John Brown to Mrs. Mary Gale, November 30, 1859

Charlestown, Jefferson County, Va., Nov. 30, 1859.

Mrs. Mary GalE (or the writer of the writing).¹

Dear Friend, — I have only time to give you the names of those that I know were killed of my company at Harper's Ferry, or that are said to have been killed; namely, two Thompsons, two Browns, J. Anderson, J. H. Kagi, Stewart Taylor, A. Hazlett, W. H. Leman, and three colored men. Would most gladly give you further information had I the time and ability.

Your friend,

John Brown.

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l Written to the sister of Charles Plummer Tidd, one of those who escaped with Owen Brown.

SOURCES: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 615

John Henry Kagi to John Brown, July 18, 1859

[CHAMBERSBURG, PA.], July 18.

I wrote to Tidd one week ago to-day, several days before receiving your letter directing mo to do so, and enclosing letter to H. Lindsley, which I forwarded by first mail. None of your things have yet arrived. The railroad from Harrisburg here does no freight business itself, that all being done by a number of forwarding houses, which run private freight cars. I have requested each of these (there are six or eight of them) to give me notice of the arrival of anything for you.

SOURCE: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 533

John Brown to John Henry Kagi, about July 12, 1859

Look for letters directed to John Henrie at Chambersburg. Inquire for letters at Chambersburg for I. Smith & Sons, and write them at Harper's Ferry as soon as any does come.¹ See Mr. Henry Watson at Chambersburg, and find out if the “Tribune” comes on. Have Mr. Watson and his reliable friends get ready to receive company. Get Mr. Watson to make you acquainted with his reliable friends, but do not appear to be any wise thick with them, and do not often be seen with any such man. Get Mr. Watson, if he can, to find out a trusty man or men to stop with at Hagerstown (if any such there be), as Mr. Thomas Henry has gone from there. Write Tidd to come to Chambersburg, by Pittsburg and Harrisburg, at once. He can stop off the Pittsburg road at Hudson, and go to Jason's for his trunk. Write Carpenter and Hazlett that we are all well, right, and ready as soon as we can get our boarding-house fixed, when we will write them to come on, and by what route. I will pay Hazlett the money ho advanced to Anderson for expenses travelling. Find yourself a comfortable, cheap boarding-house at once. Write I. Smith & Sons, at Harper's Ferry. Inquire after your four Cleveland friends, and have them come on to Chambersburg if they are on the way; if not on the road, have them wait till we are better prepared. Be careful what you write to all persons. Do not send or bring any more persons here until we advise you of our readiness to board them.

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¹ See the Diary for July 12.

SOURCE: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 532-3

Diary of John Brown, March 10, 1859

Wrote Augustus Wattles to enclose to E. and A. King; also wrote Frederick Douglass at Detroit; also wrote W. Penn Clarke, Iowa City; also C P. Tidd. Gave Kagi $1 25.

SOURCE: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 519

James H. Lane to John Brown, October 30, 1857

Falls City, Oct. 30, 1857.

Dear Sir, — By great sacrifice we have raised, and send by Mr. Tidd, one hundred and fifty dollars. I trust this money will be used to get the guns to Kansas, or as near as possible. If you can get them to this point, we will try to get them on in some way. The probability is Kansas will never need the guns. One thing is certain: if they are to do her any good, it will be in the next few days. Let nothing interfere in bringing them on.

Yours,

J. H. Lane.

SOURCE: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 405

Edmund B. Whitman to John Brown, October 24, 1857

Lawrence, Oct. 24, 1857.

My Dear Friend,—Your first two messengers are sick at Tecumseh. I helped them start back with the information that you should soon hear from me, but they were taken sick on their way. Mr. Tidd has been waiting some time for me to receive remittances from the East; but as the crisis approaches I feel in a hurry to get him off. You are wanted here a week from Tuesday. I will wait no longer, but by great personal exertion have raised on my personal responsibility one hundred and fifty dollars. General Lane will send teams from Falls City, so that you may get your goods all in. Leave none behind if you can help it. Come direct to this place and see me before you make any disposition of your plunder, except to keep it safe. Make the Tabor people wait for what you owe them. They must. Make the money I send answer to get here, and I hope by that time to have more for you. Mr. Tidd will explain all.

Very truly yours,

E. B. Whitman.¹

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¹ Indorsed by Brown: “Received at Tabor, Nov. 1.”

SOURCE: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 404

John Brown to Edmund B. Whitman, October 5, 1857

Tabor, Fremont County, Iowa, Oct. 5, 1857.

E. B. Whitman, Esq.

Dear Sir, — Please send me by Mr. Charles P. Tidd what money you have for me, — not papers. He is the second man I have sent in order to get the means of taking me through. General Lane sent a man who got here without any team, with but fifty dollars of Lane's money (as he said), which I returned to him, and wanted me to start right off, with only four days’ time to load up and drive through before this bogus election day, — which my state of health and the very wet weather rendered it impossible to do in time; and I did not think it right to start from here under such circumstances. Do try to make me up the money, all in good shape, before Mr. Tidd returns, and also write me everything you know about the aspect of things in Kansas. Please furnish Mr. Tidd with a horse to take him to Osawatomie, and greatly oblige me. The fifty dollars Lane sent was only about enough to pay up my board bill here, with all I had on hand. I need not say my disappointments have been extreme.

Your friend,

John Brown.

P. S. Before any teams are now sent, I want to hear further from Kansas.

SOURCE: Franklin B. Sanborn, The Life and Letters of John Brown, p. 402-3