The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1865-08-09

the United States, Dec. 10Th, 1859.
Mr.. johnson was speaking in reply t.
Senator Doolittle, who had offered in tn,
Senate an apology for Brown, by declaring
that his son had been murdered in Kansas
and that he had acted in revenge for tn,
wrongs he had suffered. In answer to thi.
excase, Senator johnson, the present Pres
ident Of the United States, made the fol
lowing speech:
II seems that we have some new borr
christians, who are making John Brown
their leader, who are trying to canonize hin
| and make him . great apostle and martyr
Were these the elements of christian and
christian martyr? How do the facts stand
in this case? When was old man Browns
son killed, and when did he commit these
atrocities? Even admitting the truth o.
the statement of the Senator from Wiscon.
sin, they are not justifaLle, but when We
show that they are different, they are less
SO. The circumstances are stated in the
evidence of Mr.. Harris, which will be found
in report made by a committee of Con
gress, and published in the Herald o.
Freedom, Of Kansas paper that has al
its head for President the name of repub
lican, Mr.. Chase, of Ohio, and Mr., Banks,
Of Mass, for Vice President.
The circumstances attending VIM. Sher.
mans assassination are testified by James
Harris, of franklin county, Kansas. Mr..
Sherman was staying over night at the
house of Harris, when, on the Oath of May,
at about o'clock, Capt John Brown and a
party came there, and after taking some
property and questioning Harris and others
Sherman was asked to walk out. Mr. Har.
ris, in his affidavit. says: "Old man Brown
asked Mr.. Sherman to 60 out with him, and
Sherman went out with Brown. l heard
nothing more for about fifteen minutes.-
Two Of the Northern Army as they styl
ed themselves, stayed with as until they
heard cap burst, and then these two men
left. Next morning, about 10 o'clock,
found VIM. Sherman dead, in the creek
near my house. | was looking for him; as
he had not come back though he had been
murdered. l took Mr.. Sherman's body
out Of the creek and examined it. Mrs
Whiteman was with me. Sherman's skull
was split open in two place, and some ol
bis brains were washed out by the water
large hole was cut in his breast, and his
left hand was cut off, except little piece
Of skin on one side
This was the oath day Of May. I will
read from the same paper another extract
When the news Of the threatened siege
Of Lawrence reached John Brown, Jr. who
was a member of the Topeka legislature, he
organized company of about sixty men
and marched towards Lawrence. Arriving
at Palmyra, he learned of the sacking oi
the town and the position of the people, -
He reconnoitered for time in the vicinity
but finally marched back towards Ossawat.
tamie. The night before reaching that place
when only a few miles away, they camped
for the night. Old John Brown, who, w
believe. was with the .party, singled out,
with himself, seven men. These he march
ed to point eight miles above the mouth
of the Pot.awat,amie creek, and called from
their beds, at their several residences at the
hour Of midnight, on the oath day of May
Allen Wilkinson, Win. Sherman, Wm. p
Doyle, VIM. Doyle and Drury Doyle. All
were found the next morning, by the road
side, or in the highway, some with cash
in their heads and side, and their throats
cut; others with their skulls split open in
two places, with holes in their breasts, and
hands cut of
He seems to have had a great passion
for cutting off hands.
d, No man in Kansas has pretended to deny
that old John Brown led that murderous
foray which massacreed those men. Up
to that period not hair Of old John
Browns head or that of his sons, had been
injured by the pro.slavery party.
1t was not until the 3Oth Of Aug, three
months after the Pottawattamie massacre
that the attack was made on Ossawatamis
bv the pro-slavery forces, and Frederick
Brown, son Of old John, was killed.
To show all the facts in regard to the
massacre Of the Oath of May, l will read to
the Senate the affidavits of some If the eye.
witnesses of the transaction. Allen Wilk.
inson was member of the Kanses legisla.
ture-a quiet inoffensive man. His widow
Louisa Jane Wilkinson, testified that on
the night Of the cath of May, 1856, between
the hours of midni sht and daybreak, she
thinks, party Of men came to the house
where they were residing, and forcibly car.
ried her husband away; and they took him
su NuV hotA1O VI SAC AIuJy, uuu
that next morning he was found about l5C
yards from the house, dead. Mrs. Wilkin.
inson was very Ill at that time, Of measles
She says further:
i begged them to let Mr.. Wilkinson stay
with me. saying that was sick and help
less, and could not stay by myself. My
husband also asked them to let him stay
with me until he could get some one to wal,
ion me: told them he would not run of,
but he would be there next day or when.
ever called for the old man who seemed
to be in command looked at me, aud then
around at the children, and then replied
you have neighbors p replied, so ]
have, but they are not here, and | cannot
60 for them, The old man replied, Il,
matters not aud told him to get ready
Ny husband wanted to put on his boots
and get ready, SO as to be protected from
the damp and night air, but the would not
let him. Then they took my husband
away ,d
7 =
After they were gone, thought heard
my husbands voice in complaint.
Next morning Mr.. Wilkinson's body
was found about one hundred and fifty
yards from thu house, in some dead brush.
\ lady who saw my husbands body said
that there was cash in his head and side.
Others said that he was cut in the throat
twice 5.-...raH #r. 81 ga..
Mr.. Doyle and his sons were murdered
on the same night with Sherman and Wilk.
inson; aud Mrs. Doyle's deposition gives
this account of it:
(Here follows several deposilions.)
! Mrs. Doyle wrote letter to John Brown
during his imprisonment, showing that she
still regarded him as the murderer Of her
husband aud Children:
CHATTANOOGA. Tenn, Nov. 20, 1860.
John Broom: Sir-Although vengeance
is not mine, confess that l do feel gratifled
to hear that you were stopped in your