Year: 1859

| tn1rty years ago, ne transferred Ills mem
bership to the Presbyterian Church, with
which he had since remained connected
She said that the religious element of his
character had always been the ruling
motive of his life He had always OBJ
served religious exercises in his house
hold with exemplary regularity. 1t had
been for many years the custom of the
family to read the Bible every morning
in regular course of chapters, each mem
ber reading in turn verse. She said
that her husbands familiarity with texts
of Scripture was so great that he could
detect almost the slightest misquotation
of any passage, and that if a portion of
verse, in almost any part Of the Bible,
was read or repeated to him, he could
Immediately repeat the remainder. His
conversation frequently abounded in
Scripture texts, and his letters were al
ways filled with them.


asked if she knew what were his fav-
orite passages, to which she replied:


He had great many but one was.
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound
Nth them


How nobly his life has proved his deep
hearted sympathy for the slave
In his habits of living, his wife testi-
fed that he was singularly self-denying.
AS an example, he never suffered him
self or his family to wear expensive
clothing. His standing admonition was,
Let us save the money, and give to the
poor" Day before yesterday, when
some clothes were sent from New York
to Mrs. Brown, to go in box to her
husband. among the articles was new
coat of fine broadcloth, which, when it
was shown to her, she Immediately pro-
nounced too gay for her husband to wear.
1t was accordingly sent back and last
evening there came in return coarser
coat, which would better suit his taste.
and which the brave old Puritan might
not think too good for him to put on !!
He never in his life has used tobacco or
ardent spirits, and never, until within
the last few years, has taken tea or cof-
fee. His mode of living has been so
rigidly temperate that. in Kansas, he
would sometimes go for days with scarce
ly mouthful OF food, and suffer no faint
ness or exhaustion.


HIS LoNG-MEpIrArED DESIGN


referred incidentally to the design
upon Harper's Ferry as having been pre-
meditated for two years, to which she
Indignantly replied


NOT FOR TWO YEARS, BUT FOR TWENTY
He had been waiting twenty years for
some opportunity to free the slaves; we
had all been waiting, with him, the pro-
per time when he should put his resolve
into action, and when at last the enter
prise of Harper's Ferry was planned, we
all thought that the time had now come.
Mr.. Brown was sanguine of success we
all were equally confident; he had no
idea, nor had any of the family, that the
expedient would result in defeat; we all
looked to it as fulfilling the hopes of
many years 20


AS | listened to this, could not help
half exclaiming. "What heroic words +!
What man What woman !"


wrote down these sentences a few
moments after they were uttered. and as
l repeated them she added:


For he has borne the yoke of the OPP
pressed as if upon his own. neck, for
these thirty years p


She made several and repeated refer
ences to various newspaper accounts, in
which her husbands character had been
misrepresented. She had been panied
to see him described as cruel man. for,
as she said. "No man ever had kinder
heart He is generous by nature. He
has always aimed to impress his family
with spirit of benevolence. He has
always taught his children to be unset
fish to act always for others before act
ing for themselves. His sympathies for
the poor and the oppressed have always
been too easily excited"


inquired as to his habit of carrying
firearms about his person. She said that
since the many threats upon his life du-
ring and since his efforts in Kansas, he
had carried a revolver, but never before.


Is HE INSANE?


then put the question which l had
been chiefly solicitous to ask: 1t is the
common talk of the newspapers that
Capt. Brown is insane what do you say
to that opinion 20


never knew" she replied, "of his
insanity, until read it in the newspapers
He is clear-headed man. He has al
ways been, and now is entirely in his
right mind. He is always cool. deliber.
ate and never over-hasty but he has al
ways considered that his first perceptions
of duty, and his first impulses to action,
were the best, and the safest to be fol.
lowed. He sAd almost always acted up.
on his first suggestions. No, he is no.
insane. His reason is clear. His las
was the result, as all his other acts have
been, Of his truest and strongest consci
entious convictions"


After these statements, supported as
they are by other and abundant evidence
how can any man believe that Captain
Brown is insane His project is easily
characterized as mad, as any other dar
ing and hazardous exploit is apt to be
called, particularly after it is seen to have
failed. But the attempt for the deliver.
ance of the Virginia slaves did not seem
/ L n