St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1882-08-25
Old John Brown.

OtIaWd county, WTlItS Il ClllCdSO ITl-
bune correspondent from Cleveland.
Steamers ply regularly between the
bay and Cleveland, Sandusky and To-
ledO. On the west side of the island,
near the waters edge, and half mile
distant from the harbOr, stands small
white cottage, with wide veranda
surrounding it on three sides. The
house is almost hidden from the road
way by a grove of oak trees, and is ap-
preached by n narrow drive leading
through many acres of grapevines.
The owner of this little white cottage
among the trees is John Brown, Jr.,
the eldest son of the patriot and mar
tyr, John Brown of Harper's Ferry
fame. For upwards of twenty years
young John Brown has lived on the
to the cultivation of the Catawba
grape. He is an old man now, past
sixty, and his head is covered with sill
very hair. His wife, matronly lady,
past fifty, met me with smiling face
as | entered the yard, and arose from
her oldfashiOned spinning wheel, at
which she was working on the veranda
as | approached. Beside her sat her
daughter, fine looking miss of nine
teen or twenty. The cottage is neatly
furnished, and the parlOr is ornament
ed with small bookcase filled with
choice volumes, while on the centre
table discovered several volumes rel
ative to old John Brown and slavery.
Alongside of these were several photo
graphs of the old hero and other mem
bers of the Brown family.
Taking the huge rOcking-chair kind
ly offered me, | sat upon the porch,
conversing pleasantly with the lady
wagon loaded with grapevine posts
and trellises and drawn by an old gray
horse came rattling round the side OF
the house and stopped near the shed i'll
the rear, utilized as barn.
A white haired old man, tall in stat
ure, with shoulders slightly bent with
age, sat upon the wagon seat and, as
the horse stopped, the old man jumped
nimbly down from his high perch and
came forward with outstretched hands
to greet me. This was Owen Brown
second son of old John Brown, and the
only living survivor of the Harper's
Ferry struggle. His beard is long and
silvery, and he has every appearance
of ii patriarch. Owen Brown is now
well on to siXty-three years of age
The story of his life reads like rO,
nance. He was one of the Brown
brothers who removed to Kansas in the
early part of the Kansas-Nebrasks
struggle and endured many hardship.
during his sojourn in the then territory
of Kansas. He was with his father il
all the battles fought with the border
rut1ians i'll Kansas, was present at the
meeting called by John Brown at Chat
ham, Que, in 1858; and was presen
at the attack on Harper's Ferry on tina
memorable 18th day of October, 1859
Owens escape from Virginia during
those trying times was one of the mos
miraculous escapades known to histO
ry. OF the little band of twenty -thre,
men who were led to battle agains
! the south oy the hero of Ossawatomy
eight were killed during the attack
and, with the exception of four men
the remainder of the party were cap
tured and afterwards hanged a
! CharlestOwn. Owen Brown and tire,
companions Coppee and Merri
am-were left to guard the school
! house near the ferry, on the night O
the attack and the Monday night fol
lowing, hearing of John Browns fail
ure i'll his attempts to hold his position
against the combined forces of Virgins
and Maryland, the four men fled to tn
mountains. For four days they skirt
ed along the Blue Ridge range, sleep
| ing on the hard ground, and feeding
! e. 4
sylvania line COppee and Merriam ven
tured to a small town and escaped
The one died in New York of IA feve
shortly afterward, and the other en-
tered tile Union army and died for hi
country. Owen Brown and Coo
struggled onward, foOtsOre and weary
until the town of Chambersburg, Pa
was reached. At this place Cook
wife was located. Cook was deter
mined to see her. His companion toll
him that it would be absolute folly t
enter the town, but his words were {
no avail, and Cook deserted him. !
day later the deserter was captured a
ChambeIsburg by Virginians, and wa
taken back to CharlestOwn. He wa
convicted, and was hanged for treasO
on the 10Th day of December, IS5!
Owen Brown continued on his perilou
journey. His clothing was reduced t
rags, and at times he was brought t
the very verge of starvation. He sui
sisted on roots, raw vegetables an
mOsses found in the mountains and o
the farms past which he travelled. Al
ter enduring all manner of hardship
the poor fellow reached Franklin, q
the head of Allegheny river. Here h
obtained employment for few weeks
and finally crossed over the line an
was safe with friends in Ohio. He II
sided in Ashtabula county for a time
but, for many years, has resided {
Putin Bay, with the family of hi
brother Part of this time, hOweve
he has spent on Gibralter island, half
mile distant, where he has had charg
of Jay Cookies property. He is hal
and hearty, and is wonderfully we
preserved when one remembers til
trials and hardships which he ha
passed through.
Just across the lawn from JOh
Browns residence, in very small, III
painted, One-story building, lives Rut
Thompson, "A daughter of old job
Brown. Up to April of the preser
year Mrs. Thompson has lived in Wis
cOnsin, but she was desirOus of spen(
ing her old age with her brothers
Ohio, and consequently moved her
She is over fifty, and has been a criI
pie for upward of twenty years. II,
; hair, which was once a beautiful al
burn, is now slightly tinged with gra
and age is fast telling on her appea
ance. Her husband was one of tt
e unfortunates killed at Harper's Ferr
Mrs. Thompson possesses quite a nun
ber of unpublished letters of her fail
er, and tells me that she has Just con
menced biography of her parent
She has taken great interest III Ia
! fathers life and work, and has a fiji