A Connecticut-born farmer with Calvinist roots, John Brown (1800–1859) was a lifelong opponent of slavery. Strong words turned to action in the 1850s when, amid the heated debate over the admission of Kansas as a slave vs. a free state, the increasingly zealous Brown moved there and led a guerrilla band in the murder of five pro-slavery settlers that came to be known as the Pottawatomie Massacre. Supported by six wealthy patrons, Brown hatched an ambitious plan to capture the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry and distribute the weapons to slaves. The violent plot ultimately failed when he was captured by Robert E. Lee, tried, and hanged, becoming the most visible—and still-controversial—martyr to the abolitionist cause. Scarce ink endorsement signature, “John Brown,” on the reverse of a 2.75 x 2 slip clipped from a check. Accompanied by a 1952 dealer’s catalogue slip from the Lincoln Library in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania, stating “A very scarce autograph and an opportunity to get this rare autograph for a few dollars,” and a price of an astonishing $4.00. Bank stamp and cut cancellation (away from signature), faint show-through of printing from reverse, pencil notation just touching last letter, and faint, unobtrusive staining to first name, otherwise fine condition. Pre-certified PSA/DNA and RRAuction COA.
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