John Brown’s Ending
On October 16, 1859 John Brown led a raid at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia. John Brown led many raids against whites because he was against them having slaves. During the Harper’s Ferry raid he led 21 other men , he wanted to abolish slavery. There was 5 blacks and 16 white men fighting for the slaves freedom.
It was October 16, 1859, we were on our way to Harpers Ferry, Virginia we were planning to raid the next day. As we walked I pictured a better life where people weren’t slaves. Everyone being equal citizens, it is a shame to what we became. I was born into a very religious family so I’ve always been against slavery. I have a wife and many kids back that I hope to go back to. A while back me and Frederick Douglas met in Springfield Massachusetts. In one of the meeting he stated”...though a white gentleman,[Brown] is in sympathy a black man, and as deeply interested in our cause, as though his own soul had been pierced with the iron of slavery.” It was then that I planned a war to free the slaves.
The men looked like they were getting tired from all the walking. The city was only another 30 minutes away. We didn’t have much weapons or armory but we were planning on seizing their federal arsenal and armory. The sun was beginning to set, it was almost night and we were almost there. Once my men got there we set up a little camp just outside the city. We all fell laid down and relaxed. My eyes began to close and moments later my view went black. I woke up the next morning . We headed into Harpers Ferry, Virginia. We got there still in the early hours of the day. We went into the city. There were many people out walking. We took many of the citizens and held them hostage. One of the men yelled out,” I need to get back to my family! They are hungry and need protection.” It hurt me a bit thinking about the family but i had to win the slaves freedom. Maybe the man would understand later.
As we captured citizens we seized the federal arsenal and armory. I got more weapons. I was hoping that the other slaves or people would want to fight, but they were too scared to grab a weapon. There were gunshots everywhere. There was men lying on the floor, their chests going up and down, and the pool of blood below them getting larger each time. Their chests stopped rising.
There was a boy across the street, not much older than 8 or 9, he had ragged clothes on. He held a bayonet in his hand. His face was pale and fear showed in his eyes. He resembled the man that I just watched have his last breath. My stomach dropped. I’ve killed many people and I hate it but I am fighting for the right thing. It’s not like I enjoyed killing all those men. It’s war death is expected. As i was watching the boy and thinking I felt a sharp pain on my waist. It burned. I felt the blood trickling down my side. Before the man could do anymore damage, I grabbed my gun and...BANG! The man that cut me lied motionless on the floor. I fall to the ground hard and hit my head. My vision is blurry and all the sound was muffled. I could barely make out anything that was happening. I saw many of my men falling to the ground with large wounds. Some were also being captured. My plan didn’t work out. I should have thought this through more thoroughly. I saw footsteps coming closer to me,and then my vision went blank.
I woke up with my head throbbing but a lot of my wounds were bandaged up. I looked around and noticed I was in a train. I thought about all my men who fought for the slaves but died. They died for a good cause.
“Where are we going?” I asked
The soldier responded “ Charlestown, Virginia, you know you are in for a lot , it wouldn’t surprise me if you are convicted and sentenced to death.”
I stayed quiet. The rest of the way there was not pleasant. The man kept talking about how many of his friends we killed and how I would pay. We finally arrived in Charlestown, Virginia on October 17 in the afternoon. I got out of the train and walked into the jail I was gonna be held at. I got a few bad looks but I did not care. I was held there for about one week until my trial came on October 25, 1859. To make matters worse I did not have a good lawyer. It took about a week for the court to make up their mind.
It was November 2, 1859 when I went to my last trial. I sat in my stool in front of the judge. I waited impatiently in my seat. I fiddled with my fingers hoping it would calm my nervousness down. It didn’t really help that all eyes were on me too. A man walked into the courtroom. I saw pity in his eyes and I knew it would not end well. He walked up closer and gave the judge the paper that would tell me future. My life was in that paper. The life that I had lived to fight for the slaves freedom. The life that I grew up hating how people treated slaves. The life that was in near death each time I would fight for them. The life who had a caring family and many kids. Right now is when I will know if this life shall fight longer or stop fighting. The judge looked at the paper and scanned it. He asked everyone to stand up.
