USA > Iowa > Cedar County > A topical history of Cedar County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 37
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There were in camp there, as I now remember, John Brown, Owen Brown, J. H. Kagi, Richard Realf, Aaron D. Stevens, Charles Moffatt, C. P. Tidd, Rich- ard Richardson, John E. Cook, William H. Leeman and myself. We had one mule team and a covered wagon, bedding and provisions. Most of us walked most of the time. We camped out, made a big log fire, and our tent was opened on the side to the fire sloping back to the ground. We slept with our feet to the fire and were not uncomfortable. Brown seemed to take it as a matter of course that I had enlisted, and I made no remonstrance. One day while walking to- gether he told all he thought I cared to known. I found that most of the boys knew even less. Kagi knew. all and he posted me. Kagi was Brown's confidant, and they often consulted together. He was next to Brown in all things and the smartest of the lot.
Brown's plans at this time, as revealed to me by Brown and Kagi, was to drill and prepare us for captains of squads or companies. On arriving at Springdale, Cedar County, Iowa (a Quaker settlement), Brown took us to the farm house of Wm. Maxson, where we were to be quartered during the winter.
Maxsons had a large family of their own, and from this time on until we left Mrs. Maxson and daughter Louisa had a strenuous time.
Brown had employed an Englishman by the name of Hugh Forbes to be our drill master and instructor. I never saw Forbes, for some reason he never showed up. Aaron D. Stevens, who had been a soldier in the war with Mexico, became our drill master. We drilled military style (Scott's tactics), twice each day, studied army regulations, and read books on insurrectionary or guerrilla war by some Italian patriots, I think, Orsinna and Massinna. For recreation Kagi organized a mock legislature.
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Soon the neighborhood was aroused with curiosity to see the strange doings of the men from Kansas. We kept our own secrets and the curious went away as wise as they came; but they must certainly have seen that those ten men were preparing to be heard from in the near future.
Cook, Realf, and sometimes Kagi, spoke by appointment at the various school houses in the neighborhood. Brown told me one day that Mr. Painter said to him, "Friend Brown, I can't give thee money to buy powder and lead with, but I will give thee twenty dollars to defray thy expenses."
Brown spent most of this winter in the East. He kept up a correspondence with Kagi; Owen often heard from him also. I was ordered by Brown through Kagi to examine and oil if needed the arms that were boxed and stored in a barn. I found something like seventy-five Sharpe's rifles, and six hundred pistols, mostly of a Massachusetts manufacture, I think Chicopee Falls.
Thus the winter passed quickly by, and Kagi announced that Brown would soon be here to take us to Canada to a convention to be held at Chatham. I took Kagi to Byron, Ill. (my home), where we visited for a week or two, till Brown came with the rest of the boys, when we went with them. The conven- tion at Chatham was called Brown's Provisional Constitutional Convention, and was largely attended, many of those present being colored men of education and influence.
A constitution was formed and signed by all the men who went there with Brown, and many others. At this convention officers of this new government were elected. I think Kagi was made secretary of state, Geo. B. Gill (who had come from Iowa with Brown) was also elected to some office.
Soon after the convention we crossed Lake Erie to Cleveland, Ohio. Kagi was left in Canada to have the procedings of the convention printed. At Cleve- land Brown expected to find money to carry out his plans, but found there was no money in the banks for him.
Brown's plan then was to enter the mountains in Virginia, near Harper's Ferry, get the arms and ammunition in there (pretending to the people if necessary that we were geologists), fortify strong natural positions where a few resolute men could hold their position against a force till aided by concentration ; to send colored men from Canada down among the slaves to tell them that there were white men in the vicinity prepared to help them on to Canada; to, in fact, open a thoroughfare from Virginia to Canada. We were not expected to fight except in self defense; to arm the slaves and help them to defend themselves.
The pikes found at the Canada farm were formed like a dirk knife taken from Henry Clay Pate, a Virginia "border ruffian," captured by Brown in Kansas. It was two edged, straight, the blade was six or eight inches long. Brown had them made with a socket so they could be fastened on a pole like a fork handle. These were intended for the slave women to defend themselves in some moun- tain fastness till they could be further assisted.
