The record-union., 1897-05-22
John Browns Last Days.

The+fOllOwing letter from John Brown,
written only a few days before his eX-
ecution, has recently been made pub
lie by the Boston Transcript" 1t
was addressed to the great grand
uncle of Miss Julia King Of the faculty
of the Emerson College of Oratory:
Charlestown Jefferson County, Va.),
November 19, 1859.
Rev. Luther Humphrey - My Dear
Friend: Your kind letter of the 18th
inst is now before me. So far as my
knowledge goes as to our mutual kim
dred l suppose | am the first, since
the landing of Peter Brown from the
Mayf1ower, that has either been SEN
fenced to Imprisonment or to the Cal
lows. But, my dear old friend, let not
that fact grieve you. You cannot have
forgotten how and where our Grand
father Captain John Brown fell in
1776; & that he, too, might have per-
ished on the scaffold had circumstances
been but very little different The fact
that man dies under the hand of an
executioner Cor otherWise) has but little
to do with his true character, as / sup
pose. John Rogers perished at the
stake, a great & good man as l sup
pose; but his being SO does not prove
that any other man who has died in
the same way was good or otherwise.
Whether I have any reason to be of
good cheer Cor noD in view of my end,
can assure you that l feel so; and
that l am totally blinded if / do not
really experience that strengthening &
consolation you SO faithfully implore in
my behalf. God of our Fathers re-
ward your fidelity. l neither feel NOR
titled, nor in the least ashamed Of my
imprisonment my chain, or my near
prospect of death by hanging. l feel
assured that mot one hair shall fall
from my head without my heavenly
Father" l also feel that l have long
been endeavoring to hold exactly such
fast as God has chosen" See the
passage in Isaiah which you have
quoted. No part of my life has been
more happily spent than that l have
spent here, and 1 humbly trust that no
part has been spent to better purpose.
1 would not lay this boastingly; but
Thanks be unto God who giveth us
the victory through infinite grace"
l should be sixty years old We're I to
live till May 8, 1860. l have enjoyed
much of life as it is: and have been re-
markably prosperous, having early
learned to regard the welfare and pros
perity of others as my own. l have
never since / can remember required
a great amount of sleep, so that l con-
clude that l have already enjoyed full
an average number of working hours
with those who reach their Three
Score Years and Ten" / have not yet
been driven to the use of glasses, but
can still see to read and write quite
comfortably; but, more than that, l
have generally enjoyed remarkably
good health. l might go on to recount
unnumbered and unmerited blessings.
among which would be some very Sc
we're Affections, & those the most need
ed blessings of all. And now, when l
think how easily / might be left to
spoil all l have done or suffered In
the cause of freedom, / hardly dare FISK
another voyage. even if l had the op-
portunity.
1t is long time since We met, but
we shall now soon come together in our
Fathers house, trust. Let US hold
fast that we already have"-remember-
ing that we shall reap in due time II
we faint not. Thanks be ever unto
God, who giveth us the victory through
Jesus Christ our Lord And now, my
old, warm-hearted friend, Goodbye.
Your affectionate Cousin,
JOHN BROWN