Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1911-03-21
WHERE RAID WAS PLANNED.
House in Detroit Once Occupied By
John Brown.

At IL Congress street east. just be-
You'd 81. Antoine street, * i modest
two story frame house. There is moth
ing in its outward appearance. to dis
tinguiSh it from others in the locality.
OF the thousands Who daily traverse
that thoroughtare few east even Il
glance in its direction. Why should
they Memory is at best tlceting.
Yesterday is forgotten in nasty consid-
GRAFTON of today'S happenings, so why
should the present generation lie sup
posed to know ausht of what occurred
locally more than a half century ago.
Every schoolboy knows of John
Brown and the spectacular raid he led
upon Harpers Ferry, Va. Although
ill-tilnrd resulting in the death of a
number of his folloWe rs. and the sub
SeGUent execution OF Brown, the al
fair readily took its place as one o.
the most thrilling exploits preceding
the long and bitter warfare in behalf
o., a united country. john Brown was
culogized in song and story. HIS
place IN history is secure, and his
name is a synonym for devotion to q
cause he believed to be right. even
though his course led to certain death
All this is familiar IL every De-
troitrr Yet comparatively few know
that in this city We're formulated the
plans which resulted in this raid; that
the campaign was outlined in an up
per room of the little frame house on
Congress street.
1t was back in 1>5a that Detroit re-
,-isit Inhn BROWN then
occupying IA place of prominence in
the public eye.
Brown was famous the country over
as tn organizer and moving spirit IN
the League of Gileadites. body
sworn to stand together in their labor
of freeing slaves. His work in Kan
>aS as leader against the border
.utfians was still fresh in mind, as
We're the murder of five pro- slavery
men at PottaWatomie. the capture OF
General Pate at Black Jack and the
magnificent defense of OssaWatomie.
with all of which Browns name was
associated
Consequently, when Brown arrived
in Detroit. March T., 1859. acc"mpan-
tel by five of his own men and con-
vcyinc u party of nineteen negro
refugees. bound for Canada via the
"Undvr2rGund Railway" it was a
great occasion Tor the abolitionists,
with wnum Detroit tcemcd.
Either through coincidence or as
the result of prearranged plan.
Frederick Douglass. the celebrated
negro orator. arrived III Detroit the
same day as Brown. addressing mass
meeting that evening.
After the meeting Brown. Douglass.
William Lambert. John Richards.
George de BaptiSte. Dr. j. Ferguson,
William Webb and others repaired tn
the Webb home at 1S5 East Congress
street. where Il meeting lasting well
into the next morning was Held.
Here, behind closed doors, and with
every man present sworn to secrecy.
Brown divulgcd his plan 10 raid the
United States arsenal at Harper
Ferry That the suggestion met with
the approval of majority OF those
present is certain. They We're
astoundcd by the daring ef the man
and the loyalty OF his followers. II
was an undertaking so visionary that
only fanatic like Brown-and his
most ardent admirers admit that his
drN otion To the anti-slavery cause
amounted tn fanaticism-coud have
made body OF men in their right
minds believe there was a ghost ol
show of it proving anything but Il
tiasco.
1t was we'll toward daybreak when
the meeting broke up. and the par
Elephants scattered to their respective
homes Brown snatched n lew hours
sleep. and with his followers left De-
troit quietly. The next the puphc
heard from him was when, with Il
mere handful of followers. he at
| tackled the arsenal at Harper'S Ferry,
near where it was planned to estab-
Nsh stronghold for fugitive slaves.
| whom he proposed arming SO they
| could withstand an attack. why
| Brown did not make a dash for the
| mountains after raiding the arsenal
even lie declined to explain. How he
/ was captured only after being serious
Nv wounded, with two dead sons at
his side convicted and hanged at
Charlestown. W. Va, is a matter "f
common knowledge.
Just what took place in the Com
gross street house on the momentous
night when that devoted band of abe
litionists laid the foundation for one
Of the most daring undertakings in
American annals has never been set