Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-02
JOHN BRGWT.

JOHN BIsGWT-
2he story Told by a CoioreG ITontolS Whose
Child II Hlisys3 Whale oh Oit His IFdJ
20 the ScGa;ogd.
louisville Commercel.]
In a back! room Of the dilapidated two
story frame house on the north side of
Congress alley. between Eighth and Ninth
streets, lives man with an unusually
interesting history. It is connected IN a
singular way with q great tragedy. The
name OF the man is James Williams. He
is the man whom John Brown, 'Ossa-
watOmie Brown kissed that fatal day
III December when he was hanged at
Harper's Ferry, martyr for q grand
cause, the first hero in Il war that was TO
free S,000, 600 Of slaves.
Williams is rather good looking black
man, uncducated and illiterate, who
drives coal cart for the O'NeiIs. y
Commercial reporter found him and his
mother in a little room last night.
Mrs. Williams is an auntie of the 0lGen
type. She has black, good humored
face, q red and yellow bandana tied
around her head, and an iuordinate de-
sire to laugh at everything that was SAID.
She was more than willing 10 tell all She
knew, and pulling out Il little STOOL. told
the reporter to sit down and she woud
tell him all she know Of "Massa Brown
~ seed him fust long time before
the war. He was down IN Nirginny,
and lac used to treat us slaves
mighty kind. We were power
! fui fond Of him, ana used to do any
| thing he wanted us To. My 0iassa's
I l. 4
| GiNcral Lee, and was mighty proud
man. lie usedn't to Ike TO see Massa
| Brown comm round among llle darkies,
ana once he ordered him oil the place.
| He taught me 10 read ana write, MasSa
| Brown did, and Gin me this here Bible"
| and the old woman showed up little
Bible with plain leather covers and leaves
| that showed constant using.
Gle kind Of took liRin to me at fuSt,
and told me more than once he would
see that l wuz freed. | used TO tell him
| that he had to he mighty keerful, fur if
he was ever ketched 1t nd re mighty
dark day fur him. But, Lordy she wain't d
| skeered of nobody, that man warn't,' - and
the old annty's eyes grew bright. ale
war regular saint out Of heaven, and
| no mistake.
"When he came back there to the
ferry, just afore the war, and proclaimed
freedom to all the niggers. wuz one Of
| the first to SO to him. Jim, thar (allud-
| ing to her stalWart son, who sat on the
bed drinking in every word his mother
! said), jim, thar, was jest a baby-s
| mighty good lookin' boy he was---and
| when [ left Massa Lees l took him III my
arms. l had a hard time gettn' away.
! We was watched ciOser'n settin' hens,
| and the old massa had two big blood
hounds to track runaway Diggers. L
tried to git my old mantle run away wild
nae, but he was skeer'd and wouldn't. /
wasn't gone two hours when they found
it out. | heer'd the dogs a howlin' arter
me away over the hills, and l knewed
that my only chance was to get down in
the water. l got down to the river, and
rs / could swim like a duck L out
my buds into little bun1le and gam
across. We lived about five miles from
the ferry and everybody thar knowed me,
or leastwise knowed that l belonged to
1Iassa Lee. Still l had to 60 thar, fur L
wanted to see Massa Brown. Next day
when L got thar they had him penned up
in that arsenal. l skulked around town
till night, and then came out trying TO
get suthin' for me and Jim thar. But the
first man | asked grabbed me and sent
for Mass Lee, who was in town looking
for me. [ was sent home the next day
and whipt.
'-Inever heerd tell what had become of
Massa Brown till the day they told me nc
was to hang. Aiissus said she wanted to
see the traitor hung. L went n with her.
You jest oughter seen the way us poor
niggers cried when he came out all
I h
in the wav and was blubperin'
and takin' on, and he Jest looked at me
in the kind way he had with rs niggers
and tried to lay his hand on my head, but
couldn't on account of the ropes, and lie
muttered suthin' in low tone. Then
held up jim, there, and he put his face
right down and kissed that little niger
thar on the forehead. And then he jest
walked right up to the scaffold and made
little speech. You oughter seen how
the crowd cried. Missus jest wept like
it was some kinfolks. The niggers hol-
Jared right out. He knowed most Of 'em
| and had been kind to all. Some OF
| 'em said he was the best friend they had
and now he was gone" Here the recol-
! lection of the great emancipation over
| came the old woman, and she wept quiet
! ~.
When she stopped the reporter asked
her what kind of looking man Brown
Was.
"He was big man with white face
and powerful looking eyes. He coulc
Jest look right through you He had &
funny kind of voice. l never heard any
man who could talk so soft and talk sc
hard when he wanted TO. l never saw
him laugh"
| Psssed ia His Che cKs.
NEw --st(,hir,j1 I'm