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THE ESTDIAOLD JOHN BROWN’S SON— - . • •i •- » • * v ' tIn Search of the Remains of a Brother Killed at Harper’s Ferry,A Strange and Striking Story—The Remains Said to Be in Possession of Dr. «J«J, Johnson, of Martinsville.The Journal has recently published several statements from Dr. J. J. Johnson, of Martinsville, to the effect that he had in his possession the preserved reraaius of a son of “Old1’ John Brown, who was killed at Harper’s Ferry in 1S5D. When first circulated, the story obtained little credence, but recent corroborative testimony goes far toward establishing its truthfulness. Mr. John Brown; jr., the eldest eon of the hero of Ossa-wattomie, arrived in the’city yesterday, and will go to Martinsville this morning to make a full investigation of the matter, and, if satisfied that the body in possession of Dr. Johnson is that of his brother, he will take it to the family burial-ground at North Elba, N. Y.Mr. Brown was interviewed at length by a Journal reporter last night, and gave an interesting account of his present mission and the circumstances leading to it.MR. BROWN’fi STORY.Mr, Brown said that the first intimation he had■of the existence of the remains waB by the reception of a message of a friend in Chicago to the effect that Dr. J. J. JolraBon, of Martinsville, Ind., bad written a letter to' the Chicago Tribune stating that ho had in his possession the remains of one of John Brown's sons, who was killed at Harpers Ferry. (That tetter has been published in the Journal—Ed). Shortly afterward Mr. Brown received the following letter from Mr. Johnson:“Indianapolis, September 4,“John Brown, jr., Put-in Bay:“Dear Sir—Hearing that your mother was in Chicago some ten or fifteen days ago, I wrote to the Chicago Tribune saying I have the bedy of younj? Brown, killed at Harper's Ferry. I am sure it is his body. I was surgeon of the Twenty-seventh regiment of Indiana volunters, and my regiment was in the advance, and I took' charge of the medical college there, and found aspecimen in the museum. I asked General Banks to allow me the preparation, which he granted. I placed it in my general hospital inthe city of Winchester for a mouth or longer,: then shipped it to Martinsville, Ind., and heie it has been ever since I removed it from Winchester, Va. Some time In the month of jnue. 1862, the professor who made the preparation told me it was his body. A hole you could thrust your finger through exists, passing through-the bowels and passing out of the body beside tlio spinal column, which is distinct and visible. The doctors of the college gave me a full history of the case, and how they obtained the body, etc. The surgeon of the Second Massachusetts regiment offered to buy it and send it to the relatives. I refused to let him have it, thinking it was such a nice preparation he wanted it for himself. The surgeon’s name was Le.land, I think. I often thought If I could hear where the mother was I would send her the body. I think the doctors told me his given name was Owen, or Edwin. I want to be certain as to that, so I wrote, as I stated above, to her friend in Chicago. There is no doubt that it is the body of young Brown, killed at Harper's Ferry. If you think proper, you can inform your mother of this. I don't write this to bleed anybody, but alone if it may be any comfort to a broken-hearted, good woman. 8ome friends said to me write; others said it would bring reminiscences unpleasant, etc. I leave the matter for you to decide. Respect fully,“J. J. Johnson, M. D.“My address is Martinsville, Ind, Refer you to Governor Porter as to my Integrity, etc. J. j. J.”To this kind note Mr. Brown replied as follows:“Put-in Bay Island, Lake Erie, ^ISeptember 5, 1882,J. J. Johnson, M. D., Martinsville, Ind.“My Dear Sir—To-day’s boat from Sandusky brought my step-mother from California (late in Chicago) on her way East. This evening’s mail brought me your esteemed favor, written and mailed at Indianapolis, inclosing a letter to 11 yourself from Mr. H. A. Parker, of Chicago. As soon gs she is rested a little I will make known the contents of your letter,. It is, perhaps, needless to say that it has stirred my heart exceedingly.The generous sentiments expressed in your letter are greatly to your credit, and furnish to me strong internal evidences of your truthfulness and the correctness of your statements iu regard to the subject of your letter. I will write to you more fully in a day or two. In the rneBn-tiino please accept the assurances of the respect and gratitude of yours, John Brown, jr.”At the time this correspondence passed, the widow of John Brown was in Chicago, and went from there to Put-in Bay to visit her son. A consultation was held over the matter, and an investigation decided upon, and Mr. Brown left for Chicago, whence he came to this city. He was the guest of Governor Porter at Denver, and His Excellency gave him a letter of introduction to Dr. Johnson, for whose integrity and veracity he personally vouched.JOHN BROWN’S BOYS.To the Journal representative last night,Mr. Brown stated that two oi hiebrothers, Watson and Oliver, werekilled with Ins father at Harper’sFerry, When his mother was given the body of her husband after his execution and was granted permission to search for the bodies of her Hons, one of them was traced to a medical coliege near Winchester, Va. No clew to the other was ever found. The family made some effort to obtain the body which was said to bo in this medical college, but the feeling against the agitators was so bitter that they made no progress, and only excited prejudice and derision'. No further inquiry into the matter has been made until the present. Mr. Brown says he is tre-pared to believe that the remains at Martinsville are those of his brother Watson, because the account of its discovery coincides with the information the family has In their possession. He will, however, Institute the closest inquiry for the purpose of gettihg at the real facta. He feels under obligations to Dr.11 Johnson for his kindness in notifying the family . of the. possession of the body and his offer to turn hit over to them, ir I JOHN BROWN, JUNIOR.Mr. Brown is slxty-ohe years of age, and is bale and hearty, His personal appearance is quite striking. lie, is about six feet high, strongly built, with blue eyes, white beard, and iron-gray hafr. In conversation he is intelligent and original, and has a vivid recollection of the events which brought his family into such prominence. Hewas with his father and mother during the troublesome times in Kansas and Missouri,but at. the time of the insurrection at Harper’s Ferry he was in Canada, engaged in trying to get. some of the colored men who had escaped from the South to go buck to help in “the cause,” in accordance with his father’s plans. He Bays the uprising nt that time was a great surprise to him, for it was not expected until much later. He afterward returned to the StateB and commanded a company In the service. Since the war he has lived atl'ut-Sn Buy, where ho is.engaged in grape culture.Mr. Brown stated that neither he nor any member of bis family had ever written any personal recollections of those stirring times, although lie recognized the fact that such would be of considerable interest. To the reporter'ssuggestion that he ought to do so at once, he i‘«fc plied: “Perhaps the time will come some day for j all the truth to come out.”it38ryis-hoatontyhetoial71ftResolutions of Svmnafchv.
Newspaper Details
Indianapolis Journal
Indianapolis, Indiana, US
Sat, Sep 09, 1882
Page 8
Full Page
Clipped by
Daniel E.
FL, USA 14 Oct 2020
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