion in
this commonwealth, and rejecting men have had
occasion to mediate upon similar question.
cannot meet that question witiout speaking opsn-
ly. Gentlemen shall speak openly I TCries of
''Yes, Yes."l l say that in this Commonwealth
Of Massachusetts, and inthe adjoining State Of