The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-11-15

lAtold, that she passed n whfte per-
son and sang In the church choir at st,
! Maryis Church, Her husband was a
close friend Of Wendell Phillips and Will
liam Lord Garrison. and on his death bed,
in 1874, made her. she said, promise shat
| she would devote a portion OF the money
| that he left her to the cause OF freeing
the slaves. And so she made that
| promise After his death. she married
again-this time, one John j. Pleasant,
| and they went to live in California and
invested their money there during the
good times Of 1919.
In 1853 according to her story, she went
to New York to help John Brown, and
promised hin, financial aid. The result
was that later on she had neetinE s with
Brown and other abolitionists, and at
Chatham, Cam, she turned over to
Brown $4,000 with which to operate In
Virginia.
Brown and one OF his sons had then
Just come from Harper's Ferry, where
they had been on spying expedition.
Mrs. Pleasant then went back TO the
United States land secured a trusted man
to go with her down along the Roanoke
River and incite an uprising OF the slaves.
She was dressed in the clothes OF a
Jockey, and the man had drove Of horses,
and they posed as people connected with
the turf. We quote further from her
statement:
1--WE stopped first at Mark Alexander's
plantation, where we talked over tell out
look with the negroes. They we're very
much taken with the Idea OF participating
III the fight for their freedom. We also
visited Henry Colcmnn's Mr.. NSydneys.
Mr.. Townsends and John Nelson's plan.
tatlons. We remained In tho negroes
cabins at night. We arranged that when
Brown made stand at Harper's Ferry,
the negroes were to rise In every drec-
ton, but our plans were all knocked to
pieces by Brown himself. He started the
raid on Harpers Ferry before the time was
ripe was nstounded WHOM heard that
he had started In and was beaten and
captured, and that tho affair upon which
had staked my money and built 30
much hope was a fiasco. 4 have mover
been able to figure 1t out. It was big
blunder all round. and whom we saw that
things had ended in failure ne began to
look about for our own safety, for We
read in the papers that oil OF Browns
fellow conspirators we're being sought Tor
BY the authorities. When they captured
him they found among his papers n lot
ter from mo. I cannot remember all Of
the letter now, but It contained these
words:
1.-The axe is laid at the root OF the tree.
When the first blow is struck there Will
be more money and help Tho papers
stated that such letter was found and
signed W. z. Pr but 1t should have been
printed NJ. q. P.
II parted with my friend whom Brown
had sent mo, and have never seen him
since or heard from him. except through
other parties. ! supposed he would write
me after returned to San. Francisco. but
I never received any letter. we went
down the Roanoke River at night IN q
boat and then separated. won't to New
York as fast as I could. read IN the
papers that the detectives were on the
track OF the w, Z. p. who wrote the let
ter, and I had quiet laugh when saw
that my poor handwriting had given them
a false trail. went to sailors boarding
house at No. 40 Grand Street, In New
York. and registered as Mrs. Smith. ! re-
manned there until after brown was
hanged in December. and finally started
home TO the Pacific coast
when / reached home Tin California; I
found a letter awaiting mo from John
Brown. destroyed 1t at once.
II felt very bad over the failure OF my
mission, but ] never regretted the time
or the money spent on the trip. 1t cost
me, all told, about $4,000 It seemed at
first like failure, but time proved that
way for the war. and the war freed the
slaves. I always felt that John Brown
started the civil war, and that helped
Brown more than any one person 1inan-
cally. wish had given more. It was
the greatest pleasure Of my life to give
this money. When die. all I want on
my tombstone Is: She was friend OF
John Brown.
We do not know whether this story
is true or not. We are Suspicious of It,
Mrs. Pleasant" seems to have kept her
story secret for prodigiously long time.
without any good excuse or explanation
for so doing. Ono would have thought that
she would have claimed credit for that
large contribution years and years ago.
| However, Mr.. Davis. from WHOSE article,
VIC have been quoting. says that he inter-
| viewed son and daughter OF John
Brown and learned from them that theIf
| father always said he had received great
pacuniary help from colored woman,
whose name l,o did not give.
| Mr.. Mark Alexander. whose name an-
pears in this story, was we'll known cit
izen OF MccklenburS county. Va. and
some off, tho other names mentioned are
also familiar ones In Bouthside Virginia.
| In this connection 1t may DO said that
| old John Brown himself probably visited
that section Of the country just about
the time stated. The late Colonel William
! G, knight at that time us5sIba) had q
| plantation in Nottoway county, and a
man who answered In most particulars to
the description OF John Brown visited his
house and other places In that neighbor'
hood. The stranger pretended TO be en-
gagged In tho sale of trusses and got sc
confidential with tho negroes he OK,