Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1882-09-28
Louisville Ky Commercial
A Story of John Brown.

In back room Of the diIhpitated tw o-s story
frame house on the north side Of Congress al
les. between Eighth and Ninth streets. lives
a man with al unusually interesting history.
II j. connected IN a singular way with
great tragedy The name of the man is
James Williams He - the man whom
John Brown, ''OssovatnmIe" Brown kissed
that fatal day IN December v hen he was
hanged at llarprr's Ferry, a martyr for
grand cause the hr-i nero m a var that vas
% tree eight millions 81 slaves.
William. !, a rather good lnoking black
man. uucduca,cd and llIlrratr. who drives
a coal cart for the O'Ncll,. \ Commercial
reporter found him and his mother N itt-
tie room last night
Mrs. Williams Is an auntIe Of the ulden
type. She has a black. good -humurra face
red and yellow handaua tied around her
head. and an inura.nate desire TO laugh al
ryrrS thing tha, Was sand. She vas more
than Wiling to tell al. she Knew, and pail
lug out ttttlc stool, told the reporter to
- down and she would tel. him all she
kne~ u "MAssa Brawu.'
II seed him fl.t a .nng time before the
var. lie vas down ln N.rEnuy. and he
used to treat a. slaves mighty Kind. We
wrrr pusrr'l. fond uf hlu, and used 10 do
ans thing tie wanted ~ 70. Nv mAssas
name was Lee he vas An folks 81 G.ueral
lee and sa- mlghty proud man. lie
.sed'u't I'd Ike 10 see Massa brown comm
ru4nd among III, d4rk!r., anI once hr
ordered him uti the place. He taught me
10 read and Su,e. Na,sA Brpsu did. and
gIn me- TIN, yer B.b.r. and the Did woman
,La~ra up ! "trr Bible ~tH plain .rathrr
cover. auG .ra,,, that shu~sd constant
I,,us
lie k.a5 70 took HA.u To ne 4, iu,t,
and told u.,. nurc than auty he would see thaI
! Slx freed I-,4 ~ tell han tHat he had
% hc m.sgu A,rytui, TOR # he SAs ever
se,caci O; sog.t he a u.s shr, DARK day fur
asm Blf. L.raN ne ~aErni askcrrrI ot
nobody, taAt man ~hrut and the old
a4u,,, rt,. 1t,H hugai. llr ag 4 rex II
lar sam; put Vt heaven. and no mistake.
w hen hc CAME back there % the Ferry
y4,l before iLr var aud proclaimed freedom
ta all tHr u.s.rr., | "a, anv 1i the inst %
x 90 hmm Jim. taar, ta,.ua.ug lo her ,ta.-
aArt sou. Wa1 "a an She bed duuAug u
cNrg, NarI h., mother ,a.I,f Jam. thar,
"a, J.,t a uaut. might, sJo,.-.uuA.n boy
ur aA,-lua ~u,n ! LEI. NA,.A i.rr- | luuA
A~tN- We "a, w,teuca c.o,rrn n ,ttt4u'
hens. AnI Ia. p,4 ,na,,a haI ~" piE hlpud-
tpuud- tu track ruua~aN ulEErrs tired
d. get mN OH suAl 10 rum a~aN s4ia u4c. bat
uc a.. ,AerI e and wouldn't. sArnI gone
tao tl45, naru tu,t found It eat. heer'I
tac lus, a AoWug after ANas over The
Al.l., aud Aup~rd ny puly chance was to
sc, down IA inc ~a,eF go, down 10 the
% ] 8 -, q. /. | matt
ii, duI, into ltttIe bundle and swan
across, We .lsrl about 'i,e miles from the
frrr,. aud ever, buI, thar AuoHcd me- or.
lea,,~.,c Anowcd belonged - NA,'A lee.
Sui hai 70 ~ thar. ilr | ~antcd To
MA-,a Brosu. Next ia, SAen | gut thar
,Ary nat Inn prnnrd Up lu that arsenal.
| ,Aulkrd around town anta night, then
came out tT,Iu To get .utiiu' Tor and
Jim thar. But the tr,t man ! ASKED grabbed
mr and sent TOR M..,a Lee Sha wa- lu
Ioau .ook.u' for me. va, sent homr the
mex; lay and ~hpt.
81 never heard tell shat hal become of
Ma,sA Brown, till the day thri told me he
Va, 10 hang. Mi,sus said she SAulcI 10
,,t thu traitor hung. | vent ia with her.
! ou Je,t uaEt'cr seen the wat Us nsggcrs
cred. auru tie came uut al. bJuui up /
stIuI night ia the Nay, and Ms blulItTn
and taAin pn, and he just looked at me IA
the Kind NAV he had With u ntgger,, and
lurd 90 ID, ni, hand on my head. bat couidu' !
uu account Of ropes, aud he muttrrrd
( ,uluIu' ia a low tone. lnrn | held up Jim
ihrre and lie put his fac, night doSn and Kissed
( the Iil.le ul. ger, Thar On the forehead. And
1 then he just walked right up to the ,cahold
I aud made a .titIe speech. You oGghter seen
+ nov the crowd cried. Mls,us just wept ike
/ II WAs some klnsiOlks. The niggers Jrst
( hollered right out Tie knowed most OF en-
I and had been Kind 10 all. Some Of EN-
4 said he was the best friend they had, and
+ now be Was gone" Here the recollection Of
/ the great einancipator oSercame the old
I woman and she ~ept quietly
When she stopped the reporter asked her
what kind OF looking man Brown was.
lie WI, d big mau WITH white face and
powerful looking eyes. He could just look
night through YOU. lie had funny Kind OF
voice. never heard a man who could
/ talk 50 soft and talk 50 hard when ne want
/ ed to. never saw him laugh"