Connecticut western news., 1909-12-09
JOHN BROWN ANNIVERSARY
Fifty Years Last Thursday His Body
 Began to Mould.

John Brown was hung on December 3, 1859, 50 years ago.
 Among the foreshadowings of the Civil War, perhaps the most striking figure that has come down in history is that of John Brown. So strongly did of the slaves, that by the time he at tempted to carry out his long dreamed of proJect for their relief, his mind had become greatly oyer wrought. However, as he ordinarily sketched the plan to the few to whom he revealed it, there seemed nothing impracticable about it. He had been engaged in the contest over Kansas, which even in those days was looked. upon as the skirmishing line of the Civil War. If the South got Kansas, slavery would be expected; if the North, the power of the South in Congress would diminish and slave property become valueless. Both sides encouraged i'm migration in the hope of securing Kansas their own way, John Brown as valiantly on his side, although he did not expect the bloodshed and turmoil that ensued.
 He now began his work upon his new plan and in the course of 10 years he had established a military school in Tabor, Iowa and one in Springfield, Iowa. He trained his students and after receiving money from few of his Mass achusetts friends, with which to buy rifles he took the U. $. arsenal at liar per's Ferry, Va, and had 22 men besides himself, six of them being colored. On October 16, at half past 10 o'clock, they reached the Armory, easily opened the gate with crowbar, overpowered the few watchers. and before midnight had the village under patrol, six men having been sent to bring in certain planters with their slaves. But the slaves failed to arouse, and gradually the citizens of the town armed themselves. Shots were soon exchanged, and Browns force was reduced to six. They might have escaped in the night but did not do so. They were barricaded in the engine house of the village, and shot down one by one, thousands of bullets being embedded in the building.
 In the evening Col. Robert E. Lee ar rived from Washington with a company of United States marines, and all was practically over. At noon, Tuesday, Gov. Wise, of Virginia, arrived with several hundred men. Brown held con versation with the Governor, and the latter's opinion of him was that he was no mad man, but a man of "clear head, of courage. fortitude, and simple ingen- uousness." His reason for taking pos session of the town and arsenal is SUD- posed to have been to arouse and alarm the country at large and to receive re- cruits to his cause.
 John Brown was tried by a Virginia court, legal aid being sent him from Massachusetts. He had fair and open trial, was duly convicted of murder and treason against the commonwealth of Virginia, and was sennenced to death by hanging, the sentence being executed December 2, 1859. His bearing on the scaffold showed wonderful fortltude. He stood erect. unsupported. There was brief delay, while the sheriffs descended the steps, but Brown never wavered and died apparently with nerves and muscles under control of his iron will.
 John Brown was born in Torrington, May 9. 1900, and the house where he lived is still preserved.