Year: 1873

An unpublished Letter from the Martyr OF


Harperis Ferry.l


The following letter, written by John
Brown just before his execution in Vir-
ginia to the Rev. Luther Humphrey,
brother of the Rev. Zephainiah M.
Humphrey,pastor of the Calvary Church
of Philadelphia, has lately been made
public. -. .- t-.-.. ...--|


CHARLEsrowN, Jefferson County,l


Va, Nov Is, 1853.


The Rev. LUTHER HUMPHERY-MY
DEAR FRIEND. Your kind Letter of the
II inst, is now before me. So far as
my knowledge goes as to our mutual
kindred, l suppose l am the first since
the landing of Peter Brown from the
Mayflower that has either been.sentenc-
ed to Imprisonment or to the gallows.-
But my dear old friend, let not that fact
alone grieve you. You cannot have
forgotten how and where our grandfa-
ther Capt. John Brown fell in 116, and
that he too might have perished on the
'scaffold had circumstances been but
very little different. The fact man
dies under the hand of an executioner
Tor otherwise} has but little to do with
his true character, as suppose. John
Rogers perished at the stake a great and
good man, as l suppose, but his being
SO does not prove that any other man
who has died i'm the same way was good
or otherwise. Whether 1 have any rea-
son to ''be of good cheer" tor not in
view of my end, can assure you that
feel SO; and that l am totally blinded
if l do not experience that strengthen
ing and consolation you so faithfully
implore in my behalf. God of our ia
theirs reward your fidelity? L neither
feel mortified, degraded, nor in the least
ashamed of my imprisonment,m my chain
or my near prospect of death by hang
ing. feel assured Ssthat not one hair
shall fall from my head without my
Heavenly Father" I also feel that
have long been endeavering to hold ex-
actly "such a post as God has chosen"
See the passage in Isaiah which you have
quoted. No part of my life has been more
happily spent than that l have spent
here, and humbly trust that no part
has been spent to better purpose.
would not say this boastingly, but thanks
be unto God who giveth us the victory
through infinite grace" 1 should be
sixty years old were L to live till May 8,
1860. have enjoyed much of life as it |
is, and have been remarkably prosper
ous-haying early learned to regard
the welfare and prosperity of others as
my own. / have never, since 1 can re-
required q great amount Of
sleep, so that I conclude that have al
ready enjoyed full an average number
of waking hours with those who reach
'three score years and ten have as
yet not been driven to the use of glasses |
but can still see to write quite comfor- |
tably.. But more than that, L have gen.
orally enjoyed good health. I might go
on to recount unnumbered and unmeri-
ted blessing among which. would be
some very severe Affections, and those
the most needed blessings of all. And
now, when think how easily L might
be left to spoil all have done or suffer-
ed in the cause of freedom, l hardly
dare risk another voyage, if 1 even had
the opportunity. 1t is long time since
we met, but we shall now soon come to-
gether in our Fathers house," 1 trust.
'Let us hold fast that we already have
remembering that we shall reap in due
time if we faint not Thanks be even
unto God, who giveth' us the victory,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. And
now my warm hearted friend @Good-
bye!'