The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-12-22
The Final Act of the Drama.

i s. d.. ..#.
John Brown still lives. The great State
of Virginia has hung his venerable body upon
the isnominous gallows, and released John
Brown himself to join ''the noble army of
rrtyrs." There need be no tears for him.
n,,cs esn z die 50 happy,'so satisfied with time.
q snectacH{ss cH{ssmstance, as did he, But what
the nineteenth ,tRis execution for the last half of
and schools and 2ittury, IT. in land of churches
rations of inalienabRiss bbRisstitutions, and decla-
man hung by Christian tiisshts' A Christian
his convictions of duty-a &E acting upon
for chivalrous and self sacriaems man hung
humanity philanthropist hung foH foHen OF
the liberty ofoppresed men. Nooutcry Rng
violated law can cover up the essential end,
nifty of deed like this. John Brown had
committed no crime as history and conscience
recon it. No man can look upon him as a
criminal. No man can fail to sympathize
with his spirit and admire his heroic bearing.
He died, as he had lived like true man and
a christian. There ar few men left who
could die so noble death. But he still lives.
And he will live in Virginia, by his great,
hearty words for human liberty, by the inAu-
ence of his calm and manly bearing in prison
and on the gallows, and no military Gordon
around the state, no Austrian system of es-
pionage within it, can exclude the name and
the influence ofJohn Brown henceforth from
any planters mansion or any negros hut in
all Virginia. -, ...-.a .as
Some savage tribes we have read of, when
they sacrifice the prisoners taken in battle,
make horrid din with shouts and ciang of
arms to drown the cries of their victims
The Governor Of Virginia, endeavored to limit
the moral impression Of John Browns mar
tyrdom by excluding strangers from the
spectacle, and refusing the agents of the
press an opportunity to see and describe the
final act of the tragedy. But enough is
known. Virginia has hung John Brown,
amp he died like brave man and Chris
tian. No more is needed to deepen in all
Massachusetts, the natural sentiments of
hostility to the great CRIME of human slavery
and to lead every true man and women in
America to swear anew, in sight of John
Browns gallows, "eternal enmity to every
form oftyranny over the bodies and souls of
men,"
A new era is now opened in the conflict
with slavery in this country. The slave
power had made its own choice, an must
abide the consequences. Henceforth slavery
in America gets no more than what is "nom-
mated in the bond"-no more, nor less
mot one drop Of Christian blood" on its
peril Let 1T ask no more sufferance, no
further compromises or concessions. Let it
stand as long as divine providence sees fit
to tolerate it on the earth, with the humanity
and the Christian sentiment Of the race con-
tinually assiling it.-[Sprinqtfcld Republi-
cd1c.
An ENGLISH STArEsMAN-Sir Robert Peel
was great and upright servant of the State
proud with a species of humility, not de-
string to shine with any distinction foreign
to his natural sphere, devoted to his country
without any wish for return for his devo-
ton; little pre-occupied with fixed principles
or with far-reaching political combinations;
intent on discovering day by day what the
public interest demanded, and ready to ex-
ecute it without troubling himself either
about parties and their rules of conduct or
about his own deeds and words; breaking
with fhe past without cynical indifference
Drawing the future without adventurous
rashness; swayed solely by desire TO salts
fy the needs ofthe present, and to reap hon.
or by rescuing his country from danger or
He was thus alternately Conservative and
Reformer, Tory, Whig, and almost Radical
unpopular and popular his strength
with eqlal ardor, now, in obstinate resis-
lance, now in perhaps extravagant concession
more wise than foreseeing, more cour-
ageons than firm, but always sincere, patri-
otic and marvcllously fitted, in an epoch of
transition like ours, to govern modern soci-
ETY. such as it has become, such as it is more
becoming. in England as elsewhere, under
the empire of those principles and sentiments
still confused perplexed, and obscure, but
essentially democratic, that have been fer
menting in Europe for fifteen centuries, and
in our own days are gaining victories, of
which no one yet can tell what win be the
true ultimate result.
The New York Times correspondent saw
that it has reliable information when it states |
that, in consequence Of the Harpcr's Ferry |
affair, the heavy property holders of Virginia
begin to see that the subject Of slsvery is
destined to produce interminable strife in that
State in the future, and materially decrease
the value Of property. Families are accord.
ngly preparing to leave the State; panic
all classes of citizens; there is no
freedom of speech; supicions and distrust
are abroad, the last resort to check the pro-
gress OF crime, the jury system, has become
weak and corrupt; the spirit of religion is
dying out and infidelity taking its place
The country, according to this representa-