Page:Report of Senate Select Committee on the Invasion of Harper's Ferry.pdf/15

Rh otherwise, belonging to the committee, to take them into Kansas, there to be used only for the defense of freedom in Kansas. Such a vote was passed, such a letter was written, and, I have no doubt, received by him."

This letter, it seems, however, was not written by Dr. Howe himself, but by the chairman of the "Massachusetts Aid Committee." When asked the question, "Who was the chairman who wrote the letter you refer to?" he answered, "I should prefer not to answer that question," adding, "I am here to answer all I have done myself, freely and frankly, but I would respectfully ask to be excused from answering any questions touching the actions of anybody else. I can only answer for my view as one of the committee." He subsequently added, however, "Perhaps I am over sensitive about it, and inasmuch as the gentleman's name is perfectly well known as chairman of the committee, and is in print, I give it—Mr. George L. Stearns."

At page 160, this witness also stated that about the same time with the letter from Forbes he received one from Mr. Wilson of the Senate; that he preserved a copy of Mr. Wilson's letter "until recently, when, in the general destruction of my &#91;his&#93; papers of no consequence, at the beginning of the year, I destroyed it among others, but I have a distinct recollection of its contents.

"Question. Will you state the contents?

"Answer. It was that he had reason to believe that Captain Brown had in his possession arms belonging to the Massachusetts Aid Committee, which he would be likely to use for purposes not contemplated by the committee; that he, Wilson, considered the original movement for procuring anything of the kind to have been a very mistaken and unfortunate one, and he advised by all means that measures be taken to prevent Captain Brown using those arms for any purpose not contemplated in their original purchase. It was a short letter, and that was the amount of it; but I recollect distinctly he expressed his disapprobation of the fact of such arms being in existence, and his disapprobation of John Brown's general career."

This witness having promised, on his return to Boston, to make search for all documents connected with this subject which could be found, replied by letter to the chairman, which will be found at page 172, and in which he states that the letter from Mr. Wilson could not be found. He sent, however, copies of two letters to Mr. Wilson, dated respectively on the 12th and 15th of May, 1858, which will be found at page 176. The latter is brief, and in the following words:

": When I last wrote to you, I was not aware fully of the true state of the case with regard to certain arms belonging to the late Kansas committee. Prompt measures have been taken, and will be resolutely followed up, to prevent any such monstrous perversion of a trust as would be the application of means raised for the defense of Kansas to a purpose which the subscribers of the fund would disapprove and vehemently condemn."

And on page 177 will be found two letters of George L. Stearns, as chairman of the Massachusetts State Kansas Committee, dated the 14th and 15th of May, 1858, referred to by Dr. Howe as the measures taken