New-York tribune., 1867-08-20
ccRRIT SMITH AND JOHN BROWN

nj that time was IN Springfield Massachusetts hau %
Recently distributed 10000 acres Of land among 49,
colored nen This land was IN number OF oounuoo a.
yhe stato Of New-York Some Of the gnntees l'" ,u
removed to ther parcels in Essex and Franklin
yhorcsy the Great body Of it. 1t was among tsese tua'
Brown pnrposed 10 fnd home for himself ana IainiV'
aud THAI purpose was realized. In 'hs "ISe oeei
any ACQUAINTANCE with mat remarkable mana aegu
ance which soon rpened into warm ana ~onuuI.e ~
friendship His lndnesses 10 the httle coleu oTe
fts of barrels OF hOnr and other necessales anu
ial lin advice and guidance, were I its friend and
FOR II was incessant He Was ln Wo IN. ~ and there
FATHER There was his home until ms oelni h ~ boSv'
Of the farms ne oDte s Hausas 10 his home lie
-istM sterborO Here, rs in some other places S
,Iatet Ills recent success In running on slaves 70 O3du
and asked Contributions toward continuing MS sOO WIN
on 9n ] m faxed to nebut he never counseled with
ms P2 on to some of bis nend he
id not feel free 20 tell as he did TO tel DINERS te
6eleye that in addition TO his fOrmerw ways of helping on
slaves he meant TO into mountain or mountains OF
Slave State and invite slaves TO nee 70 hlm ana 70 ave
ihem resist attempts y their rec9pture con con,
fcss that with al my leangs 70 non Te9isallGe @ ou
rot eht Tor his liberty, aud stand for hs life. who may
III 81 Po'1 hs aTnsr Bht tRSt Brown intended general in
surecton the taking o. any life except MS VINO was
the pit OSiayoy those WHO had escaped nom It, there Is
Net the slightest reason to believe Not the iedSt ev
had great horror OF boOdshod lie said IN my hearing
and sad IT, TOO rom the GsPs Oi m ms @ nu1 I take
ia savs i lie strictst tense II was his cOusOla
fo3 elvernc Slaves he had never hurt the person
of any great cllme against the sacred memory oI
John BrOYn is the charge that e emDafkea ~ Any @
jnsuIrecton df that may be called onc) than hehS OH
slaves aud protecting them. go,
left Peter6oro April IA 1889 and never @ Iede1 @
communication with hs direct or indirect tousnE % Ebaf
plans or movements. HIS only letter TO- me attel tnat
time was few lines respecting his inability TO OBTAIN tne
payment OF note had gwen ihm IHS nOe r iUl S i
Kansas months after reee we'd that leteT was AZ
loss 70 know Where ne %SI 6 o So an Eastern or
t6iH Was In August that learned in indirect
xvay-.perhaps from mere rumOr-that Brown was in
ChamhersbuTg In a similar way learned, only very
ecsnt upon arpers Ferry, that Brown had gone into
Slave State well remember looking into an Atlas 10
see what mountain or mountains he had probably gone
TO- l hoped that the next news would be the welcome
of stampede OF slaves But instead OF mat " was
the painful news OF the Hapers felfy a1r' 5 ha %
myself The slightest knowledge nor lntlnati0n OF bIpW
Intended invasion OF HaTPePs tSr{ & aa oe Tn1 man WHO
was SO Intimate with Brown testified before the 5e1ae
yasion questioned whether single person 10 all tine
North knew anything of it, Thus also tesllnea tnat
other excellent friend of Brown DR. Howe of Boston
Indeed not person testified before the committee
that he knew aught of the intende4 INVASION nor MaS
this universal ignorance In the matter III the least degree
strange for II turns ont that 1t was only very leW
weeks before his descent upon Harp9f FeS @ 10 e
reported expressed deep regret at thus change III s
Having heard that some persons understand that
Browns words, in his two days interview with Mr. tfed
with TINS Invasion of Harpors FoIy; TO convict him OF
Of gene
edge Og It, asked Mr. Douglass to write me resIecLg
that interview As his letter goes % 70 & Meb , bePe
with give it TO the public; r..,,.... .no 1851
Hon Grasrr sxlrn-My Dear SIR say distinctly that
