John Brown

According to 1886 newspaper reprints, John Brown was taken from jail in a wagon to a gallows and hanged. An eyewitness account printed in the Staunton Vindicator says he climbed the steps without assistance, asked that he not be kept waiting too long on the platform, and spoke in an unusually composed voice. J. T. L. Preston's account, reprinted in the Ketchum Keystone, describes his breathing failing slowly after the drop. The reprints do not give the date or place of the execution, and the accounts are older ones printed in later issues.

Cause of death, as reported: Executed by the state

Reported by: eyewitness account reprinted in the newspaper; J. T. L. Preston, Southern Bivouac, as reprinted in the Ketchum Keystone (reporters).

Sources (4)

• Semi-Weekly South Kentuckian, August 17, 1886, page 4 Semi-Weekly South Kentuckian, August 17, 1886
• Staunton Vindicator, August 20, 1886, page 1 Staunton Vindicator, August 20, 1886
• The Ketchum Keystone, August 28, 1886, page 1 The Ketchum Keystone, August 28, 1886
• Arizona Weekly Citizen, November 20, 1886, page 4 Arizona Weekly Citizen, November 20, 1886