Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1867-11-21
From the Cincinnati Times.

marching on.
From the Cincinnati Times.
The query, as Wilkes Booth still
alive Z" which has been agitated for
several months past, seems likely
to give way to- another-"Is old
John Brown dead 7" A cOrrespon-
dent in whom we have reason to
repose some reliance, assures US
positively that the hero of Harper's S
Ferry is still alive and kicking, and
declares that he knows people who
have seen and conversed with him
within a month.
! Our correspondent holds a posi-
ton which should be a guaranty OF
his integrity, but the story which
he tells is a strange one, and he
may have been imposed upon by
his informants, though he assures
US that he knows them to be gen
tlemen of unimpeachable veracity.
In view of the uncertainty as to
whether Booth was actually alive or
not, if it should turn out that John
Browns body isn't ''moldering in
the grave" and that instead Of his
soul marching on, his soles are,
we shall be prone to inquire ''is
anybody dead 2"
Our correspondent claims that al
though Brown was actually captured
at Harper's Ferry, and stood his
trial in person, yet that another
man, strongly resembling him, was
substituted in his place at the exc
cution, and it was this mans body
the first substitute engaged during
the war, by the way-that was in
tered at North Elba, instead of
John Brown. We do not pretend
to youch for the statements made
by our correspondent, and we are
too much astonished by them to
permit us to rake further comment
at present. Here is the letter:
JOHN BRowNs TRACT, N. vi
October 10, 1867. (
EDITOR TINES Il have no doubt
the faces of some persons will wear
an incredulous smile, when | boldly
proclaim through your columns ~
Brother Americans, you have been
deceived; old John Brown is still
alive" That he did live in Kansas
at one time nobody will deny. That
he afterward came East and organ
lied a raid upon Harpers Ferry,
was captured, tried by q Virginia
court and sentenced to be hung, all
will admit; but that the sentence
was executed upon the person of
the stern old radical, am prepared
to gainsay.
may be asked, how do I know
he isn't dead? In reply, because
he has been seen alive by several
people since the day he was claimed
to have been hung. How the man
resembling him so closely was pre-
vailed upon to submit his neck to
the rope in the place of Brown,
remains mystery. Some think he
did it out of personal regard for
old "Ossawatomie" others, that he
was bitter enemy of Browns and
wanted to spite him by letting him
live to see the result Of his labors
and teachings; while others enter
tain the more rational theory that
he was paid handsomely out of the
Kansas fund to save John Brown
by having his own neck stretched.
1t is known, however, that after
Brown had avoided the gallows he
escaped 10 a foreign country New
Jersey, J, and remained there until
the war broke ont, when, having
dyed his hair and whiskers, and as
sumed another name, he got horse
contract, and entered into the con-
genial business of accumulating
horses for the army.
One of my infOrmants. who was
a clerk for Brown at this time, says
he was always greatly moved when
ever he heard a band playing
John Browns Body" Once he
overheard him sort of chuckling to
himself "Guess it amt mouldering
SO much as it was" At another
time, when he and Brown were
obliged to flee on foot from before
some men whose horses they draft
ed into the army, while they were
their legs play to the best
advantage, Brown pointed to his feet,
with grim humor, and sang out
'His sole is marching on"
These things excited queer sur
mises in the breast Of my informant,
who watched his employer closely
He was out of hair dye at one time
when on along march. They came
across no barber, and the result was
that his hair and whiskers resumed
heir natural iron gray color, and
lie horse contractor assumed more
md more the scmblance of Old
Iohn Brol0n, Of Ossawatomie!
After the war closed, nothing fur
her was heard of this mysterious
nan until a few weeks ago, when
leighbor of mine came to me very
much excited, and looking pale,
Who told me that he had actually
ieen and conversed with John
Brown, ofHarper's Ferry notOriety. '
lie said he lived in a cabin by him
ielf, in a wild and unfrequented sec
ion of the tract (JOhn Browns
Troo&l ,,,boro ba aonidantallv pamp