Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1910-09-15

He may have been mal OF remark
able mind, as well as OF wonderful
will. Whatever he was, he was one
of the pivots upon which American
history turns.
He was born Of poor parents in
Connecticut In 1900 There was Welsh
and Dutch blood in him as well as
English, His family went to the Con-
necticut settlements in Ohio, the
Western Reserve" in 1905. There
he learned the frontier arts of herding
cattle, riding, hunting and shooting
straight. IL was hard life and II
made him hard OF body. but he re-
malned gentle OF heart At lG he
went back to Connecticut to attend
school. but an inflammation of the
eyes forced him to quit his studies.
Returning to Ohio. he married at 20.
His wife died at the end of eleven
years, and he married again. In all,
twenty children were born TO him.
Seven died In infancy. His sons
fought by his side
Brown was OF a wandering DISPOSE
ton. From Ohio he had gone to
Pennsylvania in 1925. In 1885 he re-
turned to Ohio. lie visited Virginia
and wished that he might live there
In lS4S he removed to Springfield,
Mass, as the agent of western wool
growers. Five years later he became
bankrupt through taking a cargo Of
wool 10 England. Then he removed TO
North Elba in the Adirondacks.
Gerritt Smith, rich abolitionist,
was trying to COLOMBO freed negrncs
there, and this enterprise attracted
Brown. But the experiment failed.
Brown was afi abolitionist by in
heritance His father had grounded
him In the faith lie used to help
runaway slaves when he lived in
Pennsylvania. He proposed scheme
for northerners to purchase the free
dom OF slave children. He had
negroes In his family in Ohio, treat
ing them as his equals. But although
In 1887 he swore his children TO hos
tility to slavery he was not an active
worker against II until 1850.
In lS49 he had begun to study the
art OF war. At the time Of his visit
to England he went to the continent
to learn something OF military mat
tiers. He particularly studied Ma
poleon's campaigns. Apparently a
project OF getting up a slave revolt
was now present In his mind.
In 1854 Ave of his sons settled at
Osawatomia, Kas. The state was
then In the thrOes of the struggle
for possession OF It's government be-
tween the slavery and the anti-slw-
cry elements. The sons became in
yolyed In this struggle and wrote to
their father fer some arms and finally
To come himself. He sent the arms
and three months later he came.
He was made captain of free
state company and took part In rang
and bushwacking. On one occasion
he executed" five proslavery men who
had been .terrorizing their neighbor-
hood, For this Missourians burned
the houses OF the family and two sons
were arrested by the federal author
: tiles.
1
battle twenty-three men surrendered
; to Browns force OF nine. He planned
to Keep them captive until the author
tiles had liberated an equal number
OF free-state men, but n force OF Uni
ted States cavalry rescued them, re-
: fusing TO arrest Brown, however His
son Frederick was killed In an attack
upon Osawantomie by 400 proslav-
cry men. Brown ambushed the 400
with thirty free-soilers, killed and
wounded eighty and escaped with
loss OF one man killed and three
wounded. lie was In several other
engagements.
In 1859 he weht to Boston and Sc
cured money from abolitionIsts Two
hundred rifles had already been ship
ped TO him at his headquarters In
Iowa. He contracted for 1000 spears,
saying they were for use In Kansas
, War In that state became lively and
Brown was importuned to return. be-
Ing addressed as general" by tne
lree-state leaders. lie wrote encour-
aging letters and assembled some
young men In Iowa, But he had no
Intention OF going to Kansas or let
ting his arms 90 thlrther, He was
preparing TO attack the arsenal ut
farpers Ferry. call slaves around
him and from the Virginia mountains
= carry on u war against slavery by
slaves themselves,
lie appeared At Harpers Ferry ~
n farmer seeking u home, Renting
, a house, little by lille be- got his rifles
= ana spears there, Spears were con-
sidersd good weapons Tor the negroes,
amused 10 lreHrms Ills men, twenty
iva IN number, arrived
sunday pight, OCT 10, 1850 no
seized tho town ana arsenal ana sept
parties into tho surrounding rnuniY
~ llhrratr uud salhrr M slaves Mas
tore Wulu rapluIpi hN ihr 40 VI no.