wn 148)On October 26, 1859, Brown was summoned to hear his indictment. Up to this point Brown had hoped for some miracle to save him from his fate but that was out of his mind now. He knew his fate. He knew the noose waited. The one thought that comforted him was that in death he would be able to help abolition better than if he were alive. His death would bring attention to the subject. He attended the trial, held in the old pillared courthouse in Charlestown. He was also there when he was sentenced to death by hanging. Six of Brown’s men who had been with him at Harper’s Ferry were also sentenced to die.A field adjoining Charlestown had been chosen as the site of Brown’s execution. By 9:00 AM, December 2, 1859, the field was crowded with observers from all over the country. Reporters from many metropolitan newspapers had come to witness the execution. Soldiers, horses, infantry, and sentinels guarded the platform. Brown sent for a lawyer to write his will and requested to see his wife. It was his last chance to say goodbye.At 11:00 AM John Brown was led out to the field. He did not show any emotion, and did not seem to be impacted by the crowd. He was escorted by a column of soldiers all the way up to the platform. He was then seated on his coffin with his arms tied behind his back. A hood was placed over his head and he was led up the 13 steps of the hanging platform. When secured into place Brown declined to drop a handker-chief as a symbol to cut the drop. The Sheriff cut the rope and Brown fell through the platform. “A few convulsive struggles & a soul had gone to judgement.”(Citation) His last words were, “I, John Brown, am quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away without blood.” Opinions about John Brown were mixed after his execution. Some believed he deserved to die while others thought a great man had just been killed. Many abo...
