Description:

JOHN BROWN
(1800 - 1859) American abolitionist who became obsessed with idea of abolishing slavery by force, massacred five slavery adherents at Pottawatomie, seized the arsenal at Harpers Ferry and was hanged for treason. Rare A.L.S. 1p. 4to., New Albany, Apr. 20, 1842, to Thomas Matthew, in part: "...I received a letter from Beulah stating that she in want of money to pay her debts and George owes her and she can not get it from him. I wrote to her to let her know the amount and if George would pay her out of his money, I am willing that he should do it for I believe he will never save a sufficiency to pay his board as long as he has anything in our hands. She wants one hundred dollars. Informed her that if George did not owe her that much I would give an order on the [sic] for the balance. I wrote to the[sic] in answer to one that I received...Times are dul [sic]here and people braking [sic]daily. Produce low; money scarce and nothing that I can see to make them better. Therefore we must wait the Soul with patience...". Of course, the financial difficulties to which Brown alludes were the outcome of the Panic of 1837. Brown's financial straits are well know: in 1836 he moved his family to Franklin Mills, Ohio (now part of Kent), where he borrowed money to invest in land in the area, but lost heavily in the economic panic following the Panic of 1837. He tried a number of ventures to get out of debt, but on Sept. 28, 1842, about five months after he wrote this letter, he was declared bankrupt by a federal court. Boldly written, very good condition.

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January 20, 2010 10:00 AM EST
Stamford, CT, US

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