Disunion Feed

"But I and thousands of others feel a natural impulse of sympathy for the brave and suffering man. [...] He needs a mother or sister to dress his wounds, and speak soothingly to him. Will you allow me to perform that mission of humanity?"

Child wrote asking leave to nurse the wounded Brown in his Charlestown jail; the published exchange with Wise and Mrs. Mason sold some 300,000 copies as a pamphlet. Fragments from the same letter joined with [...].

Read it in the original — 1860 pamphlet, Internet Archive ↗

"Several strange men, for some time past, were stopping in Chambersburg, boarding at different places; who they were or what their legitimate business was, nobody knew, and the strangers themselves did not see proper to tell. [...] They represented themselves as Mineralogists, but who they were, what they were and what they were after, nobody knew. Our citizens were as totally ignorant of their designs--of their dark and damning plot--as were the citizens of Harper's Ferry, into whose midst these Sharp's Rifles, Revolvers, Pikes, Picks, Shovels, Spades, &c. were transported and secreted."

The Republican paper in Brown's staging town — same day as the Democratic Valley Spirit across town, earlier in this feed — pleads local innocence while condemning the 'dark and damning plot.' Its Oct 19 issue went to press before the news — this is its first reaction. Fragments joined with [...].

Read it in the original — Franklin Repository, Oct 26, 1859 (Valley of the Shadow) ↗