The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-11-24
Henry Ward Beecher on John Browns
Conquest of Harper's Ferry.


The following from one of the re-
cent discourses of Henry Ward Beech
fer to his congregation, presents a
condensed abstract of the material facts
Of Browns conquest of what Gov.
Wise calls the zhernsophylac of Vir-
ginia, and of a portion of the outrages
committed upon Brown and his family
by the Locofoco Border Ruffians in
Kansas, and by which he was goaded
into the desperate monomania which
led him to certain destruction at Har-
per's Ferry. Mr.. Beecher might have
still further unfolded the foul features
of these ontrages had he been so dis
posed, by showing, as the official records
of the Federal Government show that
every one of the leaders of the pirate
gangs who murdered Browns two sons
and desolated his home and state. and
destroyed his property in Kansas, has
been rewarded aoiM q lucrative Federal
office by the Stare Po,cer's great high
Priest, James Buchanan!
This testimony of such a man as
Henry Ward Beccher who knows the
whole history of Border Ruffianism in
Kansas, and the true character of John
Brown, is ample answer to the false
hoods in respect to Brown and his
motives, with which the slavery
sheets are so blackened:
l avail myself of the present state
of our land to utter some sentiments
on the subject of slavery, though
have not done so for considerable
time. The nation is now greatly ex-
cited, and deeply concerned about the
recent sudden and unexpected attack
at Harper's Ferry Seventeen white
men, without organization, without a
military basis of operations, without
the countenance or approval of any
legal or deliberate body, most unex-
pectedly and openly attack an entire
State to release and rescue ap enslaved
race. They were not called upon by
the sufferers, nor expected even by
them. They undertake all themselves.
Yes, these seventeen white men sum-
moned two thousand people to surren-
der to them, and they did as they were
required; and these seventeen men
held them all in DURANGO for two full
days.
They waited till forces of two States
were amassed to release them. do
not wonder that the Virginians feel
Inundated. Every one feels for them.
No one doubts the bravery of the Vir-
ginians--not at all. Laughter. But
people may be sometimes surprised and
taken unawares. However this NAV
be, it seems to MS strange that this in
vasion of seventeen men should have
caused so much alarm, so much con-
fusion and noise. 1t is no wonder the
Virginians try to make the most of it.
they feel ashamed of the facts, and
every one is sympathising with them.
The Virginians feel piqued,
to be sure, but they only remind us of
the story of the fox which got his tail
cut off in a trap, and then endeav-
orcd to get the other foxes to get the irs
cut off in the like manner, but none of
them would do it. There is something,
there must be something, underlying
all this, which caused two thousand
Virginians to submit to the power of
seventeen men till the forces of the
whole State should be brought against
them-till volunteers should assemble
from every portion of these two States
till the United States forces should
arrive at the scene with their artillery
till the whole South should be ex-
cited and alarmed, and till the North
should wonder and sympathize. will
not say any more about this riot.
There was one who figured throughout
it, however, to whom some alusion
should be made. An old, honest, in
dustrious man, peacefully went to set
tie with his family in the West. His
lot was cast in Kansas.
A great Slave State adiourning the
territory marches her armed men in
among the peaceful settlers to dragoon
them to uphold slavery by force of
arms. They cross the boundary and
subvert the laws, the order, and COM
mence a civil war. They pollute the
ballot-box, and carry destruction among
the harvests, and death among the
peaceful cultivators of the soil. There
were no marines, no militia sent to OPP
pose them-no. There were fore es
there, but they acted on the other side,
on the side of the wrong-doers-the in
vadors. 1t was here that Brown
learned his first lesson on the slavery
system here that the.old man endured
his first sufferings in the death of his
first born, who was dragged manacled
across the country by the slavery men,
in the heat of broiling sun, and after
wards beaten by the inhuman officers
of these men. Another son was shot
down by the same men.
Revolving the Indignation is his
mind against the system that would
tolerate and countenance such cruelty
and bloodshed, he is goaded by his
own feelings to a mad but fixed deter
mination to oppose it to the end of his
life. And now, as he is in the most
distressing, the most trying circum-
stances, no one can fail to discover in
this same old man manly, straight