BROWN, TonN, b. Conn.. May 9, 1800; d. Dec. 2, 1859; an American abolitionist, celebrated as the originator of the insurrection at Harper's ferry. He was intended for the ministry, but was compelled to give up study on account of inflammation in his eyes. With his family he removed to Ohio, where he worked as a tanner, and engaged in the wool trade, in which lie failed. Ile then went to Essex co., N. Y., and began as a farmer, but in 1854 followed his four sons, who had settled in Kansas, and were sub jected to much persecution on account of their opposition to slavery. When the free state men organized to repel the Missourians who were besieging Lawrence, Brown and his sons were among the foremost on the free-state side; and a little later they made a remarkable defense against vastly superior numbers near Ossawattomie. After many rough adventures in the Kansas troubles, B. formed the project of an insurrection in the south among the slaves as the surest means of securing their liberation. He drilled a small force in Iowa in the winter of 1857, and the next spring, in Canada, drew up a new provisional constitution for the states, under which lie was selected as commander in-chief, one of his sons, and Richard ReaIf and John Kagi, being civil officers. The next important event was the rescue by B. of certain slaves in Missouri who had been sold and were to be taken to Texas, one of the owners of the property being slain in the conflict. Again he went to Canada, returning to the United States in the summer. His attempt to capture the arsenal at Harper's ferry was made on Sunday night, Oct. 16th, 1839. The arsenal was easily seized, several citizens were taken into custody, conspicuous houses were searched for arms, and few of the citizens knew what was going on until mid-forenoon, when they began to rally; some scattered firing followed, one colored man was killed (by Brown's men), the mayor was slightly hurt, and so was one of Brown's sons. There was no sign of a rising of negroes, and before noon
Brown and his men were in the arsenal, virtually prisoners. A feeling of rage pre vailed so stron,gly, that a man who came from the arsenal with a flag of truce was instantly killed, and one prisoner was put to death. At night Brown had three unwounded whites and a few useless negroes for his army; one of his sons lay dead, and another was badly wounded. In the morning a force of United States marines arrived, and Brown, fighting desperately to the last, was taken prisoner, being wounded once with a sword, and twice with the bayonet. All of the invaders were indicted for conspiring to incite insurrection, and for murder and treason. After a trial of three days, in which Brown was unable, on account of his wounds, to stand up; he was found guilty, and sentenced to death on the scaffold within 48 hours. He died calmly on the 2d of Dee., 1859.. It may safely be assumed that his execution hastened the downfall of slavery iu the United States. B. was a man of stern and uncom promising moral principle; and though open to the charge of fanaticism, and regarded as justly and necessarily condemned to death under the law, he seems to be increas ingly viewed as a martyr and a hero, offering himself in a blind and unconscious sacri fice as an obstacle in the path of a gigantic social and political wrong.