BROWN, JOHN, of Osawatomie. Autograph Letter Signed to Henr y Thompson, regarding a shipment of "freight" to North Elba, New York. 1 page, 4to, on blue paper; letterhead of "J. R. Brown, Wool, Butter and Cheese" crossed out in the same ink as letter

BROWN, JOHN, of Osawatomie. Autograph Letter Signed to Henr y Thompson, regarding a shipment of "freight" to North Elba, New York. 1 page, 4to, on blue paper; letterhead of "J. R. Brown, Wool, Butter and Cheese" crossed out in the same ink as letter was written; docketed on verso. Hudson, Ohio, 18 June 1855 E1,500/2,500 IMPORTANT LETTER. N o rth Elba was a community set up by Brown and Thompson for escaped slaves and freemen. Some manner of writing is strange and may be coded in a way only Thompson and Brown understood. Brown often underlined certain inno-cent phrases or words, which meant more than was indicated. 1855 saw Bro w n 's deeper involvement in abolition, from oratory, etc., to militant activism. That year, 5 of John Bro w n 's sons went to Kansas, selecting Pottawatomie as their center of operations. Their father was to join them in October. In March 1855 the first elec-tion for a territorial constitution took place (4 months before this letter was written). Thousands of pro - s l a v e ry ru ffians poured into the terr i t o ry to vote (illegally); hostili-ties soon resulted. It is very likely the "freight" Brown refers to in this letter was supplies for the blacks of that community.