zen recruits who could be depended on to obey orders. Among them was a
notorious horse thief and bandit known in the Territory by the title of
"Pickles."

As they entered the State of Missouri on the night of the twenty-fifth
of January, Brown divided his forces. Keeping the main division under
his personal command, he despatched Stevens with a smaller force to
raid the territory surrounding the two plantations against which he was
moving.

Between eleven and twelve o'clock Brown reached the home of Harvey G.
Hicklin, the first victim marked on his list.

Without the formality of a knock he smashed his door down and sprang
inside with drawn revolver.

Hicklin surrendered.

"We have come to take your slaves and such property as we need," the old
man curtly answered.

"I am at your mercy, gentlemen," Hicklin replied.

Gill was placed in charge of the robbers who ransacked the bureau
drawers, closets and chests for valuables.

Brown collected the slaves and assured them of protection. When every
watch, gun, pistol, and every piece of plate worth carrying had been
collected, and the stables stripped of every horse and piece of leather,
the old man turned to his victim and coolly remarked:

"Now get your property back if you can. I dare you and the whole United
States Army to follow me to-night. And you tell this to your neighbors
to-morrow morning."

Hicklin kept silent.

Brown knew that his tongue would be busy with the rising sun. He also
knew that his message would be hot on the wires to the East before the
sun would set. He could feel the thrill it would give his sentimental
friends in Boston. And he could see them reaching for their purses.

The men were still emptying drawers on the floor in a vain search for
cash. Hicklin never kept cash over night in his house. He lived too near
the border.

Brown called his men from their looting and ordered them to the next
house which he had marked for assault--the house of James Lane,
three-quarters of a mile away.

They smashed Lane's door and took him a prisoner with Dr. Erwin, a guest
of the family.

From Hicklin he had secured considerable booty and his men were keen for
richer spoils. The first attack had netted the raiders two fine horses,
a yoke of oxen, a wagon, harness, saddles, watches, a fine collection
of jewelry, bacon, flour, meal, coffee, sugar, bedding, clothing, a
shotgun, boots, shoes, an overcoat and many odds and ends dumped into
the wago