Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-01-26

DEATH OF OWEN BRowN.-The
telegraph reports the death and funer-
al near Pasadena, CAL, of Owen
Brown, the last survivor of the at
tack on Harper's Ferry by his cele.
brated father, which shook slavocracy
to its very center. For many years
Owen Brown has lived a hermit's life
on lonely peak of the Sierra Madre
Mountains. Although one fthe most
genial and companionable of men,
OwenvBrown had strong disposition
toward a solitary life. When / first
knew him he was keeping bachelors
hall, as he expressed it, in a small
cabin Of one room, which he had put
on his brothers. pleasant little grape
farm at Putin Bay Island. Every
thing in the room was neat.and tidy,
but very cheap and rude. He had a
cot for a bed, and heat was supplied
by little stove fed with dried cut
[tings from the grapevines. He was
prone to take up with all the fads and
isms of the day. He had been con-
verted to the vegetarian doctrine
among the earliest of those who fol-
lowed the somewhat celebrated DR..
Graham in his teachings; embraced
the water-cure for all diseases when
that was first promulgated, and when
| met him, although he was then near
ly 60 years old, was laboriously study
ing shorthand. His joints were stiff
and his fingers like iron rods, but this
did not prevent him from working
hours at a time endeavoring to acquire
the pot-hooks and turkey tracks OF
the various stenographic systems. AT
that time he resembled his father
very much, and seemed to be proud
of the resemblance, for he wore his
long hair in the same sort of queue
that one sees in picture of sold Os-
sawatomie." He was as pleasant a
man to meet as one could find on a
Summers day, and particularly gal
liant to the ladies. His firm set lips
had quite talent for turning pretty
compliments. A strong Roman nose
and steel blue eyes that one would
not care TO look at through the sights
of a rifle were the most striking fea-
lures of his physiognomy. Suisse
quently Jay Cooke appointed him the
custodian of his beautiful little Sum-
mer home on Gibraltar, small rocky
island that helps to form the harbor
of Put-in-Bav. The isolation of this
position suited him exactly, and he
remained there for number of years
until the property was sold, when he
went to California and made his her.
mitage in the mountains.
Brown was trusted assistant of
his fathers during all the bitter fight
ing which the old man waged against
the border ruffians in Kansas, and
helped largely to win the signal vic
tory over their leader, III. Clay Pate,
at Black Jan, Kan, which so much
encouraged the Free State men, and
correspondingly depressed the Mis-
souri, invaders. When the Harper's
Ferry plot was organized Owen was
made Treasurer of the proposed new
Government, and was one ofthe band
that was domiciled near Harper's
Ferry for some months prior to the
attack upon the Armory. AT the
time of the attack he with several
companions had been sent away to
bring provisions and arms up to the
house. The attack took place earlier
than was planned. When Owen
Brown returned to the house he found
his father and the rest of the men
gone, and fastened after them. He
and his companions came down ON
the Virginia side of the Potomac, and
when they reached point opposite
Harper's Ferry found the engage
ment going on, but the Armory SO
surrounded that it was impossible fol
them to get to their friends. All they
could do, therefore, was to engage the
besiegers of the Armory from across
the river. They kept up their fire I'm.
til they saw that the end was near
when they withdrew and made their
escape. This was full of thrilling in
cident, for the whole country was
aroused, large sums were offered fol
their capture. and their fight was
long gauntlet of danger.
Early in the war, Owens elder
brother, John Brown, jr., who had
served in a Kansas regiment, but was
discharged on account of disability
established himself on Putin Bay Is
land, which was then remote and lit
tie visited, and shortly after Over
Joined him. At the time of his death
he was IA years old.-me Ndtiona
Tribune.