"border ruffians," who were constantly making incursions into Kansas, not to settle there, but to drive away free-state settlers. Whenever there was a territorial election, or any laws to be passed in the Territory, the Missourians came over in great force, out-voted the free-state men and after carrying the election by violence, went

James Buchanang

home again. In the more extreme south a company of militia from South Carolina and Georgia was raised and sent to subdue Kansas to slavery.

Then preparations were made on both sides for attack and defense. Lawrence, the chief town of the free-state settlers, was attacked, and its principal buildings burnt. Then four or five hundred men came to the village of Ossawatomie, where John Brown lived. The old hero had only about thirty men to oppose this force, but he managed them so skillfully that after a long defense of his position he led his men to a safe retreat with a loss of only five or six, leaving the Missourians in possession of the field with thirty-one killed and about twice that number wounded. One of the dead at Ossawatomie was Frederick Brown, a son of the leader.

When Lawrence was besieged a second time by an army from Missouri, said to be one thousand strong, the citizens sent for "Ossawatomie Brown" (as he was now called) to defend them. He came, and with his little army, never more than thirty or forty in number, aided by the citizens, guarded the town so well that the Missourians concluded not to give battle.

In the mean time the steady line of trains kept coming from the East, wagon-load after wagon-load of settlers, all ready to vote Kansas into the Union without slavery. Again and again the vote was polled, and when the free-state residents of Kansas had mustered in force, a great party would swoop over the border from Missouri, outnumbering the legal voters, and force upon them the most obnoxious laws. But this could not last always. Before the swelling tide of emigration all Missouri might soon oppose itself in vain. In 1858 the free-state men were able to vote with 10,000 majority, that Kansas should be organized without slavery, and from that time resolutely voted down all attempts to make her anything but free.

CHAPTER XXIX.

RAID INTO VIRGINIA.

Presidential Contest of 1856. -An Exodus of Slaves. The "Kennedy Farm Surprise of the Watchmen at Harper's Ferry. - The Arsenal taken. - John Brown Pikes. - Arrival of Soldiers. -Capture of John Brown. - His Trial. John Brown's Speech. -Sentence

and Execution.-Scene on the Ga.lows.

WHILE these Kansas troubles were growing more exciting, a new president was elected. Franklin Pierce served the Southern interest

J.C. Rémont

faithfully for four years,

as he was pledged to do, and in 1857 gave up his seat to James Buchanan of Pennsylvania, also elected by the Democratic party. There had been a hard political fight against him by the other party, who now called themselves "Republicans," the old name which Thomas Jefferson had been proud to own. The Republicans had for a leader, John C. Frémont, the young explorer of the Rocky Mountains, and the battle was fought for him with intense enthusiasm.

The contest was decided in favor of the party which had ruled the country so many years, and in 1857 James Buchanan was made president in Washington. Of course he had little sympathy with free-state settlers in Kansas, and they fought out their fight there with no aid or encouragement from him.

Meanwhile, John Brown, who found Kansas was now able to gain her freedom at the ballot-box, concluded to leave the Territory. Just before he left, a slave came secretly to beseech his good offices

in aiding him to escape with his wife and children. He had just learned they were all to be sold in Texas, and the slaves dreaded being sold into the extreme south more than the punishment of the lash. It was a place from which there seemed no hope of any release from bondage.

Brown never heard any appeal from the slave without acting upon it. Just before he started for the East, he went over into Missouri to the plantation where the slave lived, and took away with him twelve slaves who were anxious to escape. The master of the slaves was killed in opposing the escape of his property. Brown marched the whole party to Canada, and left them there rejoicing in their freedom, and blessing their deliverer. But this deed covered his name with odium in the South, and he was denounced as the blackest of murderers and desperadoes.

About the 1st of July, 1859, several months after John Brown arrived with his fugitives in Canada, a man and his two sons came to Virginia, and hired a farm near Harper's Ferry on the Potomac River. The man, who said he was a farmer, gave his name as Smith, had white hair and flowing beard. His sons were young men who looked as if they had been used to farm-work, and were bronzed by exposure to wind and weather. They went to work at once, very often receiving packages and boxes by the railroad, which runs through Harper's Ferry, which they said contained their farming tools, and the various utensils they needed in their labor.

The town of Harper's Ferry near which the "Kennedy Farm," hired by "Smith" and his two sons, is situated, is one of the most romantic in Virginia. It is built under the crest of the mountains through which the Potomac flows. Two long streets on the river's level form the main town, and from thence the houses straggle up the sides of the mountains overlooking the river. A large armory for the manufacture of United States arms, furnishes employment for a band of workmen, and makes brisk sounds of labor in the otherwise quiet little place. The great arsenal building, stored with guns and munitions of war, stands in the heart of the town.

On the night of the 16th of October, a little company of men appeared before the three astonished watchmen who guarded the arsenal gates, bound and took them prisoners, and entered the ars nal. The company was twenty-two in number, five black men and seventeen whites. Their leader was the long-bearded man who had hired the "Kennedy Farm" as Smith. He is no longer called

Smith, but "John Brown of Kansas." In his party are his two sons, Oliver and Watson. John Brown entered the armory, and prepared to fortify it, and make it his head-quarters, just as a general would choose head-quarters in time of war. They have in fact declared war, these twenty-two men, against the institution of slavery. They are here to begin the battle.

It seems a mad attempt for this handful of men to think of fighting the whole State of Virginia; behind that the whole slave-holding league; still behind these, the established law and order of a great nation. Yet there was some method in this madness. John Brown knew by gaining possession of the arsenal he should have plenty of arms at his disposal. His plan was to cut off all communication with the town, seize the wealthy citizens in the vicinity, and keep them as hostages to supply money and provisions. Already his comrades outside Harper's Ferry were cutting down telegraph wires, and tearing up railroad tracks, to prevent intelligence of their attack spreading over the country. During the three months of their stay in Virginia, John Brown and his sons had been exploring the mountains in all that wild region, holding communication with slaves, and they expected now to be joined by a large band of blacks to whom they could furnish arms from the arsenal, and then retreat in force to the mountain fastnesses where Liberty could hold a siege, impregnable against her foes. At Collinsville, Connecticut, he had ordered a thousand instruments of war, known as "John Brown's pikes." These pikes were simply a kind of bowie-knife, a broad, pointed knife, sharp on both edges, fastened to a pole about six feet long. These were John Brown's own invention, and he probably intended to arm the slaves with them, who were unaccustomed to fire-arms. Some of the boxes consigned to him at Harper's Ferry, had contained these "pikes."

This was, as far as we can discover it, John Brown's plan and preparation for striking the death-blow to slavery. It was so far carried out, that shortly after daylight on the morning of October 17th, over sixty prisoners were shut up in the armory, and John Brown's little army held the town. They arrested every citizen they.met. When the astonished prisoners asked the meaning of their arrest, they were told, "It is to aid in the freedom of the slave." And on whose authority was this done? "On the authority of Almighty God."

If at any hour before noon on this eventful Monday of October,