The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1885-02-18
JOHN BROWNS EXECUTION.
UnWriiien EIst"ry Regarding it Be-
lated by Living YirginiaB.
a RemiDiscsDce of Slavery Times Recalled
by Picture Ia Harper's weekly
Browns rIip Through Virginia
Shortly Before the Harper's
Ferry Uprising and Its
Object.


There is not al item of truth in the pic.
ture representing John Brown on his way
from Jail to the place OF execution, IS pub
llshed in the last number Of Harper's
Weekly" said Colonel w. Q. Knight to-day,
as be viewed the illustration representing
John Brown. OF Harper's Ferry, as an old
gray haired man taking farewell kiss from
some negro babies held up to him Sy some
weeping negro women. THE only fact
in the case" continued the Colonel, who is
tue eoitor of the Southern Planter, of this
city, ''is that John Bfswn vas taken from
the Jail ard executed. Such a representa-
ton Goes great injustice to the negroes of
the South and is calculated to give a alse
impression of the ideas entertained OF John
Brown. Indeed the negroes at that time did
not know that such man existed. A shor
time prior to his execution he travele
through Southside Virginia, going direct t.,
Petersburg from Harper's Ferry, theme,
through the Fourth District, now known as
groes being largely in the majority in that
Con gressional District. At that time be was
passing under the assumed name of DR.. Nc
Lane, and no one had the slightest suspicion
that be was John '0ssawsttonlie) Brown. He
stayed two days aud two nights with me in
the early part Of May, 1859 l was then liv-
ing in Nottowsy, sixty miles east of Rich
mond.
"Be talked about everything IN the
word except Kansas and yet ne came di
ysctly from there; aud what was remarkable
about the man, be had the mildness aud ap-
ptaTance of = clergy man and possessed a
very large fund of intelligence He ap-
pesred TO be sixty years of age. His beard
end hair were just slightly tiDged with gray.
n e said he wss travelling through the coun.
nv, and the funny part of the thing was We
talked together until late hour at night
supposiDg all the time that he was q travel
ing minister tor he spoke great deal of
the different churches, and gave me al iu-
terestiDg history of his visit 10 Nauvoo. ILL.,
Toe Smith. the leader of the Mormons, was
living there then. 1t was not until next
morning that he told me his business was
selling patent trusses- L remarked, Il sm
very much mistaken in your calling, for
took you for minister of the gospel He
smilinRly replied, Il do preach sometimes
''When my mind goes back to that period, -
said Colonel knight, 81 ana astonished that
q man of his mildness Of manners could be
the same man who was such q murderer in
Kansas. There was an incident, let me tell
you right here. in connection with this visit.
John Brown and his party were perfect out
laws in Kansas and refused to let any persons
from the South bring their slaves to kansas
and settle there. He was committing 80
many outrages that his name became ia
nous and he was known as 'Ossawattomie
Brown His lawlessness in Kansas had per-
meated the whole country, especially the
Southern States, and Colonel Rosser, OF Pc
tersburg, determined to get upa company
of picked men and go to Kansas and drive
Brown out ofgthe State. Colonel Rosser came
to my county, got 100 young men from that
and neighboring counties, thoroughly armed
and equipped them, and went to Kansas in
March of that year. He had not been there
week before he was ambushed by Browns
pstyr and the result was the company from
Virginia became scattered.
Brown seeing that he would not again be
troubled in Kansas looked forward to
grander scheme, the bringing about of sn in
surIection among the negroes of the South,
making the grave mistake that they would
flock to his standard when he appeared
among them. His visit to Virginia was to
fsmiliarize himself with the country loads
and the re lative strength OF the people OF
both races. He did not use any language to
incite the negroes during his whole trip. He
was too smart for that. Soon after he dis
pered the men under command OF Rosser
he left his party in charge of his son John
and came to Virginia TO mature his plans for
capturing the arsenal at Harper Ferry, and
John Brown reached Nottoway before the
men who went with Colonel Rosser were
able to return home After completing his
journeyings through south side Virginia,
Brown went north to secure forces for his
attack on Harpers Ferry, which was made
in October. 1859"
when did you find out that it vas John
Brown who stopped ct your house?'
Il did not suspect it to be him when he
was al my house, bus after his arrest and ex-
ecution there appeared either in Harper's or
Frank Leslie's Magazine, which | was sub
scribipg to at the time, the pictures OF
| Brown and his party. Ny little boy called
! my attention TO the fact that one of those
pictures resembled Mr.. McLsne. / scanned
the picture aud saw many points of re-
semblance, but when the trial came on and
the evidence began to develop it became
known that Brown had travelled through
Virginia under the name OF Dr.. McLsne.
Governor Wise, who had interviews With
the prisoner afterwsrd told me that John
Brown gave him history of his trip through
Virginia men tioning places where he had
stopped and said he had spent two days and
| nights at my house."
Colonel knight, editor OF the Southern
Planter, of this city, to day gave your cor
respondent the above chapter of unwTitten
history which would have doubtless slum'
bered with his dust but Tor the illustration