The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-11
JOHN BROWNS EXECUTION.
Unwritten History Regarding Ii Re-
lated by a Living Yirginian.
a "Reminiscences of Slavery Times Recalled
by Picture IN Harper's Weekly
Browns Trip Through Virginia
Shortly Before the Harper's
Ferry Uprising and Its
Object.

Richmond (Ya.) Special to the New York World. !
There is not an item of truth in the pic
tHre representing John Brown on bis way
from Jail to the place of execution, as pub
llshed in the las. numbsr of Hsrper's
Weekly" ssid Colonel w. G. Knight to-day,
as he viewed the illustration representing
John Brown, of Harper's Ferry, as sn old
gray ired man taking farewell kiss from
some q gro babies held up to him by some
weeping negro women. 1.-THE only fact
in the case," continued the Colonel, who is
the ed Or of the Southern Planter, of this
city, - that John Brown was taken from
the Jail and executed. Such a representa-
ton does great injustice to the negroes of
the South, and is calculated to give a iaise
impression of the ideas entertained of John
Brown. Indeed the negroes at that time did
not know that such man existed. A short
time prior to his execution he travelled
through Southsid6 Virginia, going direct to
Petersburg from Harper's Ferry, thence
through she Fourth District, now known as
the Black BelS In consequence Of the ne
eroes being largely in the majority in that
Cor gressional District. At that time he was
passing under the assumed name OF DR.. Nc
Lare. and no one had the slightest suspicion
that he was John ,O>sa1attomie) Brown. He
stayed two Gays aud Two nights with me In
The early part of May, 1859. was then liz
Ing in Holloway, sixty miles east of Rich
mond.
He talked about everything N the
world except Kansas, and yet be came di-
Itctly from there; and what was remarkable
about the man, be had the mildness and ap-
pearance OF clergyman and possessed
very large fund Of intelligence He ap.
peared TO be sixty yesrs OF aga. His beard
end hair were Just slightly tiDged with gray.
be said he wss travelling through the coun.
tIv. and the funny part of the thing was we
tslked together until late hour at night, [
surprising all the time that he was travel
ing minister, tor he spoke great deal of
the different churches, and gave me in
terestiDg history OF his visit TO Nauvoo, H.
Joe 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 an
very much mistaken in your calling, for [
took you for minister of the gospel He
smilingly replied, i do preach sometimes
when my mind goes back to that period"
said Colonel Knight ~ ana aslonished that
a man OF his mildness of manners could be
the same man who was such q murderer in
Ksnsas. 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 so
many outrages that his name became ia
nous and he was known as 'Ossawattomie
Brown His lawlessness in Kansas had per-
meeted the whole country, especially the
Southern States, and Colonel Rosser, OF Pc
tersbUrg, determined to cat upa company
of picked men and go TO Kansas and drive
Brown out ofsthe State. Colonel Rosser came
to my county, got 100 young men from that
and neighboring counties thoroughly armed
nd n
March OF that year. He had not been there
a week before he was ambushed by Bro WIS
natyr and the result was the company from
Virginia became scattered.
Brown seeing that he would not again be
troubled in Kansas looked forward to a
srander scheme, the bringing about of an 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
familiarize himself with the country roads
and the relative 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
persed the men under command of Rosser,
be lef. his party in charge of his sou John
AID came to Virginia to mature his plans for
capturing the arsenal at Harper's Ferry, and
make his inroad upon the Southern States.
John Blown reached Nottoway before the
men who went with Colonel Rosser were
able to return home After COM pleting his
ioOTneyings through south side Virginia,
Brown went north to secure forces for his
attack on Harper's Ferry, which was made
IN October. 1852"
When did you find out that il vas John
Brown who stopped st your houseP
did not suspect it to be him when he
as st my house, but after his arrest aad ex-
Pcu1ion there appeared either in Harpers or
Frank Leslies Magazine which | was SUBJ
scrIbings to Fat the time, the pictures of
Brown and his party. My little boy called
my attention to the fact that one OF those
pictures resembled Mr.. McLane. [ scanned
the picture aud saw many points of re-
semblance, but when the tfisl came on and
the evidence began to develop it became
known that Brown had travelled through
Virginia under the name of DR.. McLane.
Governor Wise, who had interviews with
the prisoner, ,afterwsrd told me that John
Brown gave him q history of his trip through
Virginia. mentioning places where he had
stopped and said be had spent two days and
nights NJ 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