Brown returned in a few days saying that everything was declared off for one year; that Hugh Forbes had informed the secretary of war what was going on; that we were watched and would be arrested as soon as we entered Virginia. He had no money with which to care for us, we must look out for ourselves for one year, and, if things quieted down, then the money would be forthcoming next
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spring. He thought we ought to be willing to do this. He said, "Scatter out, get work, but keep in touch with each other so we can easily get together in the spring." Realf asked Brown's sanction to go to New York City, find Hugh Forbes and assassinate him, but Brown would not countenance this for a mo- ment. Realf said, "He is an Englishman, and I can kill that Englishman just as readily as a dog." Realf went back to England.
Kagi had not yet returned from Canada. Moffatt had a married sister in Cleveland, but he soon drifted back to Iowa. George B. Gill returned to Iowa. John E. Cook went to New York City where he had relatives, and later went to Harper's Ferry, taught school, and married there. Richard Richardson was a Missouri slave and was left in Canada. Owen Brown went home. William Leeman worked in an oar factory in Cleveland. I worked for Wm. B. Gorton at Kinsman, Ohio, in his carriage shop.
After some months I found that Brown, Kagi, Stevens and Tidd were in Kansas keeping up the racket. I wrote to Brown and asked him why he took care of part of the crowd and left the rest of us to shift for ourselves. He re- plied, "You have a good trade and can take care of yourself anywhere; Kagi is supporting himself by his pen, as to Stevens and Tidd, they had to be cared for. Hope you will keep in correspondence with the rest of the boys. Think all will be well in the spring." I was mad and did not reply.
Soon after I went to Byron, Ill. During that winter, with four others, I fitted out with oxen and a covered wagon and, early in the spring of 1859, crossed the state of Iowa on the way to Pike's Peak gold fields. When at Council Bluffs waiting for grass to grow on the plains, I got letters from Brown and Kagi say- ing they had been to my home in Byron, "that I must surely turn back, sure go, we depend on you, etc., etc." I also got a letter from mother saying, "You have fooled away time and money enough with Brown, keep on to Pike's Peak. Brown will come to some bad end, and then you and I will be glad you are out of it." So I kept on and thereby slipped my neck out of the halter.
Owen Brown escaped from Harper's Ferry with Tidd, and went to his home in York state. Years after he went to California and settled on a mountain near Pasadena. Here he lived the life of a hermit till he died about ten years ago.268ยช
"On fame's eternal camping ground, Their silent tents are spread, And glory guards with solemn round The bivouac of the dead."
Charles Plummer Tidd was from Maine. I know nothing of his previous history. After the separation at Cleveland he came back to Kansas with Brown, Kagi, and Stevens. At the attack on Harper's Ferry he and Owen Brown were driving a team to haul arms from the Canada Farm, and when they met armed resistance they escaped. During the Civil War Tidd was under Burnside; he was color sergeant of his regiment and, as he planted his colors on the ramparts at the Island of Roanoke, he fell mortally wounded.
Aaron D. Stevens was born in Connecticut. He was a little more than me- dium height, of florid complexion, had dark auburn hair, small dark eyes, high cheek bones, wide forehead, round face, had a heavy, strong jaw, thin,
JOHN BROWN'S OLD HOME AT SPRINGDALE
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closed lips and a small chin. He was a man of strong passions, just the man to do and dare. He could lead a forlorn hope. His education was neglected: While a young man unrequited love drove him from his home. He wandered for miles and then to hide himself completely from the world he joined the regular army. It was the time of the war with Mexico and he was taken to Mexico. One night he with some other soldiers attended a Mexican "fan- dango," or dance. They were late in getting to camp and were captured by the guard. At guard mount the officer was so insulting that Stevens knocked him down. Such conduct in the regular army is a very serious offence. He was arrested and a chain fastened around his ankle with a heavy iron ball attached. He was brought to Fort Leavenworth, tried by court martial, convicted, and sentenced to wear a ball and chain for a term of years. During the