Show HONOR JOHN BROWN celebration TO BE HELD AT KANS fiftieth anniversary of the battle at that place to be observed by appropriate Es E s excises the proposed celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the battle fought at osawatomie Osawa tomie kan august 30 recalls an interesting and thrilling bit of history of which john brown was the central figure osa naeomie the home of the dar ing abolitionist and his family in 1855 they being attracted thither by the de termination to aid the tree state party jhb JOHN BROWN MONUMENT erected on osawatomie Osawa tomie battle ground twenty eight years ago in the efforts to 1 beep the territory from becoming a pro slavery state john brown had years before espoused the antislavery cause an in aident in his boyhood having influx encee him strongly in that direction in the same house where he was stop ing as a boy there was a slave boy al most his own age and seeing this boy treated even beaten as he declares with an iron fire shovel he became in his own words a most determined abolitionist and was led to declare or swear eternal war with slavery and so when he moved to osawatomie Osawa tomie it was not long before he and his sons were enrolled in the kansas militia by the free state party and the con flicht at osawatomie Osawa tomie was one of the sensational episodes of those days of violence and bloodshed perhaps the most stirring event of all of john brown s career was the summary punishment meted out to five men of the pro slavery party in avowed retribution for the tion of five of the free state men and known as the pottawatomie mas sacre it was intended to echo tar beyond kansas as it did and to an t bounce to the slave holding comman ity that blood for blood would benoe forth be exacted in case of any further invasion of rights it undoubtedly had that effect and though some even in kansas regarded it with dunap it Is certain that leading cit eizens of the territory such as gov robinson themselves justified it at the time robinson wrote as late as february 1878 I 1 never had much doubt that capt brown waa the au thor of the blow at pottawatomie tor the reason that he was the only man who comprehended the situation and saw the absolute necessity of some such blow and had nerve to strike it that ansas reveres the memory of john brown was attested 28 ago when the monument erected at osawatomie Osawa tomie to his honor was bedl bated john J ingalls making the speech of the occasion this bonu ment is of plain white marble and not more than 12 feet high it cost about the money being contrib buted by the early settlers of omie and vicinity there are eions on the tour sides but this one tells the story in commemorate comme morat on of the heroism of CAPTAIN JOHN BROWN who commanded at the batt e of osa august 30 1856 who died and conquered on the scaffold at charleston virginia december 2 1859 the plans for the celebration at tomie next august include vice president charles W fairbanks as the principal speaker of the occasion and gov hoch of kansas and gov folk of missouri representing the two states whose citizens participated in the fight at osawatomie Osawa tomie will also deliver addresses A most interesting feature of the occasion will be the presence of an old pioneer of the state who kemem bers the battle of osawatomie Osawa tomie and who will read a letter written by john brown to his sisters from tho jail in charlestown Charles town on the sunday before he was executed this letter is the property of the kansas bistor leal society and bears date of november 27 1859 and Is as follows oh my friends can you deem it possible that that scaffold has no ter bors tor your poor old unworthy brother 9 I 1 thank god through jesus christ my lord it Is even so I 1 am now shedding tears but they are not tears of grief and sorrow I 1 trust I 1 am nearly done with those I 1 am weeping with joy and gratitude I 1 can in no other way express I 1 am wait ing cheerfully the days of my appointed time fully believing that for me now to die will be to me of infinite gain and of untold benefit to the cause we love the only survive of the john brown raids Is W J dark now a resident of chicago |