The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-10-31
JOHN BROWN.


CONTINUED FROM THEI FIRST PAsE.l
food, the "dTied" blood of the victims is
seen upon them by the prisoner. Phe
prisoner was set at liberty during the
morning, but was a little too free in
what he said about the Browns, and was
shot not long afterwards near Black
Jack, while on his way to Kansas City
in a wagon.
The community was at first startled
and shocked by the report of their mid
night murders. Old John Brown and
his company of seven arrived at the
camp that they had left on Ottawa Creek
about midnight between Sunday and
Monday after the assassinatiOns. The
news was known there the next morn
ing, and John Brown, jr., Immediately
resigned his command of the rifle COM
pany, mounted his horse and rode away
home. He was soon after arrested for
his crime and severely used, it is said,
being driven, chained, many miles in
the hot sun. after he became insane.
His father used to show the chain in the
east on his mOney-Taising excursions,
and showed great emotion in narrating
John Juniors sufferings and consequent
insanity. The son suffered for the
fathers crime, which at the very time
he was hiding and denying.
The effect of these murders was very
great upon the community and on the
fortunes of Kansas; bnt IL was not at
all what the commander nf the north
ern-army" anticipated. He expected to
pTecipitate a revolution; but instead of
this, the AbOlitiOnists of Lawrence, even
almost unanimously denounced the deed. |
Public resolutions were passed concern
ing the matter, lamenting it as most |
unfortunate. The MissOurians, how
ever. came on, intlamed with righteous
wrath, hunting old John Brown and
his boys, ready to shoot them at sight. |
Frederick they did shoot thus, and they
burned the cabins of all the Browns and i
all their kin, drove away their stock |
and took advantage upon them in what |
ever ways they could. Browns resis-
tance and how he fought at Black Jack, |
are well known. 1t is not generally |
understood, however, that all this fight |
ing at OsawatOmie and Black Jack grew |
out of the POtawatomie assassinatiOns. |
The impression was really made in the |
East at the time, and has prevailed |
since. that the POtawatOmie affair was
in retaliation tor their abuses and out |
RACES committed upon the Browns by |
the border rufiians. The effect |
of this crime upon the character and |
career of old John Brown was peryasIve,
decisive, overwhelming. After that |
night he knew that his life was forfeit; |
and he fought, and begged, and planned |
with daspeTateness born of his danger
He could not live in Kansas, he could |
not live safely or peacefully anywhere. |
He must light on to the end now. The |
RubicOn was passed. He cut off his |
long beard, probably as a disguise, and |
sought help in New England, reciting |
the woes of his family, but cOncealing |
their cause. His desperate earnestness |
won the confidence and the hearts of |
Of Nnr 30,
nOblest men. Had they known fully |
what he was and what he had done, or |
even what he intended, they would not |
have armed and helped him as they did. |
The cal hero of Black Jack |
was Captain Shore. OsawatOmie was |
not victory, but defeat of the free |
state party, and no particular bravery |
was shown by anybody. Old John |
Brown ran away in time to save his life. |
which was all we'll enough; only there |
is a popular impression that he did |
great things at thi battle of OsawatO- |
mie." That fight, the pillage, and the |
burning were i'll consequence of his |
crimes, and for the whole he deserves |
censure rather than praise. At the time |
of Browns execution in Virginia, which |
was called in Boston his public murder, |
while the deluded AbolitiOnists were ex
alting to the skies a man they did not |
know, free-state paper, the Herald of |
Freedom, of Lawrence, was printing |
the plain, unvaTnished truth about him |
and begging the Republicans of |
America not to make hero of him. 4 |
His real object, from the fatal |
night on the POtawatOmie till his death, |
was to provoke the South and commit |
the North to violence and bring on a |
war. He did not do it; and, disDassiOn- |
ately weighed after twenty years, the |
verdict of thoughtful men must be that |
the influence of bringing on the war |
that afterwards came was in |
fnitesimal. The war was brought |
on by Northern votes and South |
eTn secession. The war senti- |
ment caught the name of Brown and |
glOrified it, bnt the man himself was all |
wrong in principle and practice.
His principles were those of the Rus |
sian Nihilist-frst make a clean sweep |
of the present civilization, and let the |
future build what it can. Surely such |
a man is not a proper hero for the youth |
of our country to worship, and we be- |
lieVe that as his true history, too long |
concealed, becomes known admiration |
for him will change to disgust, and dis |
gust to anger, that We have been so |
long deceived. DAVID N. UTTER.