Saturday, October 28, 2023

Mary Ann Day Brown to John Brown, November 13, 1859

Eaglewood, Perth Amboy, New York, Nov. 13.

My Dear and Beloved Husband: I am here with Mrs. Spring, the kind lady who came to see you, and minister to your wants, which I am deprived of doing. You have nursed and taken care of me a great deal; but I cannot even come and look at you. O, it is hard! But I am perfectly satisfied with it, believing it best. And may the Lord reward the kind jailer for his kind attentions to you. You cannot think the relief it gave me to see Mrs. Spring, and to get a letter from your own hands. When you were at home last June I did not think that I took your hand for the last time. But may Thy will, O Lord, be done. I do not want to do or say any thing to disturb your peace of mind; but, O, I would serve you gladly if I could. I have often thought that I should rather hear that you were dead than fallen into the hands of your enemies; but I don't think so now. The good that is growing out of it is wonderful. If you had preached in the pulpit ten such lives as you have lived, you could not have done so much good as you have done in that one speech to the Court. It is talked about and preached about every where and in all places. that Moses was not allowed to go into the land of Canaan; so you are not allowed to see your desire carried out. Man deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth his steps. . . .

SOURCE: James Redpath, Editor, Echoes of Harper’s Ferry, p. 427

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