The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-18

s01~ ~ = M Mt|rM
When John Brown organized his band OF
insurrectionists in Kansas / was but IL
years old and was living with my father on
his farm in Missouri, about seven and one
half miles east Of Atchison, Kan. There
was great excitement along the border at
that time. A great many thought that
| Brown would cross over into Missouri and
| the negroes would join him and wipe all Of
us slave owners from the face Of the earth.
Volunteers were organizing all along the
line, their object being to cross over into
| Kansas and capture Brown before his
forces grew too strong. In our immediate
neighborhood a company Of volunteers was
gotten up, consisting chiefly Of my cousins
and neighbor boys. / believe I knew every
man in the company. They were to meet
on a certain day at the little village OF
Nashville, two and a half miles west of us,
and proceed to Kansas. A party of about a
dozen of my cousins took dinner at my
fathers house that day. While they were
at the table l leaned against the back door
| of the dining room and scratched n shin
with the big toe of the other foot and
looked with wondering eyes upon the most
warlike band Of men / had ever seen. ! felt
sorry for Brown.
After dinner was over I followed them
down to the corner OF the orchard, where
they went to try their firearms and see II
their sights wore all right. Most OF them
were armed with muzZle loading squirrel
rifles, some had shotguns, a few had pistols
and several had corn knives. The pistols
were double and single barrels, and all were
carried in scabbards made Of boot legs.
One Of my cousins had two of the best
pistols in the party. They were
s'nafle beautiss. D Thsy oarlisd a '0a eeod
size buck shot. A pignut tree was chosen
for a target, ten PAGES stepped OFT and the
shooting commenced with the pistols. Ii
was very seldom the tree was struck with
the double-barrel pistols, and when it was
the ball failed to penetrate the bark OF the
did better, for he struck the tree quite
often, but the ball invariably bounced back
and struck some of us in the stomach. !
wondered how he expected to kill a man
with them. Suppose they struck a
button on a mans clothes?. l beg
our barn but he wouldn't part with them.
He explained to me that they were deadly
weapons when loaded for business. So
when the target practice was over he took
me to one side n showed me how he
loaded them when he was really expecting
to shed somebody's blood. He filed them
half full of powder, cut a strip off the
lower part of his cotton shirt for patching.
and after moistening it with his tongue he
drove the ball home with o nail and a
rock. He said he had never fred them
when they were loaded thus.
While the shooting was going on n of
my cousins had taken nc part in it; he was
ourav n fau varda from the rfhora atr1ttinU
MP and down q pig path like q turkey COB
bier and was seemingly in a deep study. He
was by long odds the most desperate look
ing cut-throat in the party. His squirrel
rifle leaned up in a fence corner and the
only other weapon he carried swung from
his belt (the throat-latch of a bridle.) It
was a huge corn knife about two feet long.
It was made from q sythe blade. All the
rust spots had been ground off, and it WAS
bright and sharp. It was carried in a home
made leather scabbard rivetted together
with lead rivets. His sandy mustache was
at the ends like the spears of a catfish.
He was hair.lipped, which, with his
pointed mustache, made him look fearfully
desperate. He was evidently making medi-
cine. He had nothing to say, but now and
then would draw that bright corn knife.
head off a bunch of doRfennel, wipe the
blood off on the leg of his pants. He was
| chafnp for war. But they finally returned
to the house and bid all of us an affection
ate farewell and joined their comrades at
Nashville and crossed into Kansas. ! slept
very little that night. l could see them
moving Browns men down like weeds. l
saw them lying dead Oh the field of battle.
l saw my cousin with the brass pistols FIRE
both at once at the enemy and they bnrsted
and blew his own brains out. Icould hard
~ hope to ever see many of them again.
About the second night In Kansas. not
being accustomed to war and not knowing
the word fear, they tied their horses and
retired in their horse blankets without a
guard or picket. The result was that the
mkt morning they were suddenly awak-
ened inc found themselves looking into the
muzzles of the guns of Browns men and an
order for an unconditional surrender.
which they did without any unnecessary
delay. They were escorted to Browns
headquarters and closely guarded until the
next day. 1t was whispered about camp
that they were to be shot in the morning.
There were not many of them who slept
that night. After breakfast in the morn
ing Brown had them marched up in front
Of him in line and after taking of his
hat he made them a little speech and
wound up by telling them that he intended
to release them and let them 20 home and
work on the farm. He said there was no
use to keep them as prisoners for they were
harmless; that they were made for farm
ers, not warriors. "But, boys" he said
you are young and the walking is good,
and as l need your horses in my business /
will insist on your walking home, and
need your arms ALSO"
He released them, told them to go and be
good boys and not cross the river into Kan
sas again. 1t was r. long time before | saw
all Of them. They got home in the night
They skulked in n or two at a time.
never heard of them going to war again.
Tho. H. LEVINE.
BoZeman, Mont. Jan. II. 1891.
Hna1th &c Wna1thl