illegally elected. They organized a rival government, and brought
themselves into violent antagonism to the Federal Authorities at
Washington--for President Pierce and his Cabinet, which included the
renowned Jefferson Davis, backed the pro-slavery Legislature and its
following of ruffians. The town of Lawrence, which the Free Staters
held, was taken and pillaged by a wild mob under the leadership of the
United States Marshal, and we find the Browns in a company marching to
its relief. There was much skirmishing, during which two of Brown's
sons were taken prisoners. Only the constant vigilance and undaunted
courage of a few desperately bold men kept heart in the lovers of
liberty. But they (often led by John Brown) escaped the government
officials who sought to arrest them and sped to the help of those who
were marked as the victims of the marauders. So slowly did the Federal
Authorities awake to the situation that for a time there seemed little
protection to be expected for persecuted lovers of liberty.

We must now form some estimate of the two sides in this irregular
warfare in which John Brown all through the summer of 1856 was so
prominently engaged.

On the one hand were those whom the slave-holders relied upon for the
most part to do their dirty work--ruffians, many of them from the
neighbouring State; men who did not work, but who lived a wild
life--not cultivating a tract of land around their rude dwelling-place
like honest settlers, but fishing, shooting, and thieving for a
living--preferring the atmosphere of a Slave State as more favourable
to their life of lawlessness and plunder, and finding inspiration in
the whisky-bottle for such deeds of devilry as have been described.

Upon the other side, waging a guerilla warfare--for little else was
possible against enemies who preferred sneaking outrages to pitched
battles--were little companies of some score or two. Captain John
Brown's company was ever to the fore. He felt that outrage had gone
far enough unchecked, and that it was time honest men took the
aggressive and struck terror into cowards' hearts. They were not
without fierceness, but it was the fruit of honest anger. Rifles in
their judgement went not ill with Bible-reading and prayer--but we have
heard of such before. Armed Roundheads and Scotch Covenanters combined
prayer with sword exercise. In this camp, morning and evening prayers
were an institution; uncivil treatment of prisoners wa