Page:History of Iowa From the Earliest Times to the Beginning of the Twentieth Century Volume 2.djvu/59

, August 18, 1859. It was inclosed in an envelope, sealed and addressed to the Secretary at Washington, D. C., and a stamp put on it. The letter was then inclosed in a larger envelope, sealed and addressed to the postmaster at Philadelphia. It was mailed at Wheatland, a village in Clinton County. David J. Gue *  wrote the other letter, which has become historic, of which the following is a copy:

, August 20.

Hon. Mr. Floyd, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C.:


 * I have lately received information of movement of so great importance that I feel it my duty to impart it to you without delay. I have discovered the existence of a secret organization having for its object the liberation of the slaves at the South by a general insurrection. The leader of the movement is “Old John Brown,” late of Kansas. He has been in Canada during the winter drilling the negroes there, and they are only Canada during the winter drilling the negroes there, and they are only waiting his word to start for the South to assist the slaves. They have one of their leading men (a white man) in an armory in Maryland—where it is situated I have not been able to learn. As soon as everything is ready those of their number who are in small companies to their rendezvous, which is in the mountains of Virginia. They will pass down through Pennsylvania and Maryland, and enter Virginia at Harper’s Ferry. Brown left the North about three or four weeks ago, and will arm the negroes and strike the blow in a few weeks, so that whatever is done must be done must be done at once. They have a large quantity of arms at their rendezvous, and are probably distributing them already. As I am not fully in their confidence, this is all the information I can give you. I dare not sign my name to this, but trust that you will not disregard the warning on that account.

This letter was put into an envelope addressed to John B. Floyd, Secretary of War, Washington, D. C., and marked “Private.” It was then inclosed in a larger envelope directed to the postmaster at Cincinnati, and mailed at Big Rock. We sought to convey to the Secretary the impression that the writers of the letters lived in different parts of the country, that they ad accidentally learned something of Brown’s raid, that they had no sympathy with him and his expedition and felt it a duty to

* D. J. Gue was about twenty-three years of age at that time. He went to New York City, where he became an artist and portrait painter.