Year: 1871




Early in the Spring Of the yeaI


which witnessed the John Brown sac


rifice, Judge Cunningham, holding a


commission from Buchanan, rode out


to little country seat near AtchisOn,


where he had heard Brown was stay


ing, for the purpose of arresting him.


Arriving at the house he rode up to


the door, dismOunted with his four
companies, and inquired for John
Br1.-n. The lady asked the party 20
sit and she would call him. Presently
he appeared, and Cunningham seeing


that Brown did not know him, and
feeling certain of his victim, began to
converse with him. After an exceed
ingly pleasant interview, Cunning


ham informed Brown that he had
come to arrest him, and that he must
have his company forthwith to Atch-
isOn, where Brown knew death was
certain.


From the mans demeanor at this
moment" said Cunningham after
ward, az saw that was to be disap-
pointed, but how l could not imagine,
for he was completely alone with my
soldiers and myself, and l knew that
the country through which We should
pass was unfriendly to the abolition.
lists, should he attempt to escape.
Furthermore, l knew that Brown was
ignorant of my mission up to the mo-
ment when l declared it. He could
not, therefore, have been prepared for
me. But the mans self-cOntrOl was
wonderful. His cOuntenance did not
change a line from the light cordial
expression it had worn at the cOnclu-
sion of his last sentence. He cOntin-
ued the subject as if ] had not spoken,
and for q moment l staggered into the
belief that my tongue had slipped and
/ had not said what L had intended.
However, / repeated my eTraud and
took a step forward to formally arrest
Brown, when / felt myself detained
by a hand on my shoulder. | turned,
and an armed man, not one of my
soldiers, stood at my back. Behind
him was another, and behind him an
other-a vertebreted chain of men
extending from the corner of the
house to the bushes. They must have
come at some signal from Brown, who
Immediately said, "You see YOU are
all my prisoners" His tone was un-
changed, but his countenance was SAD
as if weighed down by q new respOn-
sibilty. He seemed to be perfectly un-
aware of my discontinue, and after a
moments pause, said simply, " [ be-
lieYe | must find out what to do with
you all." He retired to a corner of the
piazza, as supposed to consult with
confederate. But presently q whis-
pered remark from one of my men
made me turn, and there the old man
was, kneeling in prayer, in an audible
voice, but with great eagerness. 1
could not help laughing. In a mo-
ment Brown rose and coming up, said
the soldiers should be released, but g
shall not ask God about you, for you
laughed" And he positively kept
me there three days, and lectured me
in the interim about reverence"


Those who share Cunningham's
feelings of meIriment at Browns en-
treaty of God, will also share his
amaZement at Browns supremacy
over self. Both belong to n region or
religious experience little trespassed
upon. OF both. as is well known
to lovers of the heroic in history.
Browns career furnishes much more
striking instances, for he was q man
already possessed" in the old Jew
ish sense, and nothing could be of
significance enough to dispOssess him.
His soul took fast hold on God; and
to the man, John Brown, there prOba-
bly, never has come a perilOus mo-
ment.