winter of 1855 he, with a soldier who was also wearing a ball and chain, were taken out into the timber to cut wood with one soldier to guard them. While warming around the fire they snatched the gun from the soldier and made him stand and watch them chop the chains off each other. They then crossed the Missouri river on the ice, but in a day or two recrossed and hired to a Delaware Indian to cut cord wood. In the spring of 1856 he went to Topeka and assumed .the name of C. C. Whipple. Here I first met him. He was captain of a company who went up to the Missouri river to meet Lane's train. He was conspicuous in the Free State movement in that part of the state. In the fall of 1857 I again met him in Brown's camp at Tabor, Iowa. He went with us to Spring- dale, Iowa, and drilled the Brown men; went to Chatham, Canada, and to Cleve- land, Ohio. He returned to Kansas with Brown, Kagi, and Tidd in the spring of 1858. During this summer he went with Brown on several raids into Mis- souri after slaves which were eventually taken to Canada. On one occasion Brown divided his force, telling Stevens to take Tidd and go with some of the slaves to Cruise's plantation, while he, Kagi, and the other slaves went to an- other farm. Stevens knocked on the door, and Cruise said, "Who is there, and what do you want?" Stevens said, "We are from Jackson County going down to Ft. Scott. Old Brown is going to burn the town; they want help; we want you to go with us." Cruise said, "All right," and opened the door, then still in his night shirt proceeded to light a candle. Then Stevens said, "We are Brown's men and have come after your slaves." Cruise sprang like a tiger at Stevens, got him by the throat, and commenced backing him up in a corner, all the time growling with rage. He called to his wife to bring him his revolver. Stevens tried to quiet him, told him he would not be hurt, all he wanted was the slaves, but Cruise was crazy mad and after his wife handed him the revolver Stevens shot him. Then they told the slaves to take a team and wagon, provi- sions, and all their own plunder, and moved off and joined Brown with a lot more slaves. When Brown was told about the death of Cruise he was very much worked up over it. He accused Stevens of being too hot headed. Tidd told Brown that he had to do it or be killed himself as Cruise's wife had given him his revolver. Brown said to Tidd, "What were you doing? Were you afraid of a woman in her night-gown?" Stevens and Tidd were very angry at Brown's rebuke, and but for Kagi's good judgment and timely talk, both to Brown and Stevens, there would have been an open rupture right there. The
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next year in the attack on Harper's Ferry Stevens was terribly wounded, taken prisoner, tried for treason, convicted, and hung.
Richard Realf was an Englishman by birth and came to Kansas in the sum- mer of 1856 as a newspaper correspondent. He was small of stature, with dark complexion, black hair and eyes. He was a man of considerable culture ; had a good education. He was always neatly clad and would make a good impression anywhere. He was reared and educated by Lady Noel Byron, widow of Lord Byron, the great poet. Realf himself was a poetical genius. Realf and R. J. Hinton were great friends; both were English, both were newspaper corre- spondents, both were small men (Hinton the smaller of the two) ; both made headquarters at the "Herald of Freedom" office in Lawrence. G. W. Brown was the proprietor of the Herald of Freedom. The office was reached by a flight of stairs on the outside of the building. Hinton and Brown got into a controversy, and Brown, who was a large man, took Hinton by the coat collar, dragged him to the head of the stairs and dropped him. Realf took this as per- sonal and challenged Brown to fight a duel. Brown accepted the challenge and chose rawhides as the weapons. The seconds were chosen and they arranged to fight at eight o'clock at "Delaware reserve," just across the river from Law- rence. Realf was on hand first, but Brown was on time. Brown sent his second to Realf's second saying he must not strike above the belt. Realf's man replied, "All arrangements have been made; we are here to fight; are you ready?" Brown and his man took to their boat and returned. Realf went to Canada and then to Cleveland with us, from here he went to New York and then back to England ; he returned in time to serve in the Union army during the Rebellion. . He married, but domestic troubles drove him mad. He jumped off a vessel in San Francisco harbor and was drowned.
