The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1881-02-23
Ghe Gntelligsuter.
The hanging OF John brown.

The following remarkable letter from
Fernando Wood to Governor Wise, oil
Virginia, advising the commutSIion ol
John Browns sentence to imprisonment
for LIE, has been printed:
NEW Yogx, Nov. 9, ls59.-7k Hon, Fl.
1 IIue-ME DEAR SIR: Read this letter
aver carefully, and, whether conCurring
ornot in its view, believe 1t emRnaIes from
yonr friend, and man who has q thor
ough knowledge Of the pulse ot the peo.
ple of the Free States. Your proceedings
and conduct thus far in the matter OF the
conspiracy at Harper's Ferry meet with
general approval, and elicit commentator
from your enemies. The hrmnesa and
moderation which have characterized your
course caunot be too highly applauded,
and to-day you stand higher than any
other man in the Union. Now, my friend,
dare YOU do hold thing and temper JUS
,ire with merCyW Have you nerve
enough to send Brown to the State Prison
lar life instead OF hanging him2 Or rather
| should ask whether such course would
be consistent with your own sense
Of duty, for know that that Is the
sole controller Of your official conduct.
Brown is looked upon here as q mere
crazy or iOol'hArdy emiSsary OF other
men, Circumstances create q sympathy
for him even with the most ultra friends
Of the South. am OF this latter class, as
hy recent speeches you may have observed,
no Southern man could 90 further than
myself in behalf Of Southern rights; but
vet, were | the Governor OF Virginia,
Brown should not be hung, though Sew.
ard should be II could catch him, and
in such course my conduct would be
governed by sound policy. The South
will gain by showing that 1t can be mag.
unanimous to q iana'ic In its power. We
who fight lis battles can gain largely by
pointing to such an instance Of "Chiyalry,"
lon can Judge Of Southern sentiment
better than myself / can judge OF North.
arn sentiment better than you. II the
South will suBLain such an act the whole
North will rise up en- RuSSe to applaud 1t.
haVsthus briefly and frankly discharged my
duty as your friend, to give advice under
trying circumstances.
Very truly yours,
FERNANDO WooD.
Woods advice 10 Governor Wise was
sound at the time as a matter OF political
policy, but neither Wise nor the politl.
clans Of the South were capable Of appre.
ciating 1t. Wise himself was a desperate
candidate Tor the Presidency, and he
would not have dared to arouse such sen.
timents 40 would have followed the com.
mutation OF Browns sentence. The case
somewhat resembles that OF JEFF DaviP.
The wlsest thing the Government ever did
was to let JetI Davis go. He has been an
insignificant citizen for many years past,
and his utteranCes from time 10 time have
been a positive benefit 10 the Republican
party, whereas II he had been hung he
would have always been the representative
martyr Of the Lost Cause" The iorbear.
snce to cater to popular frenzy in season
Of great excitement is the highest per.
lection Of statesmanshlp. The South had
no such Satesmanship when 1t hung
John Brown for his rash and mistaken
deed at IIarper's Ferry. It rushed on in
Tia frenzy and made him martyr, and
the consequence Ia that as long as
song and story exist in our literature the
msrlyrdom Of John Brown for freedoms
sake will be enshrined in the popular