Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-02-14
THE LATE OWEN BROWN.
His Thrilling Escape from Harper's Fer
ry-A Good Man Gone.

His Thrilling Escape from Harper's Fer
ry-A Good Man Gone.
Owen Brown, son of old John
Brown-the John Brown of Kansas,
of Harper's Ferry and of history,
died recently at his mountain home
| near Pasadena His death recalls the
days OF abolition and of slavery, the
terrible struggle of the free-soil party
in Kansas and the many events that
led to the armed attack upon the
United States arsenal at Harper's Fer
ry and eventually to the great civil
war.
1t Is not the writer's purpose to
write either obituary or eulogy. There
are lives in this vast country that
need no ante-mortem comment. /
knew Owen Brown in Ohio, many
/ years before he came to the Pacific
coast. Like his brother Jason, who
survives him, Owen was strong in
stature, noble, brave, manly, yet kind
and gentle as woman, as sweet in
disposition as child; his character
pure. almost Christ-like. l might add
that no race of men. perhaps, in the
present century better exemplified the
true Christian character than this
same family of Browns, from the
! rugged, brave old martyr, John
Brown, to the gray-haired, patient
ain home.
The life of owen Brown is fraught
with romance. He was a lineal de-
scendant of one of the Pilgrim fathers.
Born in Novembe, 4, 1924. at Hudson,
Summit County, O., his childhood and
youth were passed in different portions
of Northern Ohio and Western Penn
sylvania. In 1854, in company with
his three brothers, he removed to Kan
sas, the party travelling overland and
wintering their stock in Southern Hi
nois. They settled on the banks of
the Pottawattomie in Lykins County,
Kan, and in the next few years became
identified with the early history of the
free-soil State, which is written in the
blood of many martyrs. Owen Brown
was q participant in the Kansas
Nebraska struggle. He was present
at the sacking of Lawrence. He suf-
fered persecution at the hands of the
Missouri border ruffians. His house
was burned, his cattle stolen and his
household goods carried away. He
was imprisoned, ill-treated, and final
1x, At h. 20 h4 ri
reason that he was an abolitionist.
In 1858 he was at Chatham, Can,
where his father organized his famous
provisional Constitution. He next
appeared at Chambersburg, in the vi
cinity of Harper's Ferry, in company
with his father. The subsequent events
are matters of history. and are well
known. With twenty-three men John
Brown swooped down upon the little
hamlet in the mountains one Sunday
night. Out of all his command but
one man, Owen Brown, lived to tell
the story of the famous insurrection.
Owen fled with Captain John E. Cook
to the mountains. where for days and
weeks they lived on corn, raw pota-
toes and such provisions as they could
secure at night. Cooks wife was at
Chambers burg. Pa. and when the
two fugitives reached the vicinity OF
that town on their way north Cook an
nounced his determination to leave his
companion in the mountains and visit
his wife. Owen told him the under
taking would be most perilous, and
advised him not to go. Cook was OBJ
durate, however, and leaving Brown
one night he wendell his way toward
the town. It is needless to relate the
story of his capture. He was taken
back to Virginia, tried at Charlestown,
and finally hanged as traitor.
Owen Brown worked his way slowly
northward. He lived for weeks on
corn, raw fruit and vegetables, which
ne secured from the farms bordering
on the mountain range. He finally
reached Franklin, in Northwestern
Pennsylvania, and from there easily
got over into Ohio. where he was
soon safe among his friends on the
western reserve, remaining alone to
tell of the attack on Harper's Ferry.
Ten of the men were killed in the
fight, several died from their wounds
and seven were hanged in the Jail at
Charlestown.
After the war Owen took up his
residence at Put-in-Bay. an island in
Lake Erie. 1t was here that found
him one day about eight years ago, in
his vineyard, an old man, white
haired and wrinkled. His silvery
beard was long and wavy. He had the
appearance of a patriarch. He stood
erect as brave and firm as did his gal
liant old father, whose heroic acts will
live as long as history exists. Three
or four years ago the surviving MEM
bers of the family, Owen, Jason and
John, Jr., came to California and took
up their residence near Pasadena The
Nemesis of poverty seemed to have
followed them through life. and even
to the Golden State Some months
since Owen and Jason sold their only
cow that John might return to the
East And now Jason is alone, old.
poor, his family gone, almost among
strangers in strange land. Yet pa
tent, trusting. kind and gentle, grand
old man, like his brother Owen, who
in the bright sunlight lay down and
fell asleep, his life work done, the