John Edwin Cook was from New York City, a lawyer by profession. He was a regular blonde, small of stature, round shouldered; he was nervy and possessed of great physical endurance. He had a good education, was a ready writer; he often wrote rhymes, or jingle, and perhaps poetry. He was a good conversationalist and seemed to take well with the ladies. He had wealthy rel- atives and seemed to have money when he wanted it. He wore two large Colt's revolvers, one on either side, with John E. Cook engraved on the handles. He loved to shoot them, and often challenged his friends to shoot with him. He spent the winter of 1857 and spring of '58 in Springdale with the rest of the Brown men. After the Virginia expedition disbanded in Cleveland, in 1858, Cook went to New York, but, thinking to help out Brown's plans and be on hand in good time for the next spring, he went to Harper's Ferry, taught school, and married there. He made the acquaintance of the Washington family, who are the descendants of George Washington, "the Father of his Country." They were possessed of certain family keepsakes in the shape of Revolutionary arms, the identical sword worn by Gen. George Washington, guns, pistols, etc. Cook was very much interested in these things, and when Brown moved on to the Canada Farm, near Harper's Ferry, Cook posted Brown in regard to these arms. So when the attack was finally made Brown had Mr. Washington brought in and held as a hostage, while he girded on the sword of Yorktown. Cook was put on the outside to guard some road leading to the Ferry, and when he thought
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that all hope had fled he made good his escape, but, owing to his own indiscre- tion, he was captured and the engraving on his arms gave him away. Cook's relatives in New York made a desperate effort to save him. They secured the services of Gov. Willard of Indiana who was a good democrat. He went to Gov. Wise of Virginia and tried to get a pardon for Cook. He promised that Cook should make a confession, which was hoped would implicate many rich New England philanthropists. Cook did make what was called a confession, but he didn't know much to confess, or was careful not to implicate any within their reach. Gov. Wise was obdurate, and Cook had to share the fate of his captain.
John H. Kagi was the most intellectual of Brown's men. He was tall and slender, slightly stoop-shouldered, with dark complexion, long face and high forehead. He was untidy and careless in dress. Born at Bristol, Ohio, his mother died when he was four years old. He was taken to his uncle in Virginia near Harper's Ferry, where he grew to manhood. His uncle was a slave owner and had a son near John Kagi's age. The two boys imbibed abolition views. They assisted one of the slaves to run off. When the uncle found out the situation he ordered John to leave and never return. John left, but, by previous arrange- ment, the cousin soon followed with some of his father's money. After a time they found themselves "dead broke" in Charleston, S. C. The cousin wrote to his father for money to come home with. The father sent the money with the injunction, "Don't you bring John home with you." The cousin started for home, but first divided the money with John. Kagi then went to Tennessee, where he taught school. Here the large girls had the habit of chewing snuff, or rubbing snuff as it is sometimes called. Kagi thought to break up this aristo- cratic practice, so he put a box in the middle of the room and made the girls go there to spit. The school board would not stand for this, so they discharged Kagi. He next went to Washington, D. C., where he got a position to report speeches for the "National Era." He was the only Phonetic, or short-hand re- porter, in Washington who could report C. C. Burley's speeches verbatim. In the spring of 1856 he came to Kansas as special correspondent for the National Era. Judge Ellmore was holding court in Tecumseh and Kagi wrote something about him that he took exception to, so when he met Kagi he asked him if he reported for the National Era over the signature of "K." Kagi told him that he did; then Ellmore struck him with a heavy hickory cane on the side of his head which cracked his skull for four inches. Kagi staggered a few feet to a pile of brick, then, steadying himself with his left hand on the brick, he fired at Ellmore, the ball taking effect in the thigh; then Ellmore got behind a brick column of the court house and fired three shots at Kagi, one shot striking him in the breast, but it did not pass through a diary and several letters; then both men fell, Ellmore from loss of blood and Kagi from the shock to his brain. The pro-slavery men gathered around Ellmore, and the free state men around Kagi. For a time it looked as if more blood would be shed. As soon as Kagi came to he was taken to Lawrence, and when they got the blood stopped on Ellmore they began to cool off. Kagi was a leader among the Brown boys in Iowa. He wrote for some eastern, paper, and delivered several lectures in the neighborhood. He went with the expedition to Harper's Ferry and, at the time
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of the attack, was second in command. He had Wm. Leeman with him in the armory. They escaped from the armory by swimming out to some rocks in the Shenandoah river below the bridge. Here they were shot by men on the bridge.
As to John Brown what can I say that has not already been said a hundred times, for he has been the theme of newspaper writers for the last fifty years. To me his pictures, with which we are all familiar, look very like him, either with full beard or smooth shaven. He was tall and slender, round shouldered, with light complexion, sharp gray eyes that saw everything about him. He had a prominent chin and aquiline nose. His head was high above the ears. His favorite posture was standing with his hands clasped behind him under his coat. He was a man of few words, but was a good listener. He said the Lord had created him to be the deliverer of the slave from bondage, the same as he did Moses to free the children of Israel. As all know, he died upon the scaffold at Charleston, but the end for which he freely gave his life was accomplished. His soul went marching on to Appomattox.269
It has been stated that the song of "John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave" was written and sung first in this county. That the author was a teacher formerly of this county in Springdale Township, but this is not true as to the song mentioned.270 How this impression obtained is very evident from the song quoted below which was published in January, 1860, and which is due to the writer referred to above whose name was Sallie Bonsall.
