The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1884-01-19

ii
seven in the party. Probably no one but
Brown had any idea of the object of the
expedition John Brown, .Jr., said, as they
rode away, Father, be careful; do nothing
rash" They camped that night near the
Pottawatomie Greek, and Brown revealed
his plans, and asked Townsley to guide
them up the creek to near where he lived,
and point out the houses of the pro-slavery
men. He said he intended to sweep the
creek of all the pro-slavery men living ON
it. Townsley refused 1t seemed to him
and some of the others that this sort of
killing was murder Brown urged that it
was 'war;" that God had ordained it; that
if they struck decisive blow the peace
policy of the Free State men would be
ended, and they would be obliged to unite
and fight Missouri. Late Saturday even
ing they yielded to Browns entreaties and
started on their expedition.
The first victims were family named
Doyle, on Mosquito Creek. Townsley,
Wines and Frederick Brown remained out
side the house, while the captain and the
rest of his family entered the house and
brought out james P. Doyle and his two
sons, Drury and William. These prisoners
were taken along the road toward Dutch
Henry's, about two hundred yards, where
Brown ordered them to be slaughtered
The order was misunderstood or disobeyed.
Old Brown then drew his pistol and shot
James Doyle in the forehead. Watson and
Oliver then fell upon the younger Doyle
with their sabres. William fell dead at the
first stroke of heavy sabre, and Drury
started to run, but was pursued and shot
down. The life of son sixteen years old
was spared in the house on the fearful en-
treaty of his mother.
The next house visited was that of Allen
Wilkinson. Mrs. Wilkinson was sick with
the measles. The men outside asked him
to come out and show them the way to
Dutch Henry's. He replied that he could
tell them the way without coming to the
door The Browns then demanded that he
should surrender to the Northern Army,
as the seven called themselves The door
was opened and four men entered and ran
sacked the house, taking gun and powder
flask They told Wilkinson to put on his
clothes and go with them. He protested
that he must stay with his sick wife, but
that he would remain at home and answer
any charge against him. Mrs. Wilkinson
entreated, but the captain said, at matters
not and marched her husband away,
without giving him time to put on his
boots. He was killed about $50 yards
from the house by the younger Browns,
acting under the captains orders.
About two o'clock in the morning the
party reached Dutch Henry's crossing and
knocked at the door of house where were
sleeping four men and woman and child
ren. The Northern army" commanded
surrender, took possession of the house, and
made inquiries as to other pro-slavery men,
arms and horses, and whether these men
had ever aided the pro-slavery men. Sat
isfactory answers were received from two Of
them One, named William Sherman, was
hacked to pieces with the sabres, and an
other, named Jerome Glanville, was taken
prisoner, and the party went back to its
camp of the previous evening. And there
they breakfasted ''As the early light of
that Sunday morning, May %, 1856, came
over that new land, so lately wilderness,
showing here and there at wide intervals a
cabin, with a little field of planted ground,
it revealed FIVE CHASTITY corpses lying in the
grass. Two widows, with their fatherleSs
children, were weeping over their dead.
They knew then what the world does not
know even yet, that this was the work of
John Brown
These midnight murders startled the
whole community. When John Brown,
Jr., heard the news the next morning he
resigned his command and rode away home.
He was arrested for the crime and driven
chained several miles in the hot sun until
he became insane. HHis father used to
show the chain in the East on his money
raising excursions, and showed great emo
ton in narrating John Juniors sufferings
and consequent insanity, He may well
have shown emotion. That son suffered
for his fathers crime, which at the very
time he was hiding and denying" Insane
John Junior certainly was for time, but
when any one attempted to give mitigating
circumstances for the murder he would ex-
claim: Do not attempt to offer anything in
palliation of such crime. Nothing can
excuse it. 1t was unequaled in atrocity,
and displayed only cowardice. Had the
same deed been done in open day it would
have shown more manliness, but to call
men from their beds at midnight, and to
cut them down in cold blood, is infinitely
more savage than was the chopping in
pieces by drunken rabble of r. p. Brown
at EastOn."
The effect of these murders was very
different from what John Brown had an
ticipated. Public resolutions lamented
them as unfortunate. Even the abolition
lists of Lawrence almost unanimously de-
nounced the deed The Missourians came
over to hunt the Browns and shoot them on
sight, They did shoot Frederick. They
! burned the cabins of the Browns, drove
away their stock, and took vengeance in
whatever way they could, Browns re-
sistance and how he fought at Black Jack
are well known. tits not generally under
stood, however, that all this fighting at
( Osawatomie and Black Jack grew out Of
the Pottawatomie assassinations. The i'm
preston was really made in the East at the
time, and has prevailed since, that the
Pottawatomie affair was in retaliation fox
these abuses and outrages committed upon
the Browns by the Border Rufians."
The subsequent career of Brown was
determined by these events. He knew his
life was forfeited if the law could fairly get
hold of him. He cast all upon the desper-
ate venture at Harpers Ferry, with what
result the world knows. In that last act
of his bloody drama, undertaken ostensibly
for the benefit of the negro race, the first
victim was a poor, inoffensive negro, the
porter of the Wager House, who was shot
as he ran from Browns party. Great
events have interviewed. Passions once al
white heat are cooling down. The past i
being reviewed in the light Of calmel
time. And among the readjustments which
history must make it is perhaps alread,
time that the once heroic figure of Johr
Rrown should disannaar and give nlace f0l