Page:Report of Senate Select Committee on the Invasion of Harper's Ferry.pdf/9

Rh State Kansas Committee) "to be disposed of as you thought best."

How and why these arms (the two hundred Sharp's rifles) were originally purchased by this Massachusetts State Kansas Committee, will appear from the testimony of George L. Stearns, who was its president or chairman, at page 227 of the testimony. It is shown by Hurd that, after the national committee, for the reason stated, had refused to intrust them to Brown, on his application, they "were voted back," as Hurd calls it, to the Massachusetts State Kansas Committee; and, on page 229 of the testimony, will be found a letter from Stearns to Brown, dated at Boston, on the 8th of January, 1857, advising him that he was directed by his committee to send him an order on Edward Clark, of Lawrence, in Kansas Territory, for the two hundred rifles, "with four thousand ball cartridges, thirty-one military caps," (afterwards corrected as thirty-one thousand percussion caps,) which he states were then stored at Tabor, in Iowa, with directions to hold the same as agent of the society, subject to their order, and, at the same time, authorizing him to draw on their treasurer, at Boston, for a sum of money not to exceed five hundred dollars. At page 228 of the testimony will be found the following question, put to Stearns, with his answer:

"Question. Was it at Brown's request that you put him in possession of these arms in January, 1857?

"Answer. No, sir; but because we needed an agent to secure them," &c.

And again, at page 230, he was asked: "Did I understand you to say that this was voluntarily proffered to him, and not at his request?" (Meaning the arms.)

"Answer. Yes, sir.

"Question. Why did you desire to place these arms in his possession?

"Answer. For safe-keeping.

"Question. Were they not in safe-keeping where they were?

"Answer. They were not substantially in our hands. We had passed them into the hands of the National Kansas Committee, to be transported to Kansas," &c.

The committee are not disposed to draw harsh, or perhaps uncharitable conclusions; yet they cannot fail to remark that these arms, which had been refused to Brown by the national committee, for the very satisfactory reason that he gave evasive answers to their inquiry how they were to be used, were proffered to him, and without request on his part, by the Massachusetts committee; and this proffer is found attended by the fact, not a little to be remarked, that contemporaneous with it—that is to say, in January, 1857—this Mr. Stearns gave authority to Brown to purchase from the Massachusetts Arms Company two hundred revolver pistols, which Stearns alleges he paid for out of his own funds, (page 227 of the testimony,) giving to Brown at the same time authority to draw on him at sight for $7,000, "in sums as it might be wanted, for the subsistence of one hundred men, provided that it should be necessary at any time to call that number into the field for active service in the defense of Kansas, in 1857."