The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1884-02-05
JOHN BROWN OF OSAWAT&D-
VIE.
Some Further Account Of His lsru.
tal amSl bloody Dee&l~.

Sses e~sssA sSsOVuN eDCCuS.
GEoRGETowN County, Dec. 20, 1888.
10 the Editor Of tie Charleston Ne,cs and
Cenrier:
Some weeks since an article appeared
in one Of your supplements, from the pen
Of the Rev David n. Utter, giving the
true history, as he saw it, of old John
Brown. | took the liberty of writing a
few words of approval To him. In reply
| have his letter of the 18th of Decent er,
together with the enclosed printed slip,
the publication Of which | think would
interest many of your readers, certainly
the older ones. Yours respectfully, NJ
From the Rockford, H., journal Herald
In the November (le93) number of the
North Anaericdn Reyie,0, one of the old
est and most substantial magazines of
this country, appears paper entitled
" John Brown, of OsawatOmie," from the
pen of the Rev. ID. n Utter, of the Church
Of the Messiah, Chicago. The writer.
with winged Words" gives the public a
chapter on the doiags Of John Brown in
Kansas, and shows that, instead of merit
| ing fame for his services there, he deserves
eternal infamy. He gives the details Of
that terrible midnight assassination, on
the Pottawatomie, in Kansas, on the night
of May 23-24, 1856, with much of its
sickening details.
Mr. Utter is no doubt in possession of
all the facts, which were drawn out bv
the publication in the columns of the
Ga~cttc III this city, in the autumn and
winter of lS79Su, written by our towns
man, DR. &. w. Brown, and which was
copied at length into two Kansas papers
and subsequently, published in pamphlet
form, entitled "reminiscences OF Old
John Brown-Thrlling Incidents OF Bor
der Life in Kansas" For twcntv-four
years the facts III regard to those terrible
murders were suppressed, as far AS the
Rep lbIican newspapers of the country
were capable of suppres>ng them The
articles, which required nearly six m, nths
for their publication, excited the people
Of Kansas to an extent never dreamed of
before The admirers of John Brown
were determined still further to suppress
the truth, while the friends of impartial
history were determined the bottom facts
should be reached. The &C clincher" came
when James Townsley, Esq, who accom-
panied the aSsasslns on that midnight
numbering expedition, detailed, over his
own signature, the awful incidents of that
night, and stated that John Brown killed
the first victim with his own band
Save the few accompiccs of Old John
Brown, who were connected with him, ad-
visory to the reasonable attacks ON Nir-
glnia, no one has attempted defence of
tho With th.. ,nb.l., L.,
fore the country his name and fame will
pass into oblivion, or will be only remem-
bcred with other scourges Of mankind"
But our object in this article is to in
troduce a letter from the pen If y Eyglp-
ston, of Scion, Cuvahoga county, Ohio.
written to the editor of the NoHh .IDteri-
cuu Rerietc forwarded bv him to Rev. ID.
N. LCtr, vi chicago, ana Lntncr 10 cILI-
zen OF this city, who has placed it in our
hands for publication. OF course We
know nothing of the facts Mr. Eggeston
describes, save the selling of the stolen
horses in Cleveland That incident John
Browns biographer has detailed with
great minuteness.
Mr.. Eggleston's letter will be passed
around by the press. Possibly in due
time something more will be known of
Old John Brown than his eulogists have
cared to tell:
SOLON. o., October 1S, 1888
hsAtor Repiem | am "A subscriber tor the Re
Weo, and have just read in the November num-
Der the article entitled John Brown, of Osawa
tonic" frannot wait to read anything else-I
must thank you'll want 10 thank the Rev. David
N Cucr. Please give me his address on Il card
and | will thank you again. | knew The old
scoundre long before the war long before Kan
sas was known ; long before abolition had many
advocates. He tried to blow up his molher-in-
law with powder; he was guilty of every mean
ness. He involved his father at one time in ruin
and everybody else lie had anything to do with
| refer to Simon Perkins, of Akron Ohio.
When his firm was sold at Sherfs sale in
Hudson, he took 1--WE or three of his largest boys
into the house and barrcaded it, laid in stock
OF guns and ammunition, and when The day of
sale came defed The sheriff and his posse the
guns were pointed ont of every window and the
sheriff returned but sold the place and gave
possession then as far he could The purchaser
occupied what he could of the property till at
length Brown and his first original Northern
army" found ii was to resist further. He
finally gave up and moved away. This was
one OF the first OF his higher law methods
His swindling operations in Franklin, Portage
county, Ohio, would make another chapter
The last time that | saw him was AT Brockway's
Hotel in Cleveland where he had Il large gang
of Missouri horses selling. Brockway told me
they were stolen, and heard the question put to
Brown himself and lie did not deny it.
| saw him in Aurora laying in ammunition
which he said was for Kansas, and said further
he was going there to fight. If New England
can't find better material To make heroes of than
John Brown she had better go without them.
Yours, N. EGGLEsTON.