The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1865-09-20
History of Old John Brown.
BY PRESIDENT JOHNSON

| AS part OF the history OF these times,
we copy below part of a speech delivered
by President johnson, in the Senate of
the United States, d ecember II, 1852
1t is fair and truthful history of the
most important period in the history of
Brown, who was one of the chief founders
of the Republican party, the Inauguration
of its policy. Mr.. johnson was speaking
in reply to Senator Doolittle, who had Of
fered, in the Senate, an apology for
Brown, by declaring that his son had
been murdered in Kansas, and that he ac-
ted in revenge for the wrongs he had suf-
fered. In answer to this excuse, Senator
johnson, the present President of the
United States, made the following speech:
cit seems that we have some born
lchristians, who are making old John
Brown their. leader, who are trying to ca
nonize him, and make him great apostle
and martyr. Were these the elements of
christian and christian martyr? When
was the old man Browns son killed when
did he commit these atrocities? Even
admitting the truth of the statement of
the Senator from Wisconsin. they are not
ljustifable, but when we show that the
facts are different they are less so. The
circumstances are stated in the evidence
of Mr.. Harris, which will be found in
report made by Committee of Congress,
and repablished in the Herald Of Free
dom, of Kansas paper that has at its
head for President the name of a Repub-
lican, Mr.. Chase,o Ohio, and Mr.. Banks,
of Massachusetts, for Vice President.
'The circumstances attending William
ShermaDs assassination are testified to by
James Harris, of Franklin County, Kan
! sas. Mr.. Sherman was staying over night
at the house of Mr. Harris, when, on the
9th of May, at about o'clock, Captain
John Brown and party came there, and
after taking some property ,and question
ing Harris and others, Sherman was asked
to walk out. Mr.. Harris, in his affidavit,
SAYS: sOld man Brown asked Mr.. Sherman
to go out with him, and Sherman then
went out with Brown. | heard nothing
more for about fifteen minutes. Two of
/ the Northern army as they styled them
Isalyes, STAYED with US until they heard a
leap burst, and then these two men LETT
Next morning, about ten o'clock, found
! William Sherman dead in the creek, near
my house 1 was looking for him; as he
had not come back 1 thought he had been
murdered. I took Mr., William Sherman
i (body) out of the creek and examined it.
Mrs. Whiteman was with me. Sherman S
lskull was split open in two places, and
some Of his brains were washed out by
the water; large hole was cut in his
breast, and his left hand was cut aft, ex-
cept little piece of skin on one side
i "This was on the Oath of May. [ will
read from the same paper another ex-
tract:
H "sWhen the news of the threatened
siege of Lawrence reached John Brown,
Jr., who was member of the Topeka
Legislature, he organized company of
about sixty men and marched toward
: Lawrence. Arriving at Palmyra, he
learned of the sacking of that town, and
the position of the people. He reconnoi-
tered for time in the vicinity, but finally
marched back toward Ossawatomie. The
night before reaching that place, when
only few miles away, they camped for
the night. Old John Brown, who,we be-
lieve, was with the party, singled out,with
himself, seven men. These he marched
to point eight miles above the mouth OF
the Pottawatomie Greek, and called from
their beds, at their several residences, al
the hour of midnight,o ,on the 24th of May
Allen Wilkinson, William Sherman, Will
liam p 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 sides, and their throats
cut; others with their skulls split open in
two places, with holes in their breasts, and
hands cut off,
"He seems to have had a great passion
for cutting off hands.
s'No man in Kansas has ever pretended
to deny that old John Brown led thai
murderous foray which massacred those
men. Up to that period not a hair of ole
John Browns head ,uor that of his sons
had been injured by the pro-slavery par
6 ty. 1t was not until the 30th of August
, three months after the Pottawatomie mas
.. saere, that the attack was made on Ossa
watomie by the pro-slavery forces, ant
Frederick Brown, son of old j ohm, wa
killed.
ITO show all the facts in regard to tn
massacre of the Oath of May, will rea'
: to the Senate the afidavits of some Of tn
= eye witnesses Of the transaction. ALLIE
Wilkinson was member Of the Kansa
= Legislature, quiet, inofensive man.
!, His widow, Louisa Jane Wilkinson, testi
u fed that on the night of the 24th of May
1856, between the hours of midnight an
. day break, she thinks, party of men cam
: to the house where they were residing AN
> forcibly carried her husband away; tina
they took him in the name of the 'rorth
ern army, and that next morning he wa
!, found, about one hundred and fifty yard
e from the house, dead. Mrs. Wilkinso
J. was very i'll at the time, of measles. Sh
/ says further:
ol "sI begged them to let Mr.. Wilkinso
i stay with me, saying that | was sick an
leI lpless, and could not stay by myself
l. My husband also asked them to let hii
r. stay with me, until he could get some on
), to stay with me; told them that he woul
a not run off, but he would be there til
next day. or whenever called for; the ,ol