Thursday, April 19, 2018

George L. Stearns to John Brown, February 4, 1858

My Dear friend:

Your letter of the 11th inst. was received from Boston to-day. The $500 was furnished you by Whitman at my request. It was done because I thought you needed money for the winter, not because I felt myself under obligation to you, for I had made up my mind then, and still continue to believe that our friends need no aid in defending themselves from all marauders, and that their true course now is to meet the enemy at the ballot-box, and vote them down on every occasion. With the Territorial Legislature in their hands, they can defend themselves against every oppression, and they should do so. If I am correct in my conclusions, the contingency for which I gave you my pledge having ceased to exist, I am no longer bound by it, and it should be returned to me without conditions.1 From your last letter to me I supposed you would return it as early as convenient to you.

If am in error I shall be glad to be enlightened by you, and hope to receive on my return to Boston an early reply to this.

I am not, however, indifferent to your request, believing your advice and encouragement to our friends to be of great importance.

If you can go to Boston you will have a much better chance of success, and I will aid you as far as it is proper that I should do so.

Colonel Forbes has written several abusive letters to Charles Sumner, and Sanborn, claiming that you had made a positive contract to pay him money, based on promises made to you by the New England men. Is it so?

Truly yours,
Geo. L. Stearns.
_______________

1 This may refer to the draft for $7000.

SOURCE: Frank Preston Stearns, The Life and Public Services of George Luther Stearns, p. 162; Edward J. Jr. Renehan, Secret Six: The True Tale of the Men Who Conspired with John Brown, p. 130 for the date of the letter.

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