New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-09-27
...h. afforded the young

think such advantages out to be afforded the younf
blacks, whether they all to be immedatoy set
free or not Perhaps we might, unoef oo osctpaiIv
way do more toward breaking their yoke elec,s9any
than in any other If the young oiae II WooYd
country could once become enlightened, , IL Srna
most assuredly operate on Il, ssaIave6olders know
II we'll Witness their beayen-daI1ng laws nk fS
teaching blacks If once the Christians IN tne ifse
States would set to work IN earnGsS ~ states would
find themselves constitutionally driven /" TI'e
about the work of emancipation @ ita htants
laws OF this State are now such that tn9 id os the
of any township may raise by tax In aia % tmu
State school fund any amount Oh lloney nommo1
choose by vote. for the purpose or 70 by
application If you will Join me in ths uhaoi f o
will make with you any arrahgenonSS a ~ il
temporal that sna Us business rather
Frightening. Afectonately yours, poo,vS
The second category of Browns letters Nnoi"ueo
those written from Kansas during INC noiuo.
Ruffian war. and those Of the period when NC wac
directly occupied in preparations Ior ms -
raid The anti-savery cause had now become INC
ono object OF his life; and yet to remarkable
degree the letters of this time resemble tne oopo
stons of the prev ious years. They are largely con
cerned with details of his enterprises, especially
with money and supplies; but they touch fo, o.,
slightly upon his plans and are not weigh'eo W.
general reflections. In writing 10 MS i""N1'
although they were ali in his secret ana al Ssp%
tbized with his largest aspirations, ne Dau inuoN
,,oro IN say of household and personal affairs IMAM
Of the matters upon which their Thoughts as wen 40
his must have been principally fixed by uesr'oo'
however. the tone of his letters underwent sigh"
cant change They took on, as he approacheu 'io
crsis n freouent dignity, solemnity and fervor'
IN which. though these traits were strong III h4S
conversation. his writing had never before gwen
odaoua,e expression To his wife he poured out MS
oeaction in language of rare tenderness. There Is
NO doubt that he lived at this time. not IN 'he
oxnactation Int in the constant contemplation oi
death So his correspondence passes almost lnsensi
blv into the third and CHEST category Oh ms VIII
ines the memorable letters composed III MS Hsini"
prison. A thousand extravagant things nave pceh
said of these productions; but the best OF tnein
have a majestic besuty and lofty calm which VIII
be admired for ages to come.
In the narrative portions of Mr.. Sanborn's BOOK
the chapters most likely to attract attention are
those which deal with the Pottawatomle MURDERS
and with the preparations for the harper feriy
foray. In May, 1856, five pro-sIayery men III
Kansas especialiy obnoxious TO the Free-Soii
settlers were reused from their beds AT night leu
ont and put to death with cutlasses. The deco
strnck terror into the Border Rufians and as an
intimation that the long-persecuted anti-siaVerV
men ware able to retaliate in kind it perhaps had
saIutorv effect but on both sides il was regarded
with general horror John Brown and his men were
unAer strong suspicion. Brown always declared 10
the very last that he did not kill any OF the men,
but that he fully approved of the execution anu
his son Salmon who was his constant compauIoh az
that time wrote after John Browns death' SV
po,tively that he was not participation IN the
deed-although l should think none the less OF MN
il he had been there" 1t is now kno "n-anh what
ever dispute there may have been heretofore VIII DC
settled by Mr.. Sanborn's avowals-that Johh Drown
planned and ordered the executions led the party
entered the houses, picked out the Victims ana gave
the signal for the fatal blows although for some
reason he chose not to strike blow hinseif| MI
sanboro thinks that SalmOn's denial was made
pnder an honest albeit very narrow interpreti-
tion of the word participation" Most OF US wonld
nrobably be content to say that Salmon lied. IL Is
almost superhuous to add that John Brown having
ordered the executions Mr. Sanborn justihes thein'
The victims were bad and dangerous men, IhoH
killing was an act OF reprisal l. encouraged inc
Free state party, and cave them confidence In God
ar BROWN was n murderer then Grant. and Sher-
man. ana Hancock and the other Union generals are
tenfold murderers-for they simply did on grand
scale what he did on q snail one" This Is pnerhe'
To applaud Browns motive Is one thing. 10
proye the intrinsic character oil his ac' Is quite
another. Mr. Sanborn would have done much
better 70 keep to his posulate that John Brownwas
divinely inspired.
Resnectinc the connection Of Northern men with
the Virginia scheme aud the sources from which
John Brown obtained money, there were no start
ling disclosures TO explode, but Mr.. Sanborn makes
this Part Of his story intensely interesting. Inc
original plan was to establish series o. fortified
camps among the Virginia mountains, as secure
posts for collecting and running OIL slaves. rus
scheme was disclosed to Gerrt Smith and Sanborn IN
Mr. Smiths house at Peterboro In February, l55s
and was shortly afterward communicated to Dr'S.O'
Howe. Theodore Parker T.W. Hgginson. Frederick
! Douglass, G. l.. Stearns, and fcw Others. Before
the blow was struck as many as hundred persons
nrobabl- were in the secret. But Browns substtu-
ton Of the attack upon Harpers Ferry for this first
| scheme was known 10 very few. IL IS OF the hrst
scheme that Mr.. Sanborn is writing when he says
that ont of a little more than $4,000 in money
which passed through the hands of the secret com
nittee In aid of his Virginia enterprise, or was
Lnovn 10 them as contributed, at least $500 were
oiyen with clear knowledge OF the use to which It
wonld be put" BY far tho largest contributions
came from Mr. 'Stearns, Gerrt Smith gave freely
and so apparently did Mr.. Sanborn. These three
v,.,e the main support of the enterprise. Mr San
| b,rn ia displcased with Gerrit Smith because he
| saw ct after Browns death TO disguise In some
ways his deep interest in the old hero and lie has
o,so a rebuke on similar grounds, for DR.. Howe
Roth these criticisms might have been spared. But
IL is PLAIN that Mr.. sanborn is not in mood OF
mercy toward those who, having shared in John
Rrown's general purposes, are not quite ready to
share in the responsibility for all his particular
actions. To them and 10 their surviving friends he
addresses word of warning III his preface; and In
case any of his statements should be denied he re
marks that he holds mass OF written evidence 70
reserve Which is tantamount to tying tin sigr
around his hat: Don't fool with me; I'm loaded