The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-02-24

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where he died few years since, aged
81. He was engaged during the last
war in furnishing beef cattle to our
forces on the northern frontier, and his
son John, then II to Ia years of age, ac-
companied him as cattle-driver, and,
in that capacity, witnessed Hull's sur
render at Detroit, in 1912.
He was so disguised with what he saw
of military life that he utterly refused,
when of suitable age, to train or drill in
the militia, but paid fines or evaded
service during his entire liability to
military duty.
WHAT MADE HIM AN ABOLITIoNIST
In an photographed fragment,
written by him in 1857, for a child
who had evinced deep interest in his
Kansas efforts, speaking of himself la
the third person. he says:
During the war with England
circumstance occurred that in the end
made him most determined Abolition
ist, and led him to declare, or swear,
eternal war with slavery. He was staying
for a short time with very gentlemanly
landlord, once United States Marshal,
who held slave boy near his own age,
active, intelligent, and good-feeling, and
to whom John was under considerable
| obligation for numerous little acts Of
kindness
"The master made great pet of John,
brought him to table with his first COM
pany and friends, called their attention
to every little smart thing he said or
did, and to the fact of his being more
than hundred miles from home with
drove of cattle alone; while the negro
boy (who was fully, if not more than, his
equal,) was badly clothed, poorly fed
and lodged in cold weather, and beaten
before bis ewes with iron shovels or any
thing that came first to hand.
"This brought John to reflect on the
wletched, hopeless condition of father
less and motherless slave children for
such children have neither fathers nor
mothers to protect and provide for them.
He sometimes would raise the question,
is God their Father ?"
EARLY LIFE.
Young John had very little of what
is called education; poverty and hard
work being his principal teachers. At
16 years of age, he Joined the Con-
gregational Church in Hudson; and
from ID to 20 he learned the trade of
tanner and currier.
He returned to New England while
still minor, and commenced, at Plain
field, Mass. course of study with
view TO the Christian ministry; but be-
ing attacked with inflammation of the
ewes, which ultimately became chronic,
he relinquished this pursuit and returned
to Ohio, where he married his first wife,
Dlanthe Lusk, when a little more than
20 years of age. BY her, he had seven
children the last of whom, born in
1882, was buried with her three days
after its birth.
He next year married Mary a. Day
(who survived him), by whom he had
3 children, Of whom three sons were
with him at Harper's Ferry, two of
whom lost their lives there, and the third
| escaped. Eight of his children were
living at the time of his DEATH
Brown worked for himself as tan
ner and farmer five or six years in
northern Ohio, and, for nine or ten
years thereafter, in Crawford County,
Pa, enjoying general respect as a sin
cere, earnest, upright, pious man. One
who knew him in those days remembers
that the wrong of Slavery was favor
ite topic with him, and that, though
Stern III manner, he was often affected to
tears when depicting the unmerited suf-
ferlngs OF slaves. So early as 1889, the
idea Of becoming himself a lIberator of
the unhappy race was cherished by him.
From 1885 to 1916 he lived once
more in northern Ohio, removing thence
TO Springfield, Mass, where he engaged
In wGol-dealing under the firm of Per-
klns d Brown, selling wool extensively
on commission for growers along the
southern shore Of Lake Erie, and under
taking to dictate prices and a system of
| grading woods to the manufacturers of
New England, with whom he came to
an open rupture, which induced hIm at
length to ship 100000 pounds of wool
to London. and 90 thlther to sell it.
This bold experiment proved failure,
wool bringing far higher prices in this
country than in any other. He finally
sold at a fearful loss and came home
bankrupt. But, meantime, he had
travelled considerably over Europe, and
learned something of the ways of the
world.
EARLY CoLoSIZING.
In 1849, he removed with his family
to North Elba, Essex County, New York,
to some land given him by Gerrt Smith
He went thither expressly to counsel and
benefit the negroes settled in that vicinity,
on lands likewise bestowed upon them
by our noblest philanthropist.
The location was hard one, high up
among the glens of the Adirondack
Mountains. rugged, cold, and bleak.
The negroes generally became discour-