New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-10-25
CAPT. JOHN BROHN.


Sra: observe Tia. the extraordinary and la1esis-
be events Of Hsrpers Ferry have called OH nun-
Der Of writer's upon the history and eosrectef o. tue
DR. ncioAl actor some OF whom are very "he Of tae
msyb, particularly the correspondent Of Ire w.
Y Tsnkf. John Brosr eItrsofeinsry Hi>f,
ard slih0sgh al hight minded men mus; eondema as
lat uai exploit, there u reason Why Jnstice snod
70, be dore q him He IA. born in New-Ecsiani,
which be lei a. early sge and 1as iVeo 70 - o.
bis III. ID Ohio sId Penn syiyanis lie emigra'ed ron
PenpsyiysIis 70 Kaasss, ard settled IN the o-sge
couutry He WAS decided Ant Slavery msn-a re-
Bgious suth asisst rigid Presbyteriar-eorrect aad
corscien.ous in all bis relations and contact, ara
modest srd unsssuming in HE msLnsrs. Az the same
time be was nan Of iron WI Of untifing energy AMI
Of unbounded nsrve. All ~ho know him are I'M
pre,.ed with the belief that be never knew tear, ana
tia, no nan ever lived who e1celed bin IN cool snd
dsrirg rirepiciy. In 81 bis sfays in Kansas be en-
bsrked in the most dangerous and apparently desPer-
ate enterprises and encountered the gresttst odds
with q cool sefpossession sad an unoounded coan-
deuce in his suocess He -as male the oeJec, Of
the rno.t cruel prosecutions OF the Mssouriaas and
al the bitterness AID stern d.tsrn atom Of nature
wee stirred % from their very depths in retaliation
One of his sous vas met slone On the road by large
NAVY OF invading Mssourians, and eruely, brataly
murdered without q cause. Another son wss for no
csupe bat HE political opinions loaded WITH CHAINS
and driven on FOO, before the horses Of his eapors
from OsssatAme to TecBm.eb, under such elrcuHi-
stances Of cruelty destroy first HE reason and
next bis life His OWE hoase sad tue house of his
son were both fred ard destroyed. The women OF
the family gIossly lnsultsd, and committee ap-
pointed Of public mestins following the example OF
! the PIo-Slavery Ell under Emory, who Killed ard
drove cut the Free-Sts'e men Of Leave nworth, no.
tilted Brown sri other Frse-Stste men on Potawst-
annie Creek th q; hey did not eave the Territory IN
three days they would be burg. His friends and
reiphbois were murdered around him; be vas forced
Into war of s.lfdefense, and finally price was pub.
licly set on his head The effect Of these things, IN
connection with all The other outrage oppression ADD
murder per petrstsd around him, upon sman Of Brown
temperament, may be conceived. BE became night
irg msp and developed qualities that excited the sd-
niration and surprise Of bis friends, and made bin the
terror Of his enemies. Though remor.eess and re-
lentess a. death ITSELF be did everything under a
sense Of duty and high religions excitement The
more feryert biz prayers, the harder fell bis blows
and the mere sgna and bloody bis victories, the more
heartily did be return thanks to the Lord after the
fight was over.
A Committee Of fve called on him on one
OCCASION and informed him that he must lesve
the Territory in three days or die-tha. they
would come 20 his house with suft
cent force az the end OF that time and if they found
him still there they would hang him. The old man
Thanked them for the notice, saying, very cooly:
a You EtH not find here then, gentlemen Before
the ext sun rose the FIVE members of that Committee
were in the other world. Whether Brown killed
them or not is unknown bat il is certain had they
lived, that they would have killed him, and no man
knew that better than he On occasion the we'll
known Henry Clsy Pate started on, from Westport,
Missouri, with party Of 80 men, full Of bosstings
ard promises TO catch "Old Brown and take him a
prisoner to Missouri his only fear being that ne would
not be able 10 find him. Brown was very easily
found however for with sixteen men be went out to
meet Pate, and after 9 short fight and few men
killed and wounded at blackjack near the Santa Fe
road Pate and bis party surrendered 10 "Old Brown
with the exception of Wyandot Indian by the name
of Long, and the notorious Coleman who had muir
dered Dow. These two men, being well mounted
made their escape.
Upon another occasion, body of some 300 men
were raised and equipped in Jackson County, No.,
and started into Kansas under the command Of Gen.
Whitfield TO attack ard capture sod Brown" as
every one called him. Brown, who was always vig-
LIANT and wary and possessed of secret means Of
intelligence, had made full preparation to meet the
Missourians, ard was epcamped with 100 men at q
chosen point near the Santa Fe road which he knew
his enemies would pass. He hsd 30 men with Shsrp's
rifles which would kill at half mile and which could
be loaded at the breech and fred with great rspidty,
whom he had concealed in rsvine, lying on the
ground, and commanding the prairie for mile before
them. The residue of the party he had concealed in
the timber, ready at the proper moment for an attack
on the flank of those who might reach the rsyine
alive. Col Sumner, with squad of Dragons, came
down from Fort Lesvenworth and prevented the fight
dsbsndiDg both parties, after which the Colonel was
heard to remark that his interpretation was fortunate
event for tbs Misso1rians IS the arrangements and
preparation made by Brown would have insured their
destruction.
II viii be recolected that in 1856, when Geary came
into the Territory, Atchison and Reid were there
with invading army, vsriously estimated at from
1900 10 200 men, bent the destruction Of several
towns and the determination Of the Free State ner,
and that GeaIy, with great difficulty, negotiated and
persuaded them to retire and that his success was
matter of rejoicing over al the North, there
Free State force assembled of not 500 to resist
them, who were but poorly prepared for the fray
Not so John Brown, who Was greatly veIed at the
result, and who insisted that his friends had lost
happy chance Of putting end to the war; and cover
ing themselves and their with glory The odds
of FIVE to one he counted as nothing i have heard
him often lament the oss Of th chance with the moot
earre st sincerity What FIVE TO one! said ne,
"when our men would be fighting for their wives,
"ther children their homes and their liberties sanst
ga party, one half Of whom were mercenary ysga-
bonds who enlisted for mere froc, lured on by the
4 & L. . L. nd M