"LINES ON THE DEATH OF JOHN BROWN." AIR-MIDNIGHT HOUR "O, Hark! a peal has rent the air, And bids, in shame, our nation quake, The very sky seems crying there And doth almost shake."
CHORUS.
"But mourn no more for the good old man, So brave and bold in freedom's light, For Angels welcome to the throne Few hearts more truly right.
"We've sung the song of martyrs oft, Of noble ones who died to save, And now we praise the name of Brown, Who died for bleeding slave.
"His death the noblest death to die- A martyr to God's suffering poor ; And willingly that strong old heart, Did much of wrong endure."
"His silvery locks so white with age, His bended form of courage too; The old man on his way to death, Sees nature's beauty too.
COURTHOUSE AT CHARLESTON, VIRGINIA
"TRAVELERS' REST,"' WEST BRANCH, IOWA
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"Behold him on the scaffold stand, How firmly he has borne the test, How truly calm and how reposed, His peaceful soul at rest." 271
The song known as the one sung by the soldiers during the civil war was written by Edna Dean Proctor and it was published in the "Independent" for January 15, 1863, two years after the one suggested above and is quite different in the original from the manner in which it was sung.
The first lines of that song run as follows :
"John Brown died on a scaffold for the slave ; Dark was the hour when we dug his hallowed grave; Now God avenges the life he gladly gave, Freedom reigns today ! Glory, glory hallelujah, etc."
From the last stanza one line was taken that has furnished the repetition for the song which we have been accustomed to associate with the name of Brown and it reads as follows:
"John Brown's body lies mouldering in the grave; John Brown's body lives in triumph of the brave; John Brown's soul not a higher joy can crave; Freedom reigns today ! Glory, glory hallelujah, etc."
The complete song is published again in the Independent for July 7 of the present year. This should settle the discussion as to the authorship of this song and also explain how. the two might be confused.272
On Saturday, June 18, 1898, there was an assemblage at the famous old Maxson homestead in Iowa Township, of the surviving friends of "Old John Brown." In 1839 William Maxson and Ebenezer Gray, of Harrison County, Ohio, came with their families to the then newly-organized territory of Iowa. The public lands were not yet in market and these two young men who had married sisters, had almost the whole of Iowa to choose from in selecting their future homes. They came by river from Ohio, landing at Bloomington (Mus- catine) as so many others did. Leaving their families in a log cabin on Mus- catine Island they journeyed with team to explore the prairies. After two days journey they camped on a beautiful woodland on sloping down toward the Cedar River, in what is now Iowa Township, Cedar County. Here they staked out claims. They felled trees for homes and erected log cabins and prepared to clear up some of the land for farming. In the fall the families were moved here. They were remote from other settlers being the first in this part of the county. Wm. Maxson was a man of great decision of character who formed his own opinions on all subjects regardless of public opinion. At that early day in the history of the anti-slavery movement he was a radical abolitionist. Then and for many years after such doctrine was little short of anarchistic. But he held firmly to his beliefs and his home was open to slaves escaping from bondage.
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He became a prosperous farmer and in time erected a gravel or grout house constructed of stone, gravel, sand and lime in properly proportioned amounts, which formed a wall almost indestructible. For that early day this house was one of the most commodious and well furnished in all that region of the country. By this time the farm was widely known as one of the best and safest stations on the underground railroad extending across the county. (Elsewhere the base- ment of this house is described as a refuge for colored guests.)
This house, remote from any thoroughfare, was a suitable place for the gath- ering of forces and preparing for the events discussed in the previous pages.
"All Quakers were known to be foes of American slavery. Yet they could not agree with Brown in his doctrine of 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth' and his belief that rifles and revolvers were the proper means to secure direct results. Wm. Maxson, while of Quaker ancestry, had his own views, not exactly in harmony with these Quaker principles. He had unlimited confidence in the old patriarch and opened his house to him."
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