Year: 1859

The Governor of Virginia, whose energetic, pa
triCtic and prudent conduct in regard to the Har-
per's Ferry outrage commands universal approval,
is in the daily receipt of large number of letters
from abOtiOnists in various States threatening his
life. threatening an attempt to rescue old Brown,
and threatening the renewal ofke attempts to those
OF Brown if Gov Wise does not pardon the miscre-
ant who has just been convicted of his crimes, and
who will be put to the death he deserves surely
as to-morrow's sun arises in heaven. These letters
speak of the increasing number Of the abOlitonists
of their ability to perform what they threaten and
of the ''DderOuS eye to the language OF one
of them, with which they watch the progress of
Browns trial. They wind up generally with hold
ing out to the Governor great popularity at the
North if he will deal leniently with the criminals.
From all quarters in the Northern and Western
States these letters come, written in every variety
of style and ofpenmanshp but all breathing threats
| of rescue or of vengeance, in Brown and his
| followers are executed.


These letters. however, might be treated in ordi-
nary times with utter contempt; but for the illus
tration which Old Brown has recently given of the
truth of Sam Patch's maxim, that some things can
| be done as well as others" But these not the
| only nor the most important and dignifed of the
documents with which the Governor 8 mails is daily
loaded. From some of the most intelligent and re-
| speetable sources in the non-slavehOlding States
come letters full of respect and courtesy some of
them evidently free from all sinister motive or in
| fuence invoking the Governor to pardon Brown.





| of their Recommendation the enemies of the Con-
| stitution who are chagrined by the exposure of
their crimes will have no chance of recovering the
| influence they have lost; Virginia and her Goves-
nor will be everywhere hailed with universal love
/ and gratitude


| One of the writers says that if the Governor
could be on the ground and the state of senti-
ment in the nOn-slavehoidng States upon this sub
iect he would not hesitate for instant All this
| explains the sympathizing tones of the New York
| naoh
day hitherto a conservative paper, but which seems
now to be infected by the general madness. The
writers of these letters underPate the sagacity.
frmness and the character of the Virginian at the
head of this great Commonwealth when they address
IN him such appeals. In the most cOld-blOoded mall
| ice and wickedness, John Brown has committed the
| greatest crimes known to human law, and now they
who instigated his crimes threaten vengeance if he
| is punished, and men whose morbid sympathies ara
always enlisted in behalf Of suffering Yillany insist
that It would be good policy to let him CO. 1t would
neither be good policy nor good principle "a thing
which there seems to be precious little idea Of in
! the minds of many of these sympathiZePs


| But why these sympathizing letters? Some of
them are from men high in wealth and position, and


who are themselves strongly suspected of willing
| ness TO make money out of Southern blood. They
are uneasy in their own minds; their conscience tells
| them that Brown is in his present position through
their agency; that he is only their tool and nstru-
ment, and that not only the blood shed at HarpeTs
Ferry is on their hands, but the life Of old Brown
| and his cenfederates also. Hence their anxiety to
rescue him from the fate impending over his head.
We do not say that all the letters from influential
quarters received by Gov. Wise are prompted by
| this motive; but scme of them undoubtedly are.
We would suggest to sympathisers of this stamp the
| only mode of approaching Gov Wise of Virginia,
which affords them the smallest chance of even a
hearing. Let them offer their own precious necks
| in the place of Brown. Their conscences tell them
that if he dies they are guilty Of his death. Let
/ them come and offer to die in his placel Let some
of the Boston spectators in Southern cotton try
the merits of this system of exchange. We venture
to say that if they will draw on Southern hemp,
the draft will be Immediately hOnored, and the
bonds of the Union pulled tight that they will
never again breathe disloyal and traitorous


breath