Springfield 1636-1886, History of Town and City, by Mason A. Green ...

SPRINGFIELD. 16S6-1SS6. 503
added: " In one of these skirmishes the free-state men lost several
who were taken prisoners by the ruffians, among them John and
Jason Brown, formerly of Springfield, where John Brown, the father,
was once in the wool business. He is one of the most valiant men
we have. His other son, John, Jr., is still a prisoner and insane. I
saw Jason Brown, the son, released with his father, last night, and
another son several days ago. I saw the chains which were put upon
them, and by which the father was chained to his insane son."
The American party, with Millard Fillmore at the head, was held
together under stress of weather, but was destined to break up, as
the issue was reduced to slavery. The local Fillmore club organized
with these officers : President, Homer Foot ; vice-presidents, James
D. Brewer, D. H. Brigham, Deacon Clark, Dr. John Hooker, and
John V. Jones; secretaries, Horace C. Lee and S. E. Church. It
might be said that JNIr. Trask led the Fremont and Dr. Hooker
the Fillmore sections of the party.
The position of the Northern men in Congress was most exasperat-
ing. Mr. Brooks, of South Carolina, took offence at a speech of
Burlingame, of Massachusetts, and a duel was on the tapis ; but,
thanks to the firm hand of the brave George Ashmun upon the
shoulder of Brooks, an affair of honor was avoided.
The Executive, following the policy of crippling the United States
armories, had discharged two hundred and fifty-seven armorers in
Springfield, leaving only the superintendent, paymaster, master ar-
morer, a clerk, and seven watchmen in charge of the Federal arsenal.
Men gathered around Frank Sanborn, who arrived from Kansas in
August (and Kansas then was twenty days from Chicago) , to hear
the particulars of the outrages in that unhappy skirmishing-ground
just before the great issue was joined, and the slave's friend and the
slave's master tried conclusions in open war ; and as the story of
the border life, ruffian, and freesoil emigrant was unfolded on these
streets by the new arrival, and men thought of the pro-slavery ad-
ministration, the empty armory, and a rampant dominating Southern