Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-09-02
JOHN BROWN.
TIE Story Tefd By u Cniored Iyo1ssaaa Those
C5ofJd he Kissed Whale on His yoy
30 The SeOTOiG.

The St0r2j Tofd By u Catered Iyo1sscas Those
C5afJd he Kissed Whiss His 'yoy
30 The SeoGotd.
louisville Commercial.
In back room of the dilapidated two
story frame house on the north side Of
Congress alley, between Eighth and Ninth
streets, lives q man with an unusually
interesting history It is connected IN Il
singular way with great tragedy. The
name of the man IS James Williams. lie
is the man whom John Brown, "Cssa-
watOmie BrowD," kissed that fatal Gay
IN December when he was hanged at
Harper's Ferry, martyr for "a grand
cause, the first hero in a war that was to
free 5000, 600 of slaves
Williams is rather good looking black
man, uneducated and illiterate, who
drives a coal cart for the O'Neils. A
Commercial reporter found him and his
mother in little room last night.
Mrs. Williams is an auntie Of the 0lden
type. She has {. black, good humored
lace, q red and yellow bandana tied
around her head, and an inOTdinate de-
sire to laugh at everything that was SAID.
Size was more than willing 10 tell all she
knew, and pulling out q little stool. told
the reporter to sit dowa and she would
tell him all she know Of 'sMassa Brown
81 seed him fust long time before
the war. He was down in Virginny,
| and he used to treat Us slaves
mighty kind We were power
| ful fond Of him, and used to do any
thing he wanted us to. My Massa's
name was Lee; he was kinfolky Of old
GiAeral Lee, and was a mighty proud
man. He usednt to like to see Massa
Brown comm round among the darkies,
and once he ordered him oil the place.
He taught me to read ana write, Massa
Brown did, and gin me this here Bible"
and the old woman showed up q little
| Bible with plain leather covers and leaves
that showed constant using.
''He kind of took likin 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 be mighty keerfui, fur il
he was ever ketched 1t I'D BE q mighty
dark day fur him. But, Lordy! ,he warn't d
skeered of nobody, that man warn't," and
the old aunty's eyes grew bright. "He
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 oil
the first to go to him. jim, thar (allud-
ing to her stalwart son, who sat on the
bed drinking in every word his mother
said), Jun, thar, was Jest a baby-a
mighty good lookin' boy he was--- and
when [ left Massa Lees took him in my
arms / had hard time gettin' away
We was watched cloSer'n Settin' hens
and the old MESA had two big blood
hounds to track runaway Diggers.
tried to git my old man to run away vic
me. but he was skeer'd and wouldn't.
wasn't gone two hours when they found
it out. [ herd the dogs hOwliu' artel
nae away over the hills, and L knoweC
that my only chance was TO get down il
the water. | got down to the river, anC
as | could swim like duck | pu
t my buds into little bundle and gan
across. We lived about i've miles from
the ferry and everybody thar knowed me
or leastwise knowed that l belonged tt
Massa Lee Still had to go thar, fur
wanted to sec Massa Brown. Next da,
J when | got thar they had him penned VI
in that arsenal. | skulked around town
| till night, and then came out trying +
get suthin' for me ard jim thar. But tn
first man | asked grabbed me and sen
for Mass Lee, who was in town, looking
for me. | was sent home the next da
! and whipt
.Inever heerd tell what had become 0
Massa Brown till the day they told me h
: was TO hang. Missus said she wanted t
see the traitor hung. L went in with hel
TOu Jest Oughtar seen the way us poo
{ niggers cried when he came out al
bound up. stood RICH
in the way and was blubperir
and takin' on, and no jest looked at m
bin the kind way he had with US niggers
and tried to lay his hand on my head, bu
e couldn't on account Of the ropes, and h
@ inuttered suthin' in low tone Then
held up jim, there, and he put his fac
i, | right down and kissed that little nigge
u thar on the forehead. And then he jes
: walked right up to the scaffold and mad
o little speech. You Oughter seen ho1
the crowd cried AIissus jest wept Xix
it was some kinfolks. The niggers h Of
Jared right out. He knowed most of EN-
and had been kind to all. Some {
em said he was the best friend they haC
. and now he was gone" Here the recol
lection of the great emancipation over
came the old woman, and she wept quiet
2 ".
When she stopped the reporter aske
e her what kind of a looking man Brow
r was
t "Hewas big man with a white fac
and powerful looking eyes. He couI
jest look right through you. He had
funny kind of voice. l never heard an
: man who could talk so soft and talk s
d hard when he wanted to. I never sa
| him laugh"