JObuowD declared nor nmstsd TO me 9Ss & H & sAs % % &
proposed the escaping Of slaves and Their standing r
Their who Should pursue then For years before Sp S
s % m ei there and stard for their freedom His
object Wss to make property Improbable by making Insecure
told bad 9a general IDEA q ~, ' 5 gnSS' d @ as, ~ he 3a 3
ana dangerous Three or four weeks RTeoa' 70 bis n aston @
hin Al ChsmSerSus Pa IbadT and in that Interview Informed
% & % ,sp he h slsS'a ssE % he 1RSs . sSi &S & 5S tel
knew HSeg Of iss 5eS pa9 & SG nG q saPSS SS ~ any " w D
Capt Brown told me thyOu knew anything Of hs guns or
You make ls statement any way you
Much has been SAID of Browns guns, ana how he got
Them 90 nSi ssSeS So 1S9s II the
Harpers Ferry affair, that he had obtained possession Of
impress~n that he had told me- several years ear before
the honest SS ettiers in Kansas Was surprised but
SoTIsss TSs q Ct p an % that he meant to put Pike
into he haads OF fugitive slaves, with which TO defent
% sns S SnTG fG eG Rom Y" have
here said that supposed John Brown would enter uPoL
having heard Out cannot recall In what way that at OF
about the Brown entered the land OF slaves, boxes
OF disguised arms entered with him.
But it is said that gave money 70 Brown In the year
Of HaTpers Ferry and to help produce an nsurrec-
tion. understandable inference IL Is also inferred from
my giving him money in 1859, that gave him much
money that year Another unwarrantable inference
Kanss no might fan in with Every year from that TO
means lie often asked me for small sums. meyer
fused him. And yet, the whole Of what gave
hardly thousand doars-an amount not greater than
what might well have given him in return for his gifts
and goodness to my cOlOred cOonsts, Ever after he
began HE brave ana effective abOrs in Kansas told him
to use, at his own discretion what he received from me-
must. however admit, that trusted he would use it
chiefly for the deliyerance Of the oppressed.
The reader is perhaps, surprised that gave by the
many thousands to the Kansas and other antisavery
associations and yet made by gifts small TO even the
wOTiest individuals, who labOred withme in the
of these associations The explanation is found in Tar
greater reliance the collective wisdom In these assO
crtiOns than the wisdom Of the wsest individual.
TO return II wrong in to give Brown money to
help ho oppressed withf If so how then be right
in to give money to Daniel oConne, to Polish com,
mtees to italian Republicans 60 the Greeks now, and
also more than 40 years agOi Was IL wrong because my
mans man Was il wrong because there was law
for saveryf knew no law for piraey-least Of all
less injurious crime of murder would recognize law
cay less Injurious for what rghtminded parent would
sacred thing, and therefore, deny that the abon
nation OF slavery can DC eI9oodied IN IT, suSn 3y the
unhappy TO fan under the yoke OF slayey-and there
But my gifts TO Brown show only small part of my
relations win hin For many years ana down 70 the t9e
He borrowed money from me. He deposited money
with me-. He bought farms from me. The title OF 50
acres of land which he bought from me In 1858 and then
paid for he left In my name, when he bade Fare
welF' on tine l4th OF April 1859 ana IN my name ~ re
manned the his DEATH did not hold the land
sulec 10 repayment OF the he drew from in
1858 and 1852 These sums were not advances or loans,
but gifts-and gifts too, admit to help him deliver his
I'must not omit 70 say that my money dealings and
land dealings with Brown did not all pass through my
hands More Of them passed through the hands Of
Mr. Cnkins, who has been my clerk for the last 80
knew more OF my business with Brown than did. I
might add that he knew OF Brswn himself than
but also at Browns residence where never saw him
NOM tat have done speaking OF NY relations to John