Brown returned to Kansas with Stevens and Kagi, his two bravest and mostintelligent disciples.
If he could make the tryout of his plan sufficiently sensational, hisprestige would be restored, his chief disciples become trained veteransand his treasury be filled.
When he arrived, the Free State forces had again completely triumphed atthe ballot box. They had swept the Territory by a majority of three toone in the final test vote on the new Constitution. The issue of Slaveryin Kansas was dead. It had been settled for all time.
Such an inglorious end for all his dreams of bloodshed did not depressthe man of visions. Kansas no longer interested him except as arehearsal ground for the coming drama of the Great Deed.
He had carefully grown a long gray beard for the make-up of his newrole. It completely changed his appearance. He not only changed hismake-up, but he also changed his name. The title he gave to the newcharacter which he had come to play was, "Shubel Morgan."The revelation of his identity would be all the more dramatic when itcame.
When his men and weapons had been selected, he built his camp fire onthe Missouri Border. His raid was carefully planned in consultation withStevens, Kagi and Tidd. With these trusted followers he had rallied adozen recruits who could be depended on to obey orders. Among them was anotorious horse thief and bandit known in the Territory by the title of"Pickles."As they entered the State of Missouri on the night of the twenty-fifthof January, Brown divided his forces. Keeping the main division underhis personal command, he despatched Stevens with a smaller force toraid the territory surrounding the two plantations against which he wasmoving.
Between eleven and twelve o\'clock Brown reached the home of Harvey G.
Hicklin, the first victim marked on his list.
Without the formality of a knock he smashed his door down and spranginside with drawn revolver.
Hicklin surrendered.
"We have come to take your slaves and such property as we need," the oldman curtly answered.
"I am at your mercy, gentlemen," Hicklin replied.
Gill was placed in charge of the robbers who ransacked the bureaudrawers, closets and chests for valuables.
Brown collected the slaves and assured them of protection. When everywatch, gun, pistol, and every piece of plate worth carrying had beencollected, and the stables stripped of every horse and piece of leather,the old man turned to his victim and coolly remarked:
"Now get your property back if you can. I dare you and the whole UnitedStates Army to follow me to-night. And you tell this to your neighborsto-morrow morning."Hicklin kept silent.
Brown knew that his tongue would be busy with the rising sun. He alsoknew that his message would be hot on the wires to the East before thesun would set. He could feel the thrill it would give his sentimentalfriends in Boston. And he could see them reaching for their purses.
The men were still emptying drawers on the floor in a vain search forcash. Hicklin never kept cash over night in his house. He lived too nearthe border.
Brown called his men from their looting and ordered them to the nexthouse which he had marked for assault--the house of James Lane,three-quarters of a mile away.
They smashed Lane\'s door and took him a prisoner with Dr. Erwin, a guestof the family.
From Hicklin he had secured considerable booty and his men were keen forricher spoils. The first attack had netted the raiders two fine horses,a yoke of oxen, a wagon, harness, saddles, watches, a fine collectionof jewelry, bacon, flour, meal, coffee, sugar, bedding, clothing, ashotgun, boots, shoes, an overcoat and many odds and ends dumped intothe wagon.
From Lane they expected more. They were sore over the results. They gotsix good horses, their harness and wagons, a lot of bedding, clothingand provisions, but no jewelry except two plain silver watches.
Brown added five negroes to his party and told them he would take themto Canada. Thus far no blood had been shed. The attacks had been madewith such quiet skill, the surprise was complete. In spite of all thetalk and bluster of frontier politicians no sane man in the State ofMissouri could conceive of the possibility of such a daring crime. Thevictims were utterly unprepared for the assault. And no defense had beenattempted.
Stevens had better luck. His party had encountered David Cruise, aman who was rash enough to resist. He was an old man, too, of quiet,peaceable habits and exemplary character. He proved to be the man whodidn\'t know how to submit to personal insult.
He owned but one slave who did the cooking for his family. When Stevensbroke into his house and demanded the woman, he indignantly refused tosurrender his cook to a gang of burglars.
The ex-convict, who had served his term for an assault with intent tokill, didn\'t pause to ask Cruise any questions.
His revolver clicked, a single shot rang out and the old man dropped onthe floor with a bullet through his heart.
Passing the body, Stevens looted the house. He made the largest haul ofthe night. He secured four oxen, eleven mules, two horses, and a wagonload of provisions. Incidentally he picked up a valuable mule from aneighbor of Cruise as they passed his house on the way to join Brown.
When Stevens reported the murder and gave the inventory of the valuablegoods stolen, "Shubel Morgan" stroked his long gray beard and spoke butone word:
"Good."In his grim soul he knew that the blood stain left on Cruise\'s floorwould be worth more to his cause than all the stolen jewelry, horses andwagons. Its appeal to the East would be the one secret force needed torouse the archaic instincts of his pious backers. They would deny withindignation the accusation of murder against his men. They would inventthe excuse of self-defense. He did not need to make it. From the deepsof their souls would come the shout of the ancien............