The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1875-02-18
Where John Brown Got his Rifles.


F. B. Ssn6orn, in the Atlantic
Monthly for February, gives the fol-
lowing:
It happened tn me to be ia Iowa
and Nebraska a month or two before
Captain Brown made his retreat from
Kansas in 1856 but though often
hearing of him I did not meet him.
It was not till the following January,
eighteen years ago, that I made his
acquaintance. I was sitting in the
office OF the State Kansas Committee
in Boston, OF which I acted as Saere-
tary, when one winter morning, there
appeared the most noteworthy per-
son las I then thought, and now
know with whom Kansas affairs had
made me acquainted. A tall old
man, slightly bent and walking with
measured, heavy step, entered the
room, and handed me letter of in
PRODUCTION, which notified me that
my visitor was Captain Brown of
Kansas.
OF course, es 1 talked with him I
watched him closely and his dress
and manner became as deeply i'm
pressed on my memory as did the
salient points of his character. He
had laid aside in Chicago the torn
and faded summer garments which
he wore throughout his campaigns,
and | saw him at one Of those rare
periods in his life when his gaTb was
new. He wore a complete suit of
brown brOadcloth or kerseymere, cut
in the fashion OF 3 dozen years be-
fore, and giving him the air of res
pectable deacon in a rural parish.
But instead of collar he had on a
high stock of patent leather, such as
soldiers used to wear, u gray military
overcO2t with a cape, similar to that
worn in the Confederate army, and a
fur cap. His beard was shaved elOsel,
his hair was tinged with gray, though
far less 80 than at the time of his
death.
His fOEm was angular and lean, his
face thin, his mouth large aud firmly
shut, his eyes not large bnt piercing,
and grayish-blue in color. was not
long in perceiviug that this hero, at
least, was genuine ard to be trusted.
His errand was to obtain the means
for raising and arming a company of
mounted men in Kansas, with whom
to K ep the peace there, and it neces-
sary, to make reprisals in Missouri.
He intimated nothing of his purpose
to act against slavery elsewhere, but
be wished it distinctly understood
that whatever money was c0ntribut-
ed should be left to his discretion in
spending; be would not be RESPONSE
BILE tOSsny com mittee or party for
what he should do with is.
Within & few days the proposition
of Captain Brown was laid before the
State Kansas Committee, of which
Mr.. George L. Stearns was chairman,
and DR.. s. g. Howe, DIR. William r
Lawrence, Judge Russell, DR.. Samuel
Cabot, and others were members. In
the main it was approved, and Cap
tain Brown was promised the custody
of certain rines belonging 10 the COM
mittee, which were then stored in
a considerable sum of money to tran
sport these arms to the place where
he should need them. So well salts
| fed were the committee with what
be had done and proposed to do, that
these votes were passed, if remem
Der rightly, with no opposition, early
in the month OF January, 1857.
But difficulty at once sprung up
of which indeed, Captain Brown haC
warned us. The organization known
as the "NatiOnal Kansas Committee, ,
which was elected at Buffalo in 1856
| and had its headquarters at Chicago
had received these arms in the previ
Gus autumn, and the active member
| of this committee were distrustful ol
| Captain Brown. he was too radica
for them Itwas doubtful, therefore
| IL they would honor the request of thi
Massachusetts, Committee to transfe
| the arms to him.
AS it happened, general meetin!
| of this National Committee. whiel
was made up OF one or more member
from each free State, had been called
to assemble in New York on the %
of January, 1857. At this meeting
which took place at the Astor House
and remained in session two days
Captain Brown was present, urgini
his plan to organize company o
mounted rangers for service IN Kan
sas and Missouri, L was there as ;
delegate (by proxy from Massachu
sets, and caused a resolution to
introduced, transferring the custod
of the Massachusetts rifles to cur owl
State Committee.
This was passed without much OF
position but another resolution, in
| troduced, 1 think by the delegat
from Vermont, aud apprOpriatin
5000 or $4,000 to Captain Brown 70
his special purposes, was vehement.
opposed by Mr.. Henry B. Hurd G
Chicago, and a few OtherS,-amOn
them Mr.. Army Of Illinois, who ha'
taken Abraham LincOln's place Ol
the National Committee. The reason
given by these gentlemen were, tina
Captain Brown was so ultra and vio
lent that he would use the money, ]
voted, in way which the committe
could not sanction and | remembe
that Mr.. Hurd, when Captain Brow!
had withdrawn, urged this argumen
very earnestly. The views OF tn
more radical Eastern members pre-
vailed, however, and the money wa
voted. although only $50 OF it wa
ever paid over to Captain Brown.
Returning from New York and re
porting to the Massachusetts, Commit
tee in Boston, I soon had the pleas
ure ofnotifying Brown that the tw
hundred rifles were at his dispOsa
These were the weapons which, near
ly three years afterwards, were captuI
ed by Colonel Robert Lee at Harper
Ferry. Though originally purchase
for the protection of the Northerl
settlers in Kansas, few of these rife
were ever carried into that Territory
They remained in Western Iowa, no
far from Kansas, for a year or two
and were then sent eastward to be u
ed against slavery in Virginia. A
through the year 1857 and the earl
part OF 1858, however, none of Brown
Massachusetts friends knew that h
had any designs against Virginia