“John Brown you have been found...guilty. You have been convicted for treason, murder , and inciting a slave insurrection.” My stomach dropped. For some reason I knew I was going to be found guilty but I was hoping for better. I stayed quiet to hear what my punishment would be. “ You shall be hung on December 2, this year in public.” I looked at judge and nodded in agreement. I was allowed to speak before I left, "Now, if it is deemed necessary that I should forfeit my life for the furtherance of the ends of justice, and mingle my blood further with the blood of millions in this slave country whose rights are disregarded by wicked, cruel, and unjust enactments, I say, let it be done.” Everyone seemed surprised for what I said. I just walked out of the courtroom with the guards and went back to my cell. That cell would be my last place to stay before I’m gone.
Every day would be the same I would get up eat and stay in my room and read a book. Once a week I would write to my wife and tell her what has been happening. A man and I would get in countless arguments but that was just part of my day. I got used to it. I was slowly counting off the days until my execution. So far I had only 7 days left. I spent my time on my last few days wisely. I thought about what could have happened if I wasn’t captured and sentenced to be hanged. I thought about what I did wrong that day at Harpers Ferry. I drifted into a sleep while thinking all those things. I woke up the next morning, two days before my execution. I decided to write my wife one last letter. I told her how much I loved them and how hard I tried to free the slaves. I told her not to worry about me but to worry about the children. My death should not matter because I died doing what I wanted to do and fighting for them. I told my kids how they should remember their father as a man who was wise and smart about his actions. A man who helped others. I man who lost his life doing what he loved. That was my last letter to them. It was dated November 30, 1859. I gave my letter to the guard to mail it out, and he did. My last day there I just sat in my little room looking at the ceiling and noticing every little thing on the walls, the wooden panels, the rusty screws, the bars, the bed. I did mainly nothing and thought of nothing because I did not want to think of what was coming to me tomorrow. I wanted to stay awake the whole night, but my eyes were getting droopy and then I fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning I woke up very early, today was the big day. My death was only hours away. I got dressed and said my goodbye to some of my inmates that I had grown fond of. I gave my jailer a note. The time went by very fast considering the fact that I wanted it to go slower. Next thing I knew I was in front of the platform. I walked very slowly . The man behind me had his bayonet on my back, pushing me and poking me at the same time. I walked up the steps. The wood looked very old and cracked all over, all you heard was the creaking sound of the steps. I was now in front of the rope. I gulped. I went to the area where the rope was. I looked into the crowd that gathered. There was at least 2,000 people here to watch me have my last breath. I stepped up to the stool. I was getting more nervous. My hands started shaking.I then remembered the note I gave my jailor. It had my last words,
“Charlestown, VA, 2nd,December,1859
I John Brown am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty,land:will never be purged away; but with blood.I had as I now think: vainly flattered myself that without very much bloodshed.; it might be done.”
Once I was on the stool the man tied the rope on my neck. It was very tight. I nodded at the man. He said he would count to three before he knocked the stool off. I nodded in agreement again. He put his hand up so I could see .
1…
2…
3!
There was nothing to hold me anymore. I struggled a lot it was not very pleasant. I remembered the man from Harpers Ferry while I was slowly losing my consciousness. I remembered how I watched him have his last breath. I was in his position now. I was the one that was being watched die. I remembered everything I had done in my life from when I was just a little boy in the valley to when I had my twentieth child. All those memories came rushing through my mind as I was almost out of breath. It took my quite a while to finally suffocate, I was hanging for about an hour before I had my last breath of air. I died December 2, 1859 for murder,treason, and inciting a slave insurrection. I died fighting for the slaves freedom. I grew up freeing slaves from an awful life or death and it is because of that, that I am dead. But I did not